Senior Principal Software Engineer

General Dynamics Mission Systems, Inc. is seeking a Senior Principal Software Engineer to provide technical leadership across the software development lifecycle. In this role, you will help move software from prototype and R&D maturity into production-quality, maintainable deliverables while coordinating across multidisciplinary hardware and software teams.

The position supports work from the Annapolis Junction, MD area with hybrid or Flex options as desired, including the ability to work on-site at the Annapolis Junction facility. A Department of Defense TS/SCI security clearance is required at the time of hire, and U.S. citizenship is required due to the nature of work performed within company facilities.

What You’ll Do

• Demonstrate ownership of the full software development lifecycle, from early-stage prototype through production delivery
• Provide technical leadership for software engineers
• Translate software concepts to production-quality, maintainable, deliverable products by driving maturation from prototype/R&D
• Apply software engineering best practices including testing, version control, design review, documentation, and technical debt management
• Develop C2, device management, or platform control software for custom or proprietary hardware
• Design software interfaces to FPGA-based systems or bespoke embedded hardware
• Lead stateful system design including state machines, operational sequencing, configuration management, and fault handling
• Build and maintain CI/CD pipelines
• Manage and operate Kubernetes environments, including authoring Helm charts for packaging and deployment
• Use containerization technologies including containerd, Docker, and Podman
• Apply enterprise software design principles such as API design, service-oriented architecture, and modular or layered design
• Perform embedded software development in a Linux environment
• Support development involving optical, RF, or other communication system modem hardware
• Collaborate on hardware-software co-design workflows and FPGA integration patterns
• Drive software platform reuse across multiple programs or product lines
• Stand up development environments, toolchains, and engineering infrastructure for small-to-mid-size teams
• Apply AI/ML tools to accelerate engineering workflows
• Grow long-term subject matter experts through mentorship and people development, not only contract execution
• Coordinate effectively through exceptional communication skills across multidisciplinary hardware and software teams
• Develop MCP (Model Context Protocol) server capabilities and integrate AI tooling

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Software Engineering (or related STEM field) plus a minimum of 10 years of relevant experience; or a Master’s degree plus 8 years of relevant experience
• Ability to obtain a Department of Defense TS/SCI security clearance required at time of hire, including participation in a U.S. Government security investigation and meeting eligibility requirements for access to classified information
• U.S. citizenship required

Technologies

• C2, Helm, Kubernetes, containerd, Docker, Podman
• FPGA, AI/ML, Linux
• MCP (Model Context Protocol)

Workplace Options

• The role is fully on-site or hybrid/Flex as desired
• On-site work location: Annapolis Junction, MD

Compensation

USD 183,381 - 193,049 per year (typical salary range based on experience and other factors; actual pay may vary).

Benefits

• 401k matching
• Flex time off
• Paid parental leave
• Healthcare benefits
• Health & wellness programs
• Employee resource and social groups
• Flexible schedules with an every other Friday off work option via a 9/80 schedule
• Research oriented work with award winning teams developing practical national security solutions
• Opportunities for continuous learning and development

This job posting will remain open until the position is filled.