Principal Radio Frequency Software Engineer

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in Virginia.

📋 Description

• Take charge of the architecture and execution of the production software pipeline, which encompasses stream ingestion, rollup, database writing, and batch post-processing components.

• Lead a team of Senior Software Engineers to support real-world cyber operations; allocate tasks, perform code reviews, uphold quality standards, and offer technical guidance.

• Establish and uphold disciplined software engineering practices, including version control, CI/CD pipelines, unit and integration testing, and documentation standards.

• Design and assess database and storage architecture for tactical systems and research enclave environments.

• Collaborate with the program technical lead to transform research findings and batch optimization algorithms into components of the production pipeline.

• Analyze and benchmark Python pipeline performance on tactical-box-spec hardware; identify bottlenecks and spearhead the migration of mature components to Rust or C for edge deployment.

• Oversee and coordinate the tactical system VM environment and stream simulation infrastructure; ensure that research VMs remain unaffected by development activities.

• Define and enforce stream interface contracts between the ingestion layer, database, and downstream consumers.

• Assess emerging technologies (e.g., DuckDB/Parquet, Polars, message queues) against program needs and make adoption recommendations to the technical lead.

• Maintain the structure of the program’s GitLab repository, including branching strategies and release management.

• Create clear technical documentation, including architecture decision records, interface specifications, and deployment guides.

• Assist in technical reviews and provide written contributions for sponsor deliverables as directed by the program technical lead.

⛳️ Requirements

• Over 10 years of relevant experience.

• BS Degree — equivalent experience may be accepted in lieu of the educational requirement.

• Proven experience leading a software engineering team focused on a production data pipeline or streaming system; ability to set technical direction and mentor junior engineers.

• Expert-level proficiency in Python development, including stream processing, multi-threaded/async architectures, and performance profiling.

• Proficient in one or more compiled or systems programming languages (Rust, C, C++, or Go) for performance-critical components; experienced in porting Python to compiled targets.

• Practical experience in designing and implementing relational database schemas and write-intensive data pipelines (MySQL, PostgreSQL, or equivalent).

• Familiarity with parsing binary serialization formats such as FlatBuffers or Protocol Buffers in a production setting.

• Demonstrated ability to benchmark and optimize pipeline throughput in resource-constrained hardware or cloud environments.

• Strong proficiency in Linux system administration, remote server management via SSH, and air-gapped development environments.

• Experience architecting multi-consumer data systems where a single write path must support concurrent display, analytics, and batch processing readers.

• Proficient in disciplined software engineering practices, including GitLab/Git, CI/CD pipeline design, test-driven development, and code review.

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills; capable of producing architecture decision records and technical documentation for both engineering and leadership audiences.

🏝️ Benefits

• Competitive salary and performance-based bonuses.

• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance.

• Opportunities for professional development and continuous learning.

• Flexible working hours and remote work options.

• Collaborative and innovative work environment.