Principal Software Engineer (Java) - Washington DC, Philly, Wilmington, Chicago

Amtrak; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 125,000 - 161,000; Full time

Job summary

Amtrak in Washington, DC is seeking a Principal Software Engineer (Java) to design, develop, and deliver enterprise-grade software solutions. You will serve as a senior technical escalation point, lead design reviews, drive modernization, and collaborate with product, security, and operations teams to ensure reliable, secure systems.

The role emphasizes Java, Spring Boot, AWS, microservices, REST/SOAP integrations, CI/CD, and mentoring engineers.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of software engineering experience with Java-based enterprise applications.
• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent combination of education, training and/or relevant experience.
• Expertise in Java, Spring Boot, REST APIs, microservices, and object-oriented design.
• Hands-on experience with AWS services (Lambda, Kinesis, DynamoDB, S3, etc.).

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and support enterprise applications and APIs using Java, Spring Boot, and AWS cloud services.
• Lead technical design, code reviews, architecture discussions, and modernization initiatives.
• Develop and maintain cloud-native, microservices-based, and event-driven solutions.
• Collaborate with Agile teams to deliver high-quality software using CI/CD, test automation, and DevOps practices.
• Provide production support, troubleshoot complex issues, and drive root cause analysis.

Skills

Java

Spring Boot

AWS

REST APIs

Microservices

CI/CD

DevOps

Leadership

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Tools

GitHub

GitLab

JUnit

SonarQube

Hibernate

Job description

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Principal Software Engineer (Java) - Washington DC, Philly, Wilmington, Chicago

Date: Sep 30, 2026

Location: Washington, DC, US, 20001 Philadelphia, PA, US, 19104 Chicago, IL, US, 60606 Wilmington, DE, US, 19801

Company: Amtrak

As we move America’s workforce toward the future, our goal is to connect businesses and communities across the country. The safety of our passengers, our more than 20,000 colleagues, the public and our operating environment is our priority, and the success of our railroad is due to your efforts

Our values of ‘Do the Right Thing, Excel Together and Put Customers First are at the heart of what matters most to us, and our Core Capabilities, Building Trust, Accountability, Effective Communication, Customer Focus, and Proactive Safety & Security’ are what every employee needs to know and do to be most impactful at Amtrak. By living the Amtrak values, focusing on our capabilities, and actively embracing and fostering diverse ideas, backgrounds, and perspectives, together we will honor our past and make Amtrak a company of the future.

Job Summary

Digital analyzes, designs, develops, and delivers complex digital software solutions that support critical business capabilities. This role serves as a senior technical escalation point for operational support, ensuring timely resolution of complex issues and long‑term system stability. The position provides continuous technical oversight across the project lifecycle and collaborates closely with project managers, business system analysts, IT service owners, architects, and engineering leads to drive the analysis, design, and delivery of high‑quality technical solutions aligned with business and technology strategies.

Essential Functions

• Design, develop, and support enterprise applications and APIs using Java, Spring Boot, and AWS cloud services.
• Lead technical design, code reviews, architecture discussions, and modernization initiatives.
• Develop and maintain cloud-native, microservices-based, and event-driven solutions.
• Build and support REST/SOAP integrations and mission-critical backend services.
• Collaborate with Agile teams to deliver high-quality software using CI/CD, test automation, and DevOps practices.
• Provide production support, troubleshoot complex issues, and drive root cause analysis and remediation.
• Leverage GitHub Copilot and AI-assisted development tools to improve engineering productivity and code quality.
• Lead software development, ensuring clear requirements, documented methodology, and unit testing to deliver code as designed; design sustainable architecture.
• Evaluate operational feasibility through analysis, problem definition, requirements, and solution development; lead technical direction and decisions.
• Collaborate with enterprise architects and infrastructure teams to integrate applications and hardware, ensuring designs and implementations meet security and QA standards.
• Maintain updated documentation for architectures, designs, and system descriptions; ensure development teams adhere to standards for methodologies, integration, tools, and testing.
• Prepare and install solutions by designing system specifications and standards, follow Information Security standards, and provide technical guidance, reports, and presentations for senior management.

