Principal Software Engineer, Onsite

Collins Aerospace; Fullerton (CA); On-site; USD 118,000 - 225,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Three weeks of vacation

401(k) with employer matching

Life insurance and disability coverage

Parental leave benefits

Job summary

Collins Aerospace is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to support the JPALS program in Fullerton, CA. The role involves developing in C and/or Java within a multithreaded environment, performing verification, and ensuring compliance with system requirements.

The successful candidate will contribute to software verification, test data analysis, and regression testing, while collaborating with SMEs and cross-functional teams. A DoD Secret clearance is required after start date.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of relevant engineering experience.
• Experience in C software and/or Java.
• Understanding of basic software development principles – configuration control, collaborative development, and formal processes.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret U.S. government issued security clearance is required after the start date.
• U.S. citizenship required for security clearance eligibility.

Responsibilities

• Work on multiple software development tasks in an agile environment.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams for unified solutions.
• Review code quality and perform regression testing within the automated framework.
• Support integration and verification activities across software items and tests.
• Provide guidance and mentorship to other engineers as needed.

Skills

C language

Java

Software verification

Problem solving

Education

STEM degree

Advanced degree (MS/PhD)

Tools

VxWorks

Simulink Test

VectorCAST

GPS navigation systems

Job description

Location

US-CA-FULLERTON-676 ~ 1801 Hughes Dr ~ BLDG 676

Date Posted

2026-11-04

Country

United States of America

Location

US-CA-FULLERTON-676 ~ 1801 Hughes Dr ~ BLDG 676

Position Role Type

Onsite

U.S. Citizen, U.S. Person, or Immigration Status Requirements

The ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government issued security clearance is required. U.S. citizenship is required, as only U.S. citizens are eligible for a security clearance

Security Clearance Type

DoD Clearance: Secret

Security Clearance Status

Active and existing security clearance required after day 1

Raytheon Company, Managed By Collins Aerospace

At RTX, the world's largest aerospace and defense company, 185,000 great minds are united by purpose and inspired to make a difference solving the world's most complex problems. With our three market leading businesses, world-class operations and investments in research and development, we offer capabilities and opportunity no one else can. Together, we push the boundaries of known science and find new ways to connect and protect our world.
Collins Aerospace is a leader in technologically advanced, intelligent solutions that help redefine the aerospace and defense industry. With a comprehensive portfolio and deep technical expertise, we help customers meet the demands of the global market. Join us and help shape the future of aerospace and defense.
Collins Aerospace is seeking a qualified Principal Software Engineer to support the Joint Precision Approach and Landing System (JPALS) program.
This is a mid-career engineering position for an individual with educational and/or professional experience/interest in the development of solutions to GPS Navigation Systems. The work is highly technical, and the individual will work collaboratively in an agile environment on the software team. The individual will work with C code in a multithreaded environment or Java application code and support integration and test; verification of requirements.
The position is for a Principal Software Engineer role that is responsible for conducting dry runs and formal runs of the software verification tests. This includes the test data analysis necessary to verify the software requirements. The Senior Software Engineer analyzes software requirement changes to verify the updates are compliant with the parent specification, and the affected requirements are allocated to the applicable software items and test identification. The Principal Software Engineer verifies that any software requirements (regardless of safety criticality) verified by new or modified test procedures have been fully verified. The Principal Software Engineer also performs regression analysis in accordance with regression analysis process and procedures.
The successful candidate must be able to work on individual tasks, sometimes under limited supervision, or with a team to achieve operational targets and must have the ability to communicate and collaborate with parties within and outside of own job function. Eventually the candidate may be responsible for helping to provide guidance, coaching and training to other employees within their job area.
We are looking for talented individuals that love to problem solve and have a desire to grow and gain exposure to new skills. Our customers come from all different backgrounds, and so do our employees.
If you're passionate about what you could accomplish here, we'd love to hear from you.

What You Will Do

• Work on multiple tasks in support of software development
• Work collaboratively in an agile environment
• Work with C code in a multithreaded environment or Java applications
• Improve code quality by performing code reviews and good software practice
• Support integration and verification within our automated test framework
• Collaborate with subject matter experts and cross-functional teams for a unified solution

What You Will Learn

• You will gain technical experience, mentorship opportunities, and exposure to very influential individuals within Mission Systems that will help advance your career.
• You will obtain invaluable experience working with our subject matter experts and specialists, our customer base, and cross-functional integrated product team.

Qualifications You Must Have

• 8+ years of relevant engineering experience
• Experience in C software and/or Java
• Understanding of basic software development principles – configuration control, collaborative development, and formal processes
• Experience in performing data analysis and problem solving (e.g. anomaly investigation)
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret U.S. government issued security clearance is required after the start date.
• U.S. citizenship is required, as only U.S. citizens are eligible for a security clearance.
• Typically requires a degree in Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) and minimum 8 years prior relevant experience or an Advanced Degree in a related field and minimum 5 years of experience

Qualifications We Prefer

• Experience with real-time multithreading, memory management and performance optimization
• Experience in software collaboration environments and secure coding practices
• Experience with hardware in the loop testing
• Experience in Simulink Test, requirements traceability, scripting, VxWorks, VectorCAST
• Experience with development of solutions to GPS Navigation Systems
• Experience with Hardware and Software Integration, Validation & Verification Testing, and Qualification Testing.

What We Offer

Some of our competitive benefits package includes:

• 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 illnessinsurance, 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!
• Eligible for referral bonus

#MISENG

Onsite

Employees who are working in Onsite roles will work primarily onsite. This includes all production and maintenance employees, as they are essential to the development of our products. Regardless of your role type, collaboration and innovation are critical to our business and all employees will have access to digital tools so they can work with colleagues around the world – and access to Collins sites when their work requires in-person meetings. At Collins, the paths we pave together lead to limitless possibility. And the bonds we form – with our customers and with each other – propel us all higher, again and again.

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.

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.

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.

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.