Principal Software Engineer

ORION

12d•$123,491 - $196,279•Hybrid

About The Position

About this Opportunity: The Principal Software Engineer (IC6) leads the design, development, and evolution of Orion’s modern cloud-native technology stack. This role architects end-to-end systems, sets and drives engineering standards, identifies long-term platform investments, and leverages deep expertise in AWS, serverless patterns, distributed systems, JavaScript/TypeScript, React, and modern application development. Operating with substantial autonomy, the Principal Engineer tackles Orion’s most complex technical challenges, charts the course for major engineering initiatives, and ensures solutions are reliable, scalable, secure, cost-efficient, and aligned to business outcomes. As we continue to evolve and live our Orion values, we are looking for someone to grow with us. For External Candidates: Candidates must work in-office at one of the following locations for at least 3 days per week: Omaha, NE; or Lehi, UT. For Internal Candidates: All internal employees, regardless of their current work arrangement (remote or in-office), are encouraged to apply.

Requirements

Has mastery of modern JavaScript/TypeScript and the Node.js ecosystem
Has deep experience building rich, modern UIs using React and supporting front-end libraries
Has strong understanding of browser capabilities, web performance, and front-end architecture
Has advanced SQL and relational database expertise, especially MySQL (schema design, indexing, query optimization)
Has knowledge of data lakes and distributed data pipeline technologies
Has expertise across AWS (Lambda, API Gateway, CloudFront, SQS, SNS, SES, EventBridge, S3, RDS)
Has strong understanding of OAuth2, OpenID Connect, cryptography, and security protocols
Has mastery of git workflows, CI/CD pipelines, IaC best practices, and SDLC processes
Has broad architectural pattern knowledge (DDD, CQRS, SOLID, event-driven patterns)
Has exceptional debugging and problem-solving skills across the full stack
Tackles high-impact, highly ambiguous problems with no blueprint
Defines technical frameworks, patterns, and decision structures for other engineers to follow
Solutions directly influence Orion’s long-term scalability, reliability, and competitive advantage
Builds influence networks across teams and guides engineering direction at scale
Operates with full independence on new, critical, or technically undefined initiatives
May indirectly lead engineers or project teams through influence and technical direction
Determines architecture, technical strategies, and methods for complex initiatives
Has a minimum of 10+ years of progressive software engineering experience
Has demonstrated mastery architecting and building in AWS

Nice To Haves

Has AWS Solutions Architect certification (or equivalent experience) strongly preferred
Owns and manages relationships with stakeholders directly and works effectively with people at all levels in an organization

Responsibilities

Architect and implement large-scale, fully serverless applications using AWS Lambda, API Gateway, CloudFront, EventBridge, SQS/SNS, S3, and RDS
Define the architectural vision for cloud-native, event-driven systems across Orion
Lead design for new platforms, subsystems, and cross-cutting capabilities that support Orion’s growth and scale
Build and maintain infrastructure-as-code and CI/CD pipelines that support rapid, consistent deployment
Serve as Orion’s top technical expert in AWS architecture and serverless engineering
Provide guidance, mentorship, and direction to engineers, senior engineers, and tech leads
Lead design reviews, complex debugging efforts, and operational excellence initiatives
Drive adoption of new AWS services, modern distributed system patterns, and emerging technologies—including generative and agentic AI
Partner with Product, Security, DevOps, and business stakeholders to ensure technical decisions support Orion’s strategic goals.
Champion secure coding practices, system hardening, and proactive risk mitigation
Build performant, resilient, scalable systems that self-heal and optimize cost
Create and enforce testing strategies, including integrated and automated testing approaches
Diagnose and solve high-severity issues across any layer of the stack—front-end, back-end, database, networking, or infrastructure
Shape the engineering culture by promoting best practices, simplification, and continuous improvement
Influence roadmaps and technology direction through data, experience, and clear communication
Serve as a trusted advisor across engineering teams and to senior leadership
Build strong cross-functional relationships to drive work that impacts multiple areas of the business
Independently define methods, strategies, and technical approaches for novel or ambiguous initiatives
Balance creativity and discipline to build solutions that deliver outsized impact
Maintain a continuous learning practice to stay ahead of rapidly evolving cloud engineering trends
Operate with a platform-owner mindset—thinking holistically about reliability, scale, and long-term maintainability