Principal Mission Engineer - Full Stack (Secret Clearance Required)

STR • San Diego, CA

1d • 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 missions in partnership with customers. The role leads software teams in designing, developing, integrating, and maintaining systems for operational use, while managing customer relationships and ensuring high standards of quality, reliability, and performance.

The engineer breaks down user problems and use cases, builds prototypes and minimum viable products, and rapidly evolves applications by adding workflows, improving scalability, and addressing customer needs. Responsibilities include developing high-performance, intuitive frontend features; integrating capabilities into cohesive systems; collaborating with military and government users to translate requirements into software; and deploying, testing, and troubleshooting software at secure operational sites. Travel to customer sites averages no more than one week per month. The role uses STR’s flexible hybrid environment, with remote work welcome when work does not require STR or customer facilities.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship.
• Active U.S. Security Clearance.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related technical field.
• At least 8 years of work experience.
• Experience deploying software for DoD or IC missions.
• High sense of ownership and a track record of delivering high-impact work.
• Passion for crafting user-centric interfaces and attention to 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.
• 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 an MVP, and rapidly evolve solutions into cohesive applications.
• Accelerate development of existing applications by building workflows, increasing scalability, making high-impact improvements, and addressing customer pain points.
• Develop high-performance, visually appealing frontend features that handle complex use cases and remain fast, smooth, and intuitive under heavy load.
• Lead cross-functional engineering teams to design, build, and deploy cohesive systems.
• Integrate independent capabilities into existing solutions.
• Work closely with military and government end-users and customers 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.

What This Job Offers

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