Principal Software Engineer

BigBear.ai; Maryland; Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Telework after onboarding

Job summary

BigBear.ai is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to design and maintain core middleware powering authentication, authorization, and critical integration services across enterprise environments.

You will own middleware reliability, improve security posture, and contribute to system design decisions while mentoring junior engineers and collaborating with DevOps teams.

Qualifications

• Active TS/SCI with Poly clearance.
• 16+ years software engineering experience or 12+ years with degree.
• Hands-on Java/Spring Boot development of RESTful APIs/microservices.
• Experience with NoSQL data modeling and integration with Spring Boot.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and maintain Java/Spring Boot microservices and REST APIs for authentication and middleware concerns.
• Model, query, and optimize NoSQL data stores; integrate with Spring Boot apps for low-latency workloads.
• Troubleshoot production issues across application, database, and integration layers; lead incident response.

Skills

TS/SCI clearance

Java/Spring Boot

REST APIs

NoSQL

Troubleshooting

CI/CD

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering or Computer Science

Tools

MongoDB

LDAP

Spring Data MongoDB

Git

Maven

Job description

Residency

All applicants must currently reside in the United States

Overview

BigBear.ai

BigBear.ai is seeking a Principal Software Engineer that will design and maintain the core middleware that powers authentication, authorization, and mission-critical integration services used across the customer site. Why this role matters You’ll own and improve middleware that secures and connects key systems. Your work will directly affect system reliability, developer productivity, and user access across the enterprise.

What You Will Do

• Design, implement, and maintain Java/Spring Boot microservices and REST APIs that handle authentication, authorization, and other middleware concerns.
• Model, query, and optimize NoSQL data stores and integrate them with Spring Boot apps for low-latency production workloads.
• Troubleshoot production issues across application, database, and integration layers; lead incident response and produce durable fixes.
• Contribute to system design decisions including hardware/software trade-offs and reuse vs. new development (COTS/GOTS).
• Write and maintain automated tests, CI/CD pipelines, and deployment artifacts; collaborate with DevOps/infrastructure teams.
• Review code, produce design documentation, and mentor less-experienced engineers.

What You Need To Have

• An active TS/SCI with Poly clearance
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field plus 12+ years of software engineering experience. An additional 4 years of software engineering experience may be substituted for the degree (total 16 years).
• Proven, hands‑on experience developing and maintaining Java/Spring Boot applications: RESTful APIs, microservices, dependency injection, configuration management, and production troubleshooting.
• Hands‑on experience with NoSQL databases: data modeling, querying, indexing, performance optimization, and integrating NoSQL stores with Spring Boot.

What We'd Like You To Have

• Familiarity with MongoDB: document modeling, queries, indexes, aggregation, and Spring Data MongoDB.
• Experience integrating applications with LDAP/Active Directory, including user authentication, authorization, directory lookups, and Spring Security/LDAP.
• Strong understanding of REST APIs, distributed systems, application security patterns, and enterprise application architecture.
• Experience with automated testing, CI/CD pipelines, Git, Maven, and production deployment environments.
• Ability to troubleshoot complex application, database, and integration issues; proven collaborator across development and infrastructure teams.

Working conditions & expectations

• Telework possible after you’re established on the team (onboarding period onsite or hybrid may be required - will be discussed during screening).

Pay transparency

Please note the targeted compensation range is provided as an estimate, and any actual compensation offer may vary depending on the needs of the company, or an applicant’s skillset, competencies, experience, education, certifications, location, or other factors. The estimated range does not include the value of any benefits offered.

About BigBear.ai

BigBear.ai is a leading provider of AI‑powered decision intelligence solutions for national security, supply chain management, and digital identity. Customers and partners rely on BigBear.ai’s predictive analytics capabilities in highly complex, distributed, mission‑based operating environments. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, BigBear.ai is a public company traded on the NYSE under the symbol BBAI. For more information, visit https://bigbear.ai/ and follow BigBear.ai on LinkedIn: @BigBear.ai and X: @BigBearai.

BigBear.ai is an Equal opportunity employer all protected groups, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.