Principal Mission Engineer - Full Stack (Secret Clearance Required)

STR • Arlington, VA

2d • $240,000 - $290,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Principal Mission Engineer (Full Stack) works in STR’s Mission Applications Group within the Analytics and Command & Control Division, developing and deploying software for real-world national security objectives in partnership with customers. The role calls for expertise in software development and deployment in complex, high-security environments; knowledge of Department of Defense missions; and experience with modern full-stack frameworks and API integration.

As a software-team leader, you will design, develop, and maintain systems for operational use while managing customer relationships and ensuring product quality, reliability, and performance. Work includes prototyping and evolving minimum viable products, scaling existing applications and workflows, developing responsive and high-performance interfaces, integrating capabilities into cohesive systems, and collaborating with military or government operators to turn their needs into software features. You will also travel to integration sites to deploy, test, and troubleshoot software in secure operational environments; customer-site travel is expected to average no more than one week per month.

The position uses STR’s flexible hybrid environment. When work does not require STR or customer facilities, employees may work remotely.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship.
• Active U.S. security clearance.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related technical field and at least 8 years of work experience.
• Experience deploying software for Department of Defense or Intelligence Community missions.
• High sense of ownership and a track record of delivering high-impact work.
• Passion for user-centric interfaces and a keen eye for design details.
• Strong knowledge of modern technologies such as React, TypeScript, and Python.
• Knowledge of performance-focused tools and techniques for rendering large datasets and building responsive, smooth interfaces.
• Demonstrated ability to adopt new languages, libraries, and technologies.
• Organized and detail-oriented, with the ability to work independently and collaboratively.
• Effective communication skills with technical and non-technical audiences.

Nice To Haves

• Active Top Secret security clearance with SCI eligibility.
• Advanced degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related technical field.
• Prior U.S. military service with experience in joint planning, large-force battle monitoring, and large-force debrief best practices.

Responsibilities

• Break down use cases and user-defined problems, build minimum viable products, and rapidly evolve solutions into cohesive applications.
• Continue accelerated development of existing applications by adding workflows, improving scalability, making high-impact enhancements, and addressing customer pain points.
• Develop high-performance, visually appealing frontend solutions for complex use cases, ensuring applications remain fast, smooth, and intuitive under heavy load.
• Lead cross-functional engineering teams in designing, building, and deploying cohesive systems, and integrate independent capabilities into existing solutions.
• Collaborate with end users and customers, typically military or government operators, to understand requirements and translate them into software features; apply product-discovery best practices.
• Travel to integration sites to deploy, test, and triage software in secure operational environments; customer-site travel should average no more than one week per month.
• Lead software teams in designing, developing, and maintaining systems deployed for operational use.
• Manage customer relationships while leading engineering teams and ensuring delivered products meet standards for quality, reliability, and performance.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal