Senior Principal Software Development Engineer - US Federal

Workday, Inc.; McLean (VA); Hybrid; USD 218,000 - 328,000; Full time

Job summary

An innovative firm is seeking a Senior Principal Software Development Engineer to join their Federal Cloud Platform Engineering team. This role focuses on designing and developing tools and systems for cloud deployment, ensuring robust and scalable solutions. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in cloud platforms, automation tools, and programming languages, with a strong emphasis on collaboration across teams. Join a culture that values employee well-being and offers a flexible work environment while making a significant impact on technology deployment for U.S. Federal Government contracts.

Qualifications

• 6+ years in deploying large-scale, complex applications.
• Hands-on experience with infrastructure automation tools.

Responsibilities

• Manage and optimize Workday in the air-gapped U.S. AWS cloud regions.
• Develop and maintain deployment tools and analytics.

Skills

AWS

GCP

Azure

Terraform

Puppet

Ansible

Chef

Docker

Kubernetes

Jenkins

Go (Golang)

Python

Ruby

Java

Bash

MySQL

PostgreSQL

Tomcat

ZooKeeper

Kafka

Job description

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Senior Principal Software Development Engineer - US Federal page is loaded

Senior Principal Software Development Engineer - US Federal

Apply remote type Flex locations USA, VA, McLean time type Full Time posted on Posted Yesterday job requisition id JR-0094693

Your work days are brighter here.

At Workday, it all began with a conversation over breakfast. When our founders met at a sunny California diner, they came up with an idea to revolutionize the enterprise software market. And when we began to rise, one thing that really set us apart was our culture. A culture which was driven by our value of putting our people first. And ever since, the happiness, development, and contribution of every Workmate is central to who we are. Our Workmates believe a healthy employee-centric, collaborative culture is the essential mix of ingredients for success in business. That’s why we look after our people, communities and the planet while still being profitable. Feel encouraged to shine, however that manifests: you don’t need to hide who you are. You can feel the energy and the passion, it's what makes us unique. Inspired to make a brighter work day for all and transform with us to the next stage of our growth journey? Bring your brightest version of you and have a brighter work day here.

At Workday, we value our candidates’ privacy and data security. Workday will never ask candidates to apply to jobs through websites that are not Workday Careers.

Please be aware of sites that may ask for you to input your data in connection with a job posting that appears to be from Workday but is not.

In addition, Workday will never ask candidates to pay a recruiting fee, or pay for consulting or coaching services, in order to apply for a job at Workday.

About the Team

We're the team that drives the product and strategy for Workday’s secret sauce - our technology platform that was designed from scratch for the cloud. We own the complete stack and tools that delivers and supports Workday products across private and public clouds (e.g. on-premise, AWS, GCP, Azure). We enable Workday's scale: ~50% of Fortune 500 companies, 8000+ customers, 55M+ Workers, ~365B Transactions!
Workday is seeking a Senior Software Development Engineer (SDE) to be part of the Federal Cloud Platform Engineering team. This team supports direct and indirect contracts with the U.S. Federal Government which, due to federal government security requirements, mandates all Workday personnel working on the contracts be United States citizens (naturalized or native).

About the Role

This role will support one or more direct or indirect contracts with the U.S. Federal Government which, due to federal government security requirements, mandates that all Workday personnel working on the contracts be United States citizens (naturalized or native).

As a Senior Principal SDE on the Federal Cloud Platform Engineering team, you will focus on design, development, analysis, acquisition, installation, modification and support of operating systems, deployments, databases, utilities and network-related tools! You will conduct programming and support activities, such as new or revised program language codes, processing routines and report generations. You will also conduct programming tasks including program design, program coding, debugging and documentation to increase flexibility in deployments.

As part of our team, you will oversee and manage deployment of Workday technology stack on air-gapped cloud environments, develop proprietary tools, and deliver analytics to enable optimized deployments company-wide. This role is ideal for engineers with a holistic approach to cloud deployment, performance, and scalability who thrive on driving innovation and system-wide improvements.

Key Responsibilities:

• Manage and optimize Workday in the air-gapped U.S. AWS cloud regions and in doing so, form the nexus of the core team responsible for this mission as well as closely working with our commercial software engineering teams responsible for the overall Workday platform.

• Partner with the Workday Federal Cyber Defense team responsible for security operations, overall cybersecurity posture, governance, risk, and compliance, and platform security health.

