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Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Senior Principal Software Engineer - **Company:** General Dynamics Mission Systems, Inc. - **Location:** Annapolis Junction, MD, United States - **Experience:** Expert - **Salary:** $183,381.0 - **Contract:** Permanent contract - **Skills:** Computer-Aided Design, Artificial Intelligence, Application Packaging, Computing Platforms, Configuration Management, Linux, Embedded Software, Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), Service-Oriented Architecture, Software Construction, Software Engineering, Enterprise Software Applications, Layered Systems, State Machines, Kubernetes Helm Charts, Technical Debt, Containerization, Kubernetes, Machine Learning Operations, Api Design, Software Version Control, Docker - **Published:** July 3, 2026 - **Apply:** https://jobs.localjobnetwork.com/apply/add/87631622/1 ## About the Role Bachelor's degree in Software Engineering, or related Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics field, plus a minimum of 10 years of relevant experience; or Master's degree, plus 8 years relevant experience. CLEARANCE REQUIREMENTS: Ability to obtain a Department of Defense TS/SCI security clearance is required at time of hire. Applicants selected will be subject to a U.S. Government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information. Due to the nature of work performed within our facilities, U.S. citizenship is required. Responsibilities for this Position We encourage you to apply if you have any of these preferred skills or experiences: * Demonstrated ownership of the full software development lifecycle * Proven technical leadership of software engineers * Track record of taking software from prototype/R&D maturity to production-quality, maintainable, deliverable products * Strong grounding in software engineering best practices (testing, version control, design review, documentation, technical debt management) * Developing C2, device management, or platform control software for custom/proprietary hardware * Designing software interfaces to FPGA-based systems or bespoke embedded hardware * Stateful system design: state machines, operational sequencing, configuration management, and fault handling * Building and maintaining CI/CD pipelines * Kubernetes administration and operations, including authoring Helm charts for application packaging and deployment * Containerization technologies (containerd, Docker, Podman) * Enterprise software design principles: API design, service-oriented architecture, modular/layered system design * Embedded software development in a Linux environment What sets you apart: * Experience with optical, RF, or other communication system modem hardware * Familiarity with hardware-software co-design workflows and FPGA integration patterns * Track record of driving software platform reuse across multiple programs or product lines * Experience standing up development environments, toolchains, and engineering infrastructure for small-to-mid-size teams * Experience applying AI/ML tools to accelerate engineering workflows * Creative thinker with demonstrated success leading the software development life cycle * Commitment to growing and developing others, building long-term subject matter experts, not just executing on current contracts * Exceptional communication skills with the capacity to coordinate across multidisciplinary hardware and software teams * MCP (Model Context Protocol) server development and AI-tooling integration ## Related Videos - [Docker network without Docker](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1418-docker-network-without-docker) - [Docker Compose: Rediscovered](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1978-docker-compose-rediscovered) - [API Design - Getting Started](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/33-api-design-getting-started) - [Why Your Best Mediors Never Become Seniors (And How to Fix It)](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/2108-why-your-best-mediors-never-become-seniors-and-how-to-fix-it) - [Docker exec without Docker](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1094-docker-exec-without-docker) - [Docker build without Docker](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100114-docker-build-without-docker) ## Related Articles - [What is Software Engineering?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/289-what-is-software-engineering) - [How software is steering vehicle technology](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/515-how-software-is-steering-vehicle-technology) - [Is Software Engineering Hard?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/448-is-software-engineering-hard) - [Is Software Engineering Over-Saturated?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/418-is-software-engineering-over-saturated) - [The Ultimate Software Engineer Career Path Guide for 2023](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/146-the-ultimate-software-engineer-career-path-guide-for-2023) - [Highest Paying Tech Companies for Developers](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/220-highest-paying-tech-companies-for-developers)