Principal Software Engineer - TS/SCI - St. Louis

MKS2 Technologies•St. Louis, MO

1d•$165,000 - $245,000•Onsite

About The Position

Seeking a highly experienced Principal Software Engineer to lead the architectural design, development, and modernization of geospatial-intelligence core services for a National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) initiative. This position is critical to transforming legacy systems into modern, cloud-native, microservices-based platforms. The successful candidate will drive technical excellence, mentor senior engineering teams, establish best practices in secure cloud environments, and directly influence the strategic technical direction of enterprise-level geospatial applications serving the Intelligence Community. The Principal Software Engineer will work within an agile development environment utilizing secure AWS cloud infrastructure, containerized applications, and modern DevOps practices. This role demands not only exceptional technical depth but also the ability to articulate complex architectural decisions to executive leadership and government stakeholders.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Mathematics, Software Engineering, or related technical field with minimum 15 years of professional software engineering experience , OR Master's degree in a technical field with minimum 13 years of professional software engineering experience
Active Top Secret / Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) security clearance required at time of hire
Ability to obtain and maintain CI Polygraph examination eligibility
S. Citizenship required for clearance sponsorship
No disqualifying conditions per DSS standards
Enterprise Python Development: Minimum 8+ years architecting and developing enterprise-scale Python applications with proven expertise in production deployments
js Front-End Development: Minimum 5+ years building complex, responsive React.js applications with demonstrated mastery of component design, state management, and performance optimization
RESTful API Architecture: Minimum 5+ years designing and implementing production-grade APIs with expertise in versioning, documentation, and security standards
Web Services Architecture: Deep understanding of microservices patterns, service-oriented architecture (SOA), API gateway patterns, and distributed systems design
PostgreSQL Database Design: Minimum 5+ years designing relational databases for high-performance applications, including index optimization, query tuning, and replication strategies
AWS Cloud Platform: Minimum 5+ years working with AWS services including EC2, ECS, Lambda, RDS, VPC, IAM, and CloudWatch in production environments
AWS Security Services: Hands-on experience with AWS security tools including VPC security, IAM policies, KMS encryption, Secrets Manager, and Security Hub
Secure Development Practices: Demonstrated expertise in security-first coding, OWASP top 10 remediation, and government security standards compliance
Technical Leadership: Proven track record leading cross-functional engineering teams and making architectural decisions with significant business impact
Problem-Solving: Ability to analyze complex technical challenges and design scalable, maintainable solutions
Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills with ability to explain technical concepts to diverse audiences
Attention to Detail: Meticulous approach to code quality, security, and compliance documentation
Adaptability: Comfort working in fast-paced, agile environments with frequent requirement changes
Security Mindset: Natural inclination toward secure design and threat modeling throughout development lifecycle

Nice To Haves

FastAPI/Flask Expertise: Demonstrated production experience building high-performance APIs with modern Python frameworks
AWS Services Specialization: Deep experience with containerization (Docker/ECS), serverless computing (Lambda), and infrastructure as code (CloudFormation/Terraform)
Government Project Experience: Prior work on federal contracts with understanding of compliance requirements, security protocols, and stakeholder management
Geospatial Technology: Familiarity with GIS concepts, spatial databases, or mapping technologies
Machine Learning Integration: Experience integrating ML/AI models into production applications
DevOps & Infrastructure: Strong understanding of CI/CD pipelines, containerization, and infrastructure automation
Agile Methodologies: Certified Scrum Master (CSM) or equivalent agile leadership certification
AWS Certifications: AWS Solutions Architect Professional or AWS Security Specialty certification
Security Certifications: CISSP, CCNA, or similar security credentials

Responsibilities

Technical Leadership & Architecture Design and architect enterprise-level geospatial microservices leveraging Python, React.js, and PostgreSQL technologies
Establish technical standards and patterns for secure cloud development within TS/SCI-compliant AWS environments
Conduct technical reviews and provide architectural guidance on critical components
Evaluate emerging technologies and recommend adoption strategies aligned with security posture and business objectives
Lead design sessions for complex system challenges and drive consensus among technical stakeholders
Develop high-performance Python-based enterprise applications utilizing FastAPI/Flask frameworks
Build responsive, data-intensive React.js front-end applications optimized for geospatial data visualization and interaction
Design and implement RESTful APIs and microservices architecture following security-first principles
Architect PostgreSQL database schemas supporting high-concurrency, high-volume geospatial queries
Implement secure code practices aligned with NIST standards and government security baselines
Ensure all solutions maintain Active TS/SCI security clearance compliance and protect Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI)
Implement authorization, authentication, and encryption protocols for secure data handling
Lead security code reviews and vulnerability assessments
Collaborate with government security teams on compliance verification and audits
Document security artifacts and maintain compliance documentation
Mentor senior and principal-level engineers on architectural patterns and technical excellence
Establish code quality standards and best practices for the engineering organization
Conduct technical interviews and contribute to hiring decisions for engineering roles
Foster a culture of continuous learning through knowledge sharing and technical discussions
Lead technical training sessions on emerging frameworks, secure development practices, and platform capabilities
Work closely with program managers and government stakeholders to translate requirements into technical specifications
Communicate complex technical concepts to non-technical audiences including executives and government officials
Participate in enterprise architecture reviews and strategic planning sessions
Represent the engineering organization in technical governance boards
Create technical documentation, architecture decision records (ADRs), and design specifications

Benefits

Comprehensive health insurance (medical, dental, vision) with company contribution of 80% premiums
401(k) retirement plan with 4% company match
Paid time off: 15 days vacation + 10 holidays + 5 sick days annually
Professional development budget: $5,000 annually for training, certifications, and conferences
Performance bonus: 10-20% of base salary based on company and individual performance
Security clearance maintenance support and renewal assistance
Flexible work arrangements and wellness programs

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