Minimum Qualifications

• 7+ years of software engineering experience with a strong focus on Java-based enterprise applications.
• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent combination of education, training and/or relevant experience.
• Expertise in Java, Spring Boot, REST APIs, microservices, and object-oriented design.
• Hands‑on experience with AWS services such as Lambda, Kinesis, DynamoDB, Aurora, Redshift, S3, IAM, SNS/SQS, and CloudWatch.
• Strong experience with J2EE technologies including Hibernate, JMS, JDBC, Servlets, and web services.
• Proficiency with Oracle/SQL, messaging technologies (MQ/Kafka), JSON/XML, and enterprise integration patterns.
• Experience with GitHub and/or GitLab, SonarQube, JUnit, CI/CD pipelines, and automated testing frameworks.
• Strong knowledge of security principles, authentication/authorization frameworks, encryption, and secure coding practices.
• Experience working in Agile/SAFe environments with strong leadership, communication, and mentoring skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent combination of education, training and/or relevant experience.
• Plus 9 years of relevant work experience.
• Experience in the payments, financial services, travel, or e-commerce industries.
• Knowledge of payment gateway integrations such as Cybersource, ACI, Stripe, Adyen, PayPal, or similar platforms.
• Understanding of payment processing, authorization, settlement, tokenization, fraud prevention, and reconciliation.
• Familiarity with PCI‑DSS compliance and secure payment application development.
• Experience supporting high-volume, customer-facing transaction systems requiring high availability and resiliency.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Deep expertise in web, cloud, and mobility with strong knowledge of core internet technologies
• Excellent documentation and communication skills, including articulating complex architectures effectively
• Highly proficient in algorithms, data structures, design patterns, and programming languages
• Expertise in frontend, backend, mobile app development, or cloud platform services
• Extensive experience with Agile methodologies, ability to work under deadlines, and understanding of business operations and systems requirements processes

Environmental Conditions/Physical Demands

The salary/hourly range is $124,600.00 – $161,352.00. Pay is based on several factors including but not limited to education, work experience, certifications, etc. Depending on an employee’s assigned worksite or location, Amtrak may consider a geo-pay differential to be applied to the employee’s base salary. Amtrak may offer additional incentive and pay programs to recognize and reward our employees, including a short-term incentive bonus based upon factors such as individual and company performance that is commensurate with the level of the position.

Health and Wellbeing Financial and Retirement Work and Family Life Support

Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance 401K with Employer Match Generous Paid Time Off

Wellness Programs Railroad Retirement Benefits Paid Caregiving Days and Backup Care

Health Savings Account Public Service Student Loan Forgiveness Fertility and Family Building Benefits

No-cost Personal Health Advocate Student Loan Assistance Adoption and Surrogacy Assistance

Medical Plan Opt-out Credit Tuition and Education Reimbursement Paid Family Leave

Life Insurance Rail Pass Privileges

Short- and Long-term Disability Insurance Employee Assistance Program

No-cost Financial Advisor Sessions Commuter and Flexible Spending Accounts

Learn more about our benefits offerings here.

Requisition ID:167116
Work Arrangement:06-Onsite 4/5 Days Click here for more information about work arrangements at Amtrak.
Relocation Offered:No
Travel Requirements:Up to 25%

You power our progress through your performance.

We want your work at Amtrak to be more than a job. We want your career at Amtrak to be a fulfilling experience where you find challenging work, rewarding opportunities, respect among colleagues, and attractive compensation. Amtrak maintains a culture that values high performance and recognizes individual employee contributions.

Amtrak is committed to a safe workplace free of drugs and alcohol. All Amtrak positions requires a pre-employment background check that includes prior employment verification, a criminal history check and a pre-employment drug screen.

Candidates who test positive for marijuana will be disqualified, regardless of any state or local statute, ordinance, regulation, or other law that legalizes or decriminalizes the use or possession of marijuana, whether for medical, recreational, or other use. Amtrak's pre-employment drug testing program is administered in accordance with DOT regulations and applicable law.

In accordance with DOT regulations (49 CFR § 40.25), Amtrak is required to obtain prior drug and alcohol testing records for applicants/employees intending to perform safety-sensitive duties for covered Department of Transportation positions. If an applicant/employee refuses to provide written consent for Amtrak to obtain these records, the individual will not be permitted to perform safety-sensitive functions.

In accordance with federal law governing security checks of covered individuals for providers of public transportation (Title 6 U.S.C. §1143), Amtrak is required to screen applicants for any permanent or interim disqualifying criminal offenses.

Note that any education requirement listed above may be deemed satisfied if you have an equivalent combination of education, training and experience.

Amtrak is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race/color, to include traits historically associated with race, including but not limited to, hair texture and hairstyles such as braids, locks and twists, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth and related conditions, such as lactation), national origin/ethnicity, disability (intellectual, mental and physical), veteran status, marital status, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, genetic information, citizenship or any other personal characteristics protected by law.