Principal Software Engineer – Cloud Systems

Ksat•Denver, CO

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

KSAT is seeking a Principal Software Engineer / Cloud Architect to lead the evolution of mission-critical software platforms supporting satellite operations, ground segment services, and customer mission systems. This individual will serve as the technical lead for the migration of a complex ecosystem of applications, services, databases, and integrations from a Norway-administered Azure commercial cloud environment into a U.S.-administered Azure Government cloud environment. This role combines software architecture, cloud architecture, technical leadership, and organizational development. The successful candidate will establish the technical strategy for cloud-native application modernization, guide architectural decisions across multiple software products, and build a high-performing U.S.-based software engineering team responsible for long-term product development and operational support. The ideal candidate possesses deep expertise in distributed systems, cloud-native application architectures, Kubernetes platforms, software modernization, and Azure-based deployments. They must be comfortable operating at both strategic and hands-on levels, driving architectural decisions while remaining actively engaged in system design, code reviews, deployment strategies, and technical mentoring. This position serves as the primary U.S. technical counterpart to KSAT's Norway-based software and product organizations and will play a critical role in shaping the future software capabilities of KSAT's U.S. operations.

Requirements

10+ years of professional software engineering experience.
5+ years leading software architecture, technical leadership, or principal-level engineering initiatives.
Demonstrated experience designing and delivering large-scale cloud-native applications and distributed systems.
Significant experience with: Python, Rust, Kubernetes, Docker, Microservices architectures, REST API design
Experience designing highly available and resilient production systems.
Experience leading large-scale cloud migration, application modernization, or platform transformation initiatives.
Deep understanding of software architecture principles including: Scalability, Fault tolerance, Observability, Security, Performance optimization
Experience building and maintaining CI/CD pipelines and modern software delivery workflows.
Strong understanding of relational and non-relational database architectures and migration strategies.
Outstanding communication skills and ability to influence technical and non-technical stakeholders.
U.S. Citizenship required.
Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. DoD Secret Clearance.
Ability to support systems handling Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI).

Nice To Haves

Experience designing software solutions within Azure Government, Azure Commercial, AWS GovCloud, or other regulated cloud environments.
Experience migrating workloads between cloud environments or organizational boundaries.
Experience supporting systems subject to government security and compliance requirements.
Experience with: OpenStack, Helm, GitLab CI/CD, Terraform, Ansible, Service Mesh architectures, Event-driven systems
Familiarity with cloud-native observability platforms including Prometheus, Grafana, Loki, and related technologies.
Experience implementing DevSecOps and secure software development lifecycle best practices.
Aerospace, satellite communications, mission operations, or ground segment software experience.
Familiarity with mission control systems, telemetry processing, spacecraft operations, scheduling systems, or command and control architectures.
Experience supporting operational systems requiring high availability and continuous service delivery.
Experience leading geographically distributed software teams.
Ability to travel internationally and collaborate with engineering teams located in Norway.

Responsibilities

Lead technical planning and execution of a phased migration from Azure Commercial cloud environments to Azure Government cloud environments.
Assess existing software, database, integration, and infrastructure dependencies and develop migration strategies that minimize operational disruption and technical risk.
Collaborate with stakeholders across U.S. and Norwegian organizations to prioritize migration initiatives and align technical execution with business objectives.
Identify opportunities to modernize legacy applications and services as part of migration activities.
Serve as the lead software architect for U.S.-based software initiatives.
Establish architecture standards and technical design practices for cloud-native applications and services.
Lead architecture reviews, technical planning sessions, and design decisions across multiple software programs.
Guide engineering teams in implementing maintainable, secure, and scalable software solutions.
Maintain technical ownership of critical software systems throughout their lifecycle.
Define application deployment patterns, CI/CD strategies, container standards, and operational support models.
Ensure software products are designed for high availability, operational resilience, and maintainability.
Establish software engineering best practices, development standards, and operational procedures.
Mentor engineers across multiple experience levels and cultivate technical leadership within the organization.
Collaborate with mission operations personnel, product managers, and systems engineers to define and prioritize software requirements.