Principal Python Engineer (Modeling & Simulation)

Code Metal • San Francisco, CA

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

Code Metal is seeking a Principal Python Engineer for their Modeling & Simulation team. This team is developing a next-generation wargaming and decision-support platform for the Department of the Air Force. The role involves designing and implementing backend services, pipelines, and tooling to drive the core wargaming simulation. Responsibilities include creating APIs for frontend integration, managing data, exposing results, and developing infrastructure for AI/ML pipelines, scenario generation, Monte Carlo analysis, and distributed cloud-scale simulations. Strong cloud services and distributed architecture expertise are essential. The Principal level expectations include setting quality standards, providing architectural guidance, contributing to the technical roadmap, and mentoring other engineers.

Requirements

• Professional experience with collaborative, enterprise-level software development in Python, delivering products to a large customer base.
• Experience gathering requirements from stakeholders and distilling them into software designs.
• Experience building and delivering robust software using strong SDLC practices, including code review, testing, continuous integration, release management, and build systems.
• Familiarity with machine learning tools and frameworks.
• Expertise building scalable APIs (REST, GraphQL, gRPC).
• Hands-on experience with Docker and containerized application development.
• Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Top Secret security clearance.

Nice To Haves

• Familiarity with agentic AI frameworks and solutions.
• Familiarity with code analysis / static analysis.
• Experience working with cloud-based distributed systems (AWS, GCP, Azure).
• Active U.S. security clearance (Secret, Top Secret, or SCI/SAP).
• Direct experience developing AFSIM plugins, framework extensions, event infrastructure, or custom platform types.
• Familiarity with HLA, DIS, OneSAF, JSAF, NGTS, STK, or other constructive and distributed simulation environments.
• Experience supporting Air Force, Space Force, joint, or broader DoD acquisition and mission-analysis programs.
• Experience developing models for sensors, weapons, electronic warfare, jamming, communications, logistics, or command and control.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement backend services and APIs that orchestrate mission- and campaign-level simulation runs, collect their outputs, and expose results to analysts and government stakeholders.
• Build scenario-generation, operational and mission planning workflows, and key services for Monte-Carlo based sensitivity-analysis for our wargaming and decision-support platform.
• Build distributed, cloud-scale infrastructure that scales simulations across developer workstations, on-premises infrastructure, and cloud compute while preserving reproducibility and model provenance.
• Build data ingestion, normalization, and analysis pipelines that turn raw simulation output into decision-ready insight for defense users.
• Build scalable APIs (REST, GraphQL, gRPC) and containerized services that connect the Python tooling layer to the core simulation runtime and downstream analysis tools.
• Gather requirements from government stakeholders, domain experts, and analysts, and distill them into clear software designs.
• Employ strong SDLC practices throughout — code review, testing, continuous integration, release management, and build systems.

Benefits

• Health care plan with 100% premium coverage, including medical, dental, and vision
• 401k with 5% matching
• Paid Time Off (uncapped vacation, plus sick and public holidays)
• Flexible hybrid or remote work arrangement
• Relocation assistance for qualifying employees

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal
• Education Level: No Education Listed