Principal Software Engineer

MBTA; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

MBTA in Boston seeks a Principal Software Engineer to architect multi-team systems, shape long-term technical strategy, and influence engineering direction. You will collaborate with UX Research, Content, Product and Program teams to solve complex user problems and deliver scalable solutions.

You will mentor engineers, lead modernization and CI/CD efforts, and align teams toward a shared technical vision while delivering on product roadmaps and reliability goals.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution.
• Ten (10) or more years of relevant professional experience in software engineering with demonstrated success architecting complex systems, reducing systemic reliability risks, and shaping technical strategy.
• Five (5) years of technical leadership experience such as functional, program, or project management, driving system architecture and cross-team delivery in a modern software engineering environment.
• Experience leading end-to-end delivery of

Responsibilities

• Architect multi-team systems for scalability, resilience, and maintainability.
• Lead cross-team design reviews and ensure architectural coherence.
• Break down ambiguous organizational goals into clear execution strategies.
• Identify, actively manage a backlog for and resolve systemic reliability, performance, and productivity risks in your domain area.
• Define the technical vision and strategy for their domain area.
• Influence technical roadmaps across multiple teams and domains.
• Mentor senior and lead software engineers; grow technical leadership capacity.
• Lead modernization, tooling, and/or CI/CD improvements across TID for efficiency gains.
• Facilitate alignment across engineering, UX, product, ops, and external partners to achieve business goals efficiently and effectively.
• Participate in on-call rotation of technology systems and services as needed.
• Perform all other duties and projects that may be assigned.

Skills

Architecting complex systems

Technical leadership

Cross-team collaboration

Software engineering

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

At the MBTA, we envision a thriving region enabled by a best-in-class transit system. Our mission is to serve the public by providing safe, reliable, and accessible transportation. MBTA’s core values are built around safety, service, equity, sustainability, culture, and accessibility, and each employee that works for the MBTA performs their roles based on our vision, mission, and values. This includes attendance, participation, and contribution in local safety committee meetings as needed.

Job Summary

The Principal Software Engineer is a cross-team technical leader who architects multi-team systems, drives long-term technical strategy, and influences engineering direction. This position will collaborate closely with relevant Technology team members in UX Research and Design, Content, Product and Program to solve complex user problems efficiently. This role will reduce system-wide complexity, design scalable system architecture, align technical strategy across teams toward common business goals, lead large multi-team initiatives, and shape architectural best practices and guardrails in your cross-team domain area. The Principal Software Engineer is expected to both work toward solving complex business problems as well as identify efficiencies across teams in their domain area and align these teams toward a technical vision to implement these efficiencies along with delivering the applicable product roadmaps.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Architect multi-team systems for scalability, resilience, and maintainability.
• Lead cross-team design reviews and ensure architectural coherence.
• Break down ambiguous organizational goals into clear execution strategies.
• Identify, actively manage a backlog for and resolve systemic reliability, performance, and productivity risks in your domain area.
• Define the technical vision and strategy for their domain area.
• Influence technical roadmaps across multiple teams and domains.
• Mentor senior and lead software engineers; grow technical leadership capacity.
• Lead modernization, tooling, and/or CI/CD improvements across TID for efficiency gains.
• Facilitate alignment across engineering, UX, product, ops, and external partners to achieve business goals efficiently and effectively.
• Participate in on-call rotation of technology systems and services as needed.
• Perform all other duties and projects that may be assigned.

Additional responsibilities may include focus on one or more departments or locations. See applicable addendum for department or location specific functions.

Supervision

• One to three (1-3) direct reports.

Minimum Requirements & Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution.
• Ten (10) or more years of relevant professional experience in software engineering with demonstrated success architecting complex systems, reducing systemic reliability risks, and shaping technical strategy.
• Five (5) years of technical leadership experience such as functional, program, or project management, driving system architecture and cross-team delivery in a modern software engineering environment.
• Experience leading end-to-end delivery of