Principal Software Engineer

AST•Tacoma, WA

18d•$160,000 - $200,000•Onsite

About The Position

At AST, we enhance the efficiency, productivity, and safety of flexible aseptic manufacturing processes for the worldwide Life Science Industry by offering innovative products, services, and solutions. Do you want to contribute to a shared vision and mission? Would you like to bring your unique talents to have a significant impact at a growing company? At AST we strive to build a workplace that enables every team member to meet and exceed their capabilities. We set our expectations high and provide the environment and resources necessary to bring out the very best. AST is proud of our team. Providing challenging and rewarding work, with opportunities for personal/professional development is our key to this longevity. AST is an equal opportunity employer. Compensation for onsite WA applicants is $160,000 to $200,000 annually. All applicants are welcome to apply. Employee benefits include: Medical (HSA & PPO), Dental, Vision, Long/Short term disability, HSA account with employer contribution, 401(K) (Traditional & Roth options) with up to 5% company match, Education Assistance, Paid Time Off (PTO), Paid Holiday, and bonus potential. What can I expect in this role? AST is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to join our Research and Development Team. The Principal Software Engineer is a highly experienced technical leader who operates at a multi-team, organizational, and company-wide level. This role focuses on large-scale technical strategy, complex system design, mentorship, and driving significant technical initiatives that have a broad and lasting impact on the business. You are distinguished by your ability to influence and execute across organizational boundaries. The Principal Software Engineer position will report to the Chief Technology Officer and is a full-time position that is located onsite in Tacoma, Washington. If the Principal Software Engineer position aligns with your goals and you share our passion for AST’s Mission, Vision, Purpose, Values and Key Behaviors, we want to hear from you.

Requirements

10+ years of progressive experience in software engineering, with 3+ years in a Staff, Principal, or equivalent senior technical leadership role.
Bachelor’s degree in computer science, computer engineering or equivalent.
Deep expertise in system architecture, distributed systems, and cloud-native infrastructure (e.g., AWS, GCP, Azure).
Mastery of at least one major programming language (e.g., .NET, Python, Java, C++) and a strong command of data structures, algorithms, and software design patterns.
Demonstrable track record of designing and successfully deploying large-scale systems that have had a significant, measurable business impact across multiple teams or the entire organization.
Proven ability to influence technical direction and drive change without direct managerial authority.
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex technical issues and proposals clearly to executive, product, and non-technical audiences.
Strong history of mentoring and coaching engineers at all levels on complex system design, MLOps, and career development.
Must be legally authorized to work in the United States without restriction.
Must be willing to take and successfully pass a drug test.

Responsibilities

Define and drive the long-term technical roadmap and architectural vision for AST products, services, and platforms.
Lead the design and implementation of highly complex, scalable, and resilient software systems, including the core infrastructure supporting machine learning model training, serving, and continuous deployment (MLOps).
Act as the go-to technical expert and decision-maker on complex engineering solutions, performance, and technical challenges.
Identify and mitigate technical risks before they become significant issues.
Drive the adoption of new technologies, best practices, and engineering standards.
Mentor and coach engineers—from junior to senior level—on system design, coding best practices, career development, and technical leadership.
Influence and align engineering teams and business stakeholders on technical solutions and strategies.
Champion engineering excellence and a culture of high-quality, scalable, and sustainable software development.
Present technical roadmaps, proposals, and complex concepts clearly to executive and non-technical audiences.
Take direct technical ownership and responsibility for the most ambiguous, complex, and high-priority technical projects that cross multiple team boundaries and are critical to business success.
Lead efforts to significantly improve the reliability, performance, and operational efficiency of core systems, often involving deep dives into scaling bottlenecks and architectural challenges.
Identify and build foundational tools, platforms, or core services that dramatically increase productivity, velocity, and quality of work for other engineers.
Set the organizational standard for technical excellence by leading the creation of high-quality design documents, conducting rigorous and constructive design reviews, and providing authoritative technical oversight on mission-critical codebases.
Champion the strategy of reducing complexity in our architecture, ensuring that system designs are elegant, sustainable, and easily understood by future engineers.