Principal Software Engineer

Title:

Principal Software Engineer

Belong. Connect. Grow. with KBR!

KBR’s National Security Solutions team provides high-end engineering and advanced technology solutions to our customers in the intelligence and national security communities. In this position, your work will have a profound impact on the country’s most critical role – protecting our national security.

KBR, is seeking a highly motivated Principal Software Engineer to join us in supporting our great nation, supporting the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) development team in Colorado Springs, CO.

Why Join Us? 

• Innovative Projects: At KBR, you'll be working on prototype projects that support the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory’s most mission-critical objectives. The Air Force Research Laboratory is the primary scientific research and development center for the Department of the Air Force. AFRL plays an integral role in leading the discovery, development, and integration of affordable warfighting technologies for our air, space, and cyberspace force.  

• Collaborative Environment: KBR fosters a dynamic and collaborative atmosphere where cross-functional teams of product managers, engineers, developers, and defense experts work in unison. We practice Agile and DevOps principles, ensuring rapid iteration, continuous feedback, and integration across all projects. Our team is passionate, forward-thinking, and united by a mission-first mindset that encourages knowledge sharing, innovation, and problem-solving at every level. 

• Impactful Work: Your work here won’t just be limited to software development—it will directly support the Air Force in expanding current national capabilities. As the Air Force's leader for National-to-Tactical capability development, AFRL collaborates with leading experts across the Intelligence Community, Department of Defense, National Laboratories, industry, inter-agency, academia, and partner nations. 

Key Responsibilities:

• Serve as the technical leader for software development efforts supporting high-velocity data stream processing systems
• Define software architecture, technical strategy, and long-term roadmap for mission-critical applications
• Analyze customer requirements and translate mission objectives into scalable system and software solutions
• Lead architecture reviews, design reviews, and technology evaluations
• Drive development of highly available, resilient, and high-performance software systems
• Establish software engineering standards, best practices, and technical governance across teams
• Lead complex integration, test, and deployment activities across multiple programs and stakeholders
• Evaluate vendor technologies, open-source solutions, and emerging technologies for program adoption
• Lead technical investigations, trade studies, and root-cause analyses for mission-critical issues
• Mentor engineers across all levels and provide technical leadership for multiple teams
• Coordinate planning, staffing, scheduling, and execution of software engineering activities
• Serve as a trusted technical advisor to program leadership, customers, and mission partners

Work Environment:

• Location: Colorado Springs, CO – 100% Onsite
• Travel Requirements: Minimal
• Working Hours: Standard

Required Qualifications:

• 10+ years of progressive software engineering experience
• Extensive experience designing and developing distributed, high-availability, mission-critical software systems
• Advanced expertise with Java, Python, or other object-oriented programming languages
• Demonstrated experience leading software architecture and technical strategy efforts
• Experience guiding engineering teams through the full software development lifecycle
• Experience developing complex data processing, integration, or real-time streaming systems
• Demonstrated success leading cross-functional engineering teams and large technical initiatives
• Strong communication skills with the ability to engage engineers, leadership, and customers

Required Education and Experience:

• Active U.S. Government Top Secret / SCI security clearance (U.S. citizenship required)
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, Mathematics, or related technical field
• 10+ years of progressive related experience

Desired Qualifications:

• Master's degree in Computer Science or related field
• Deep knowledge of MIL-STD-6016 and MIL-STD-3011
• Experience serving as a software architect, chief engineer, or technical lead across multiple projects
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