Principal Software Architect

About the TeamSTR's Intelligence Division researches, develops, and transitions advanced analytics and machine learning-based solutions to solve challenging problems related to security. Our team consists of engineers with advanced degrees in engineering, computer science, mathematics, and data science who use technical knowledge and creativity to tackle hard problems for our customers. Our projects span multiple data modalities and involve advanced algorithms, deep learning, and statistical techniques to uncover patterns in social media, structured and unstructured text, time series, geospatial, and imagery data, operating under constraints not typically found in the commercial world. The tools and technologies we develop have real world impact and US Government analysts use them to extract and enrich intelligence information around the globe.The Role:We are looking for a leader who is passionate about collaborating with high-performance teams to solve unique security challenges with novel technologies. As a Principal Software Architect, you will leverage your skills in systems and software development to operationalize advanced statistical machine learning algorithms and support production-level systems. You will work closely with other software engineers and researchers – teammates from both STR and subcontractors – to design cutting-edge solutions to challenging problems impacting security including classification, anomaly detection, forecasting, and more. You will also interact with customers to understand requirements and use cases and apply feedback to respond to their most critical problems.Due to the nature of our work, applicants should expect to primarily work onsite at a government location, e.g., ~75% time at the customer site, and the rest of the time at STR's Arlington, VA office. The split work location is designed to support strong engagement with our customers, our on-site team members, and STR's technical and business operations teams in Arlington, VA and Woburn, MA. This role will take advantage of STR's flexible, hybrid environment – when the work does not require use of STR's facilities, you are welcome to work remotely.What you will do:Lead an active, distributed team of STR and subcontractor engineers in creating and maintaining system infrastructure, including data pipeline architecture, algorithm execution, storage, distribution and accessBe a senior STR technical leader onsite, engaging on new requirements, providing ad hoc status updates, coordinating with subcontractors, and ensuring that a corpus of programs are collaborating on data, technical lessons learned, and technical integration activities.Understand stakeholders, end users, and their constraints to create customer solutions that address mission requirementsArchitect and implement capabilities for integrating component technologies and orchestrating overall workflowsEmpower engineers and scientists to act with a meaningful degree of autonomy by developing and clearly communicating a unifying product vision and strategyIdentify and implement opportunities to automate manual processes, optimize data delivery, system performance and scalabilityMonitor for changes to data or environment that could significantly impact system performance to mitigate issues and maximize system uptimePerform testing to ensure system function and performanceWho You Are:Active Top Secret security clearance, for which U.S. citizenship is needed by U.S. GovernmentBS, MS, PhD in a related field or equivalent experienceAt least 10+ years' experience in software developmentMotivated collaborator who is looking for the opportunity to work with a team of high-end researchers and engineers to develop and deploy novel machine learning solutions for real mission impactAptitude for collaborating with stakeholders across a wide range of technical comfort levelsOrganized, detail-oriented, and with an ability to work both independently and collaborativelyExperience with a range of software maturity, from functional prototypes to production-level systems; experience troubleshooting issues and identifying opportunities for improvementExperience supporting and working within a large, cross-functional, distributed teamExperience with translating mission needs into production software, decomposing a problem into addressable component parts while identifying and tracking product riskProficiency with one or more high-level programming, like PythonExperience with cloud computing platforms, preferably AWSExperience with software delivery and containerization: e.g. Docker, KubernetesWorking knowledge of Linux Operating System and shell scriptingRelational SQL and NoSQL databases: e.g. Postgres, CassandraEven Better:Prior military experience in delivering intelligence analytic productsActive TS/SCI security clearance with CI polyStrong presentation and organizational skillsDemonstrated experience with DevSecOps and SAFe AgilePossession of SAFe Agile, Security+, other certifications, or willingness to get themHistory of manipulating, processing and extracting value from large, disconnected datasetsExperience with development of APIs (e.g., REST), access control, and auditingExperience with message queuing, stream processing, and optimizing /"big data/" data storesExperience developing build processes supporting data transformation, data structures, metadata, dependency and workload managementExpert SQL knowledge and experience working with a variety of databasesExperience using the following software/tools:Big Data tools: e.g. Hadoop, Spark, Kafka, ElasticSearchAWS: Athena, RDB, AWS credentials from Cloud Practitioner to Solutions ArchitectData Lakes: e.g. Delta Lake, Apache Hudi, Apache IcebergDistributed SQL interfaces: e.g. Apache Hive, Presto/Trino, SparkData pipeline and workflow management tools: e.g. Luigi, AirflowDashboard frontends: e.g. Grafana, KibanaStream-processing systems: e.g. Storm, Spark-Streaming, etc.STR is a growing technology company with locations near Boston, MA, Arlington, VA, near Dayton, OH, Melbourne, FL, and Carlsbad, CA. We specialize in advanced research and development for defense, intelligence, and security in: cyber; next sensors, radar, sonar, communications, and electronic warfare; and artificial intelligence algorithms and analytics to make sense of the complexity that is exploding around us.STR is committed to creating a collaborative learning environment that supports deep technical understanding and recognizes the contributions and achievements of all team members. Our work is challenging, and we go home at night knowing that we pushed the envelope of technology and made the world safer.STR is not just any company. Our people, culture, and attitude along with their unique set of skills, experiences, and perspectives put us on a trajectory to change the world. We can't do it alone, though - we need fellow trailblazers. If you are one, join our team and help to keep our society safe! Visit us at for more info.STR is an equal opportunity employer. We are fully dedicated to hiring the most qualified candidate regardless of, sex (including gender identity), marital status, veteran status, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any portion of the employment process, email us at and provide your contact info. Pursuant to applicable federal law and regulations, positions at STR require employees to obtain security clearances and satisfy the requirements for compliance with export control and other applicable laws. #J-18808-Ljbffr

Created: 2025-09-17