Principal Software Engineer

Awetomaton is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to set and uphold the technical bar for a cloud-native, event-driven system used across a national intelligence enterprise. You'll own the architecture patterns, the quality gate, and the build environment - staying close to the code while guiding a team of engineers through design and delivery. The ideal candidate will possess a BS degree or higher and have 15+ years of experience (or Masters & 12+ years experience)

This position will be performed out of Dayton, OH, with relocation packages available for out-of-state talent. Active DoD Top Secret security clearance required. 

• Own the technical approach and code-quality standard across development; lead design reviews and establish patterns for cloud-native, event-driven microservices. 
• Guide development, refactoring, integration, and deployment of enterprise data services to government cloud environments. 
• Own the software build environment and end-item source delivery to the government source-code repository, including version history and reproducible builds. 
• Ensure deliveries meet the no-major-defect (Category 1/2) threshold and align to agile artifacts and required contract documentation. 
• Mentor engineers; serve as the technical liaison to the SME and government technical leads. 

• Active TS/SCI. 
• 15+ years of software engineering experience (or MS + 12), including 5+ years leading cloud-native microservice teams. 
• Deep, hands-on experience with containers and Kubernetes, modern backend languages (Go, Java, and/or Python), and REST plus asynchronous/event-driven APIs. 
• Demonstrated ownership of secure SDLC practices and CI/CD-based delivery. 
• Experience leading teams in an Agile/Scrum environment. 

• CKA or CKAD certification; relevant Scrum certification. 
• Event-driven / streaming platforms (Kafka, NATS, Numaflow, or similar). 
• Enterprise search, data-catalog, or large-scale data-services experience. 
• Multi-enclave delivery experience. 
• BS in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience). 

We build software that enables humans to make informed decisions from raw intel data, with a specialization in satellite collection. We are a Dayton-based defense startup that believes there is a critical skill & culture gap - one we are filling with high-output, mission focused engineering talent. Results matter to our customers. We've never lost a customer because we deliver what they need. Awetomaton is where you do work that matters with a passionate team in an environment that inspires your creativity.