• Develop and maintain deployment tools and analytics to support company-wide deployment flexibility and cost savings

• Collaborate across teams to ensure robust, scalable, and efficient solutions.

Skills:

• Cloud Platforms & Infrastructure : AWS, GCP, Azure, Terraform

• Configuration Management & Automation : Puppet, Ansible, Chef, Terraform, CloudFormation

• Containerization & Orchestration : Docker, Kubernetes, Helm

• CI/CD & DevOps Tools : Jenkins, Git, TeamCity, GitLab CI/CD

• Programming & Scripting Languages : Go (Golang), Python, Ruby, Java, Bash

• Database & Middleware : MySQL, PostgreSQL, Tomcat, ZooKeeper, Kafka

About You

Basic Qualifications:

• This position requires a TS/SCI with CI polygraph security clearance. Applicants must already possess a valid and active TS/SCI with CI polygraph security clearance.

• 6+ years in deploying large-scale, complex applications, with 3+ years in cloud-based deployments on AWS or GCP.

• 2+ years experience with automation tools and languages, including Ansible, Python, Go, Chef, and Puppet; proficient in CI/CD, build management and monitoring.

• 2+ years experience with networks, servers, storage, and operating systems in cloud environments; skilled in deployment orchestration and automation frameworks.

• Hands-on experience with infrastructure automation tools like Chef, Puppet, and Ansible.

Other Qualifications :

• Extensive experience in developing orchestration and automation frameworks using Ansible and Jenkins, with cloud deployments

• Proven ability to introduce, integrate, and implement new technologies rapidly.

• Skilled in network analysis and troubleshooting, using tools like tcpdump to resolve network, firewall, and connectivity issues in collaboration with engineering teams.

• Proficient in Unix/Linux environments, with strong Python scripting expertise for automation and system management.

• Familiar with Agile/Scrum practices, including sprint planning and daily stand-ups using Jira; excellent communication skills and a collaborative approach in team environments.

• Extensive experience creating and operating automation frameworks for deployment orchestration in production environments.

Workday Pay Transparency Statement

The annualized base salary ranges for the primary location and any additional locations are listed below. Workday pay ranges vary based on work location. As a part of the total compensation package, this role may be eligible for the Workday Bonus Plan or a role-specific commission/bonus, as well as annual refresh stock grants. Recruiters can share more detail during the hiring process. Each candidate’s compensation offer will be based on multiple factors including, but not limited to, geography, experience, skills, job duties, and business need, among other things. For more information regarding Workday’s comprehensive benefits, please click here .

Primary Location: USA.VA.McLean (Tyson's Corner)Primary Location Base Pay Range: $218,400 USD - $327,600 USDAdditional US Location(s) Base Pay Range: $197,600 USD - $351,600 USD

Our Approach to Flexible Work

With Flex Work, we’re combining the best of both worlds: in-person time and remote. Our approach enables our teams to deepen connections, maintain a strong community, and do their best work. We know that flexibility can take shape in many ways, so rather than a number of required days in-office each week, we simply spend at least half (50%) of our time each quarter in the office or in the field with our customers, prospects, and partners (depending on role). This means you'll have the freedom to create a flexible schedule that caters to your business, team, and personal needs, while being intentional to make the most of time spent together. Those in our remote "home office" roles also have the opportunity to come together in our offices for important moments that matter.

Pursuant to applicable Fair Chance law, Workday will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Workday is an Equal Opportunity Employer including individuals with disabilities and protected veterans.

Are you being referred to one of our roles? If so, ask your connection at Workday about our Employee Referral process!

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Are you being referred to one of our roles? If so, ask your connection at Workday about our Employee Referral process!

Being a Great Place to Work

Are you interested in contract opportunities at Workday?

With Flex Work, we’re combining the best of both worlds: in-person time and remote. Our approach enables our teams to deepen connections, maintain a strong community, and do their best work. We know that flexibility can take shape in many ways, so rather than a number of required days in-office each week, we simply spend at least half (50%) of our time each quarter in the office or in the field with our customers, prospects, and partners (depending on role). This means you'll have the freedom to create a flexible schedule that caters to your business, team, and personal needs, while being intentional to make the most of time spent together. Those in our remote "home office" roles also have the opportunity to come together in our offices for important moments that matter.

About Workday

At Workday, our employees have always been our number one Core Value. We understand that everyone has unique experiences and perspectives which is why our mission is to create a safe space where all people and ideas are welcomed. Our commitment to value inclusion