Principal Software Engineer - ARINCDirect Core Platform (Onsite)

Prattwhitney; Annapolis (MD); On-site; USD 118,300 - 224,900; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Three weeks vacation

401(k) plan with employer matching

Job summary

Collins Aerospace, part of RTX, is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to design, build, and scale backend services for the ARINCDirect core platform in Annapolis, MD. You will develop APIs, contribute to architecture, and collaborate with Product, Cloud, and DevSecOps teams to deliver reliable flight operations infrastructure.

You will write clean, tested code in Python, JavaScript, and Angular, work with PostgreSQL, and help drive CI/CD, monitoring, and incident response to ensure platform

Qualifications

• Typically requires a STEM degree with extensive software experience.
• Strong software engineering experience building reliable backend systems.
• Full-stack proficiency in Python, JavaScript, and Angular.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain highly reliable backend services across the ARINCDirect platform.
• Develop new features, APIs, and system enhancements aligned with roadmaps.
• Collaborate with product owners and cross-functional partners to break down work into iterative deliverables.
• Contribute to architectural discussions, tradeoff analysis, and system design decisions.
• Write clean, well-tested code and participate in code reviews and CI/CD enhancements.

Skills

Python

JavaScript

Angular

PostgreSQL

APIs

Distributed systems

Agile

Code reviews

Education

STEM degree

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

Grafana

ELK

OpenTelemetry

Job description

Date Posted: 2026-07-23 Country: United States of America Location: US-MD-ANNAPOLIS-905 ~ 2551 Riva Rd ~ BLDG 905 Position Role Type: Onsite U.S. Citizen, U.S. Person, or Immigration Status Requirements: Must be authorized to work in the U.S. without the company's immigration sponsorship now or in the future. The company will not offer immigration sponsorship for this position. The company will not seek an export authorization for this role. Security Clearance Type: None/Not Required Security Clearance Status: Not Required

Are you ready to help build and evolve the backbone of the world's leading business aviation platform, used by over half of the business aviation market? ARINCDirect, part of the Connected Aviation Solutions unit of Collins Aerospace, provides planning, scheduling, and connectivity solutions that empower thousands of aircraft operations every day. Our Core Platform team is responsible for the foundational services and infrastructure that power our entire ecosystem of customer facing products and internal systems. As a Principal Software Engineer on the AD Core Team, you will design, build, and enhance mission critical backend services, APIs, and infrastructure components that drive our operational systems. You'll collaborate closely with peers in Product, Architecture, Cloud, and Mobile teams to deliver resilient, scalable services that our customers rely on for daily flight operations. This is a highly technical, hands on role where you will solve complex engineering challenges, contribute to architectural decisions, and help deliver the next generation of core aviation software.

What You Will Do:

• Design, build, and maintain highly reliable and scalable backend services used across the ARINCDirect platform.
• Develop new features, APIs, and system enhancements aligned with product and platform roadmaps.
• Collaborate with engineers, product owners, and cross functional partners to break down complex work into iterative deliverables.
• Contribute to architectural discussions evaluating tradeoffs, proposing solutions, and shaping system design decisions.
• Write clean, maintainable, well tested code across full stack using Python, JavaScript, and Angular.
• Work with modern data technologies including RDBMS such as PostgreSQL.
• Participate in code reviews, provide constructive feedback, and raise the quality bar for the team.
• Build and improve CI/CD pipelines, automation, and monitoring solutions to support operational excellence.
• Participate in incident response, on call rotations, SLA commitments, and runbook creation to ensure platform reliability.
• Drive continuous improvement by identifying gaps, proposing solutions, and optimizing system performance.
• Collaborate with a globally distributed team that communicates openly and works together to deliver business value.

What You Will Learn:

• Deep knowledge of the aviation domain and the operational systems that support global business aviation.
• Modern platform architecture, cloud native patterns, and best practices for scalable backend engineering.
• How to design, test, and operate mission critical services used by thousands of customers worldwide.
• Techniques for building resilient systems, improving reliability, and optimizing performance.
• Cross team collaboration skills through partnership with Product, Design, Infrastructure, DevSecOps, and other engineering groups.
• How to navigate a complex technical ecosystem, embrace change, and continuously refine engineering practices.

