Senior Manager, Software Engineering

HITT Contracting; Falls Church (VA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 175,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Performance-based bonuses

Health care coverage (vision & dental)

Employer-matched 401(k)

Wellness reimbursement

Job summary

HITT Contracting seeks a Principal Software Engineer to lead the company’s first AI-native applications and agentic development. This hands-on role writes production code daily with AI coding agents and defines patterns for scalable AI-enabled software across jobsites and offices.

You will mentor engineers, recruit talent, and set architectural direction while partnering with executives on strategic decisions.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of professional software engineering experience at staff or principal level.
• Proven track record shipping production software with cloud-native stacks.
• Mentor and upskill engineers; introduce new tools and practices.
• Strong architectural judgment; ability to move from rapid prototyping to hardened systems.
• Excellent communication skills for technical and non-technical partners.

Responsibilities

• Architect and build AI-native applications and agentic workflows end to end.
• Define patterns for agentic development including orchestration and tooling.
• Establish evaluation, testing, and observability practices for trustworthy AI.
• Prototype rapidly, then harden winners into reliable products for jobsites.
• Lead hiring and training of engineers in AI-enabled development methods.

Skills

AI-assisted development

Agentic development

Architectural leadership

Cloud-native

CI/CD

Tool integration

LLM APIs

Mentorship

Code review

Security / zero trust

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field

Advanced degree a plus

Tools

Claude Code

GitHub Copilot

Cursor

Job description

Every day, our team members do amazing things in pursuit of our shared purpose to build trust with our clients, partners, subcontractors, and teammates. No matter your background, education, or career path, if you share our vision to create extraordinary experiences, you belong at HITT.Senior Manager, Software EngineeringJob Description:HITT is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to serve as a founding technical leader of its new agentic engineering practice. This is a hands-on role for a builder at the top of their craft: an engineer who works fluently with the latest AI development tools and coding agents, has strong, tested opinions about how AI changes the software development lifecycle, and wants to define those patterns from a blank page rather than inherit them.Reporting to the Head of Software Engineering, the Principal Software Engineer sets the technical direction for how software gets built at HITT — architecting the practice’s first AI-native applications, establishing the platform and paved-road tooling every team will use, and writing production code every day alongside AI coding agents. The software this role ships must earn its place on real jobsites: fast, reliable, and usable in high-velocity, decentralized field environments.Beyond building, this role multiplies others. The Principal Software Engineer will help recruit engineers into a lean, agile, AI-augmented team and will train HITT’s existing developers in AI-enabled methods — through pairing, code review, workshops, and reference implementations — raising the technical bar for the entire practice.ResponsibilitiesAgentic Development & Technical LeadershipArchitect and build HITT’s first AI-native applications and agentic workflows end to end, writing production code daily alongside AI coding agentsDefine the technical patterns for agentic development at HITT, including agent orchestration, prompt and context engineering, tool and API integrations, retrieval-augmented generation, and human-in-the-loop reviewEstablish evaluation, testing, and observability practices that make AI-assisted software trustworthy, secure, and maintainablePrototype rapidly to prove value, then harden the winners into reliable products adopted across jobsites and officesPlatform, Tooling & StandardsStand up the engineering platform from scratch: repositories, CI/CD pipelines, environments, model access, guardrails, and the AI development toolchain used by every teamCreate paved-road templates, reference implementations, and internal libraries that make the right way the easy waySet and continuously raise the bar for code quality, security, and performance across the practice, in alignment with HITT’s zero trust cybersecurity strategyEvaluate emerging AI development tools, models, and frameworks, recommending adoption with clear-eyed assessments of capability and riskMentorship & EnablementTrain and coach HITT’s existing developers in AI-enabled development methods through pairing, code review, workshops, and internal documentationHelp recruit engineers to the organization, interview for craft, judgment, and fluency with modern AI-assisted workflowsModel a culture of experimentation — fail fast and pivot — while managing risk responsiblyDelivery & CollaborationWork in lean, agile teams built on small batches, fast feedback, and continuous deliveryPartner directly with project teams, field staff, and corporate functions to understand problems firsthand and deliver software that works where execution happens in real timeCommunicate architecture decisions and tradeoffs clearly to both engineers and executives, providing transparency on progress, quality, and value deliveredQualificationsBachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience; advanced degree a plus10+ years of professional software engineering experience, including experience operating at a staff or principal level and setting technical direction beyond a single teamExpert, hands-on fluency with AI-assisted and agentic development, including coding agents (e.g., Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, Cursor), LLM APIs, agent frameworks, tool and API integrations, retrieval-augmented generation, and evaluationTrack record of shipping production software with modern stacks: cloud-native services, APIs, web and mobile applications, CI/CD, and infrastructure as codeDemonstrated ability to mentor and upskill other engineers, and to introduce new tools and practices into an existing organizationStrong architectural judgment, with the range to move between rapid prototyping and hardened production systemsExcellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to make complex technical topics clear to non-technical partnersExperience building software for field-based or operational users, or in construction, engineering, or manufacturing environments, is a plusIn accordance with Virginia Senate Bill 215 (SB 215), the base salary range for this position is:$120,000.00 - $175,000.00Compensation in other cities and states may vary. HITT Contracting offers a competitive total benefits and compensation package including performance-based bonuses, premium health care coverage including vision and dental, employer-matched 401(k), wellness reimbursement program, paid holidays and time-off, and other voluntary benefits and leave types. The determination of salary is based on the candidate’s individual professional experience, qualifications, education, skills, and training.HITT Contracting is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to hiring and developing the most qualified individuals based on job-related experience, skills, and merit. All employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic. We value a respectful, inclusive workplace where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. HITT Contracting maintains a drug-free workplace, consistent with applicable local, state, and federal laws.