Principal Software Engineer - Software Architect

Monarch Quantum•San Diego, CA

4d•$175,000 - $225,000

About The Position

Join our fast-paced and passionate team as a Principal Software Engineer and technical leader. As we scale, you will be the chief architect of our software systems, defining technical strategy and leading critical projects from conception to delivery. This is a high-impact role for an experienced technologist who can balance visionary system design with hands-on implementation. You'll work directly with executive leadership to shape our technology roadmap, mentor engineering teams, and establish the architectural foundations that will scale with our growth.

Requirements

A bachelor's degree in Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field. Master's degree preferred.
Minimum of 10+ years of professional software development experience, with at least 3 years in a technical leadership or architect role.
Proven track record of successfully leading software projects from conception to delivery.
Experience in a startup or fast-paced technology company environment preferred.
10+ years of expert-level C++ software development experience.
Deep understanding of modern C++ (C++14/17/20/23) including advanced features, performance optimization, and memory management.
Extensive experience with Qt framework (Qt 6) including Qt Widgets, QML, and Qt's architectural patterns.
Strong expertise in software architecture, design patterns, and system design principles.
Proven experience designing scalable, modular architectures for complex desktop applications.
Expert knowledge of CMake and modern C++ build systems.
Experience with multi-threaded programming, concurrent systems, and real-time performance optimization.
Deep familiarity with unit testing, integration testing, and test-driven development (Google Test or similar).
Strong understanding of version control workflows and branching strategies (Git).
Experience with instrument communication protocols and hardware interfacing (e.g., SCPI, USB, Serial, Ethernet, TCP/IP).
Demonstrated ability to lead technical projects and coordinate across multiple teams.
Excellent communication skills with the ability to explain complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
Experience mentoring engineers and fostering technical growth in others.
Strong decision-making abilities with a track record of making sound architectural choices under uncertainty.
Ability to balance perfectionism with pragmatism and deliver results in a dynamic environment.

Nice To Haves

Experience architecting cross-platform desktop applications (Windows, Linux).
Background in scientific instrumentation, photonics, optics, or precision measurement systems.
Familiarity with containerization, DevOps practices, or CI/CD pipelines.
Experience with Python for tooling and automation.
Knowledge of UI/UX design principles and user-centered design.
Experience with agile methodologies and leading agile teams.
Contributions to open-source projects or technical publications.
You're a visionary technologist who can see around corners and anticipate future challenges.
You're comfortable with ambiguity and excel at bringing structure to complex, ill-defined problems.
You lead through influence, collaboration, and technical credibility rather than authority.
You're passionate about building high-performing teams and elevating others.
You balance technical depth with strategic breadth and know when to zoom in and when to zoom out.
You're a builder at heart and still love writing code alongside architecting systems.

Responsibilities

Architecture & Technical Leadership:
Define and drive the overall software architecture for our desktop applications, embedded systems, and instrument control platforms.
Design scalable, maintainable system architectures that support current needs and anticipate future growth.
Make critical technical decisions on frameworks, tools, technologies, and architectural patterns.
Establish and evangelize coding standards, design patterns, and engineering best practices across the organization.
Lead technical design reviews and provide architectural guidance to engineering teams.
Evaluate and integrate new technologies and third-party solutions to enhance our product capabilities.
Project Leadership:
Lead cross-functional software projects from requirements gathering through delivery and deployment.
Define project scope, technical requirements, milestones, and success criteria in collaboration with stakeholders.
Break down complex projects into actionable tasks and coordinate work across multiple engineers.
Identify technical risks early and develop mitigation strategies.
Communicate project status, technical challenges, and trade-offs to leadership and non-technical stakeholders.
Drive projects to completion while maintaining high quality standards and managing scope creep.
Hands-On Development:
Develop critical C++ software components for Qt-based GUI applications and instrument communication systems.
Implement complex, performance-critical features and tackle the most challenging technical problems.
Design and build reusable frameworks and libraries that accelerate development across projects.
Conduct thorough code reviews with a focus on architecture, scalability, and maintainability.
Prototype new concepts and prove out architectural approaches.
Mentorship & Team Development:
Mentor and guide senior and mid-level engineers in system design, C++/Qt development, and professional growth.
Foster a culture of technical excellence, continuous learning, and knowledge sharing.
Conduct technical interviews and help build a world-class engineering team.
Lead by example through high-quality code, clear communication, and collaborative problem-solving.
Strategic Collaboration:
Partner with product management, hardware engineering, and scientific teams to translate business needs into technical solutions.
Contribute to product strategy by providing technical insights on feasibility, effort, and innovation opportunities.
Represent engineering in strategic planning discussions and roadmap development.
Maintain clear and comprehensive architectural documentation and technical specifications.