Qualifications You Must Have:

• Typically requires a degree in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM) and minimum 8 years of relevant experience, or an advanced degree and 5 years of experience, or in absence of a degree, 12 years of relevant experience.
• Must be authorized to work in the U.S. without sponsorship now or in the future.
• Strong software engineering experience building highly reliable, scalable backend systems or web applications.
• Full-stack engineering proficiency in Python, JavaScript, and Angular.
• Hands on experience with relational databases such as PostgreSQL.
• Experience designing and implementing APIs, services, or distributed systems.
• Strong problem solving skills, attention to detail, and ability to work in an Agile environment.

Qualifications We Prefer:

• Experience with cloud technologies such as AWS, Cloudflare, Vercel, Netlify, or similar.
• Knowledge of microservices, service-oriented design, or API standards (e.g., OpenAPI).
• Experience implementing robust observability pipelines using Grafana or ELK.
• Experience with cloud-native tools and DevSecOps practices (Docker, Kubernetes, Helm, Istio, OpenTelemetry, Grafana, etc).
• Background in building reliable distributed systems and largescale backend architectures.
• Experience in Agile/Scrum with an emphasis on continuous improvement and iteration.
• Experience working in fast paced, entrepreneurial environments or small teams with high ambiguity.
• Passion for aviation, personal flying experience or interest in aviation is a plus.

What We Offer:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Three weeks of vacation for newly hired employees
• Generous 401(k) plan that includes employer matching funds and separate employer retirement contribution, including a Lifetime Income Strategy option
• Tuition reimbursement program
• Student Loan Repayment Program
• Life insurance and disability coverage
• Optional coverages you can buy pet insurance, home and auto insurance, additional life and accident insurance, critical illness insurance, group legal, ID theft protection
• Birth, adoption, parental leave benefits
• Ovia Health, fertility, and family planning
• Adoption Assistance
• Autism Benefit
• Employee Assistance Plan, including up to 10 free counseling sessions
• Healthy You Incentives, wellness rewards program
• Doctor on Demand, virtual doctor visits
• Bright Horizons, child and elder care services
• Teladoc Medical Experts, second opinion program
• And more!

Avionics: Avionics delivers advanced cockpit displays, vision systems, and comprehensive digital solutions for global government, commercial and business aviation customers. We provide connectivity and managed data services to ensure safety and seamless communication for passengers, crews, and militaries, from aircraft and airports to air traffic management.

Join us in creating solutions that connect the world, one flight at a time.

This role is a U.S.-based role. If the successful candidate resides in a U.S. territory, the appropriate pay structure and benefits will apply.

The salary range for this role is 118,300 USD - 224,900 USD. The salary range provided is a good faith estimate representative of all experience levels. RTX considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the role, function and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, location, education/training, and key skills. Hired applicants may be eligible for benefits, including but not limited to, medical, dental, vision, life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability, 401(k) match, flexible spending accounts, flexible work schedules, employee assistance program, Employee Scholar Program, parental leave, paid time off, and holidays. Specific benefits are dependent upon the specific business unit as well as whether or not the position is covered by a collective-bargaining agreement. Hired applicants may be eligible for annual short-term and/or long-term incentive compensation programs depending on the level of the position and whether or not it is covered by a collective-bargaining agreement. Payments under these annual programs are not guaranteed and are dependent upon a variety of factors including, but not limited to, individual performance, business unit performance, and/or the company’s performance.

As part of our commitment to maintaining a secure hiring process, candidates may be asked to attend select steps of the interview process in-person at one of our office locations, regardless of whether the role is designated as on-site, hybrid or remote.

RTX anticipates the application window closing approximately 40 days from the date the notice was posted. However, factors such as candidate flow and business necessity may require RTX to shorten or extend the application window.

RTX is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or veteran status, or any other applicable state or federal protected class.

RTX provides affirmative action in employment for qualified Individuals with a Disability and Protected Veterans in compliance with Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act.

Privacy Policy and Terms: Click on this link to read the Policy and Terms RTX is an aerospace and defense company that provides advanced systems and services for commercial, military and government customers worldwide. It comprises three industry-leading businesses – Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, and Raytheon. Its 195,000 employees enable the company to operate at the edge of known science as they imagine and deliver solutions that push the boundaries in quantum physics, electric propulsion, directed energy, hypersonics, avionics and cybersecurity. The company, formed in 2020 through the combination of Raytheon Company and the United Technologies Corporation aerospace businesses, is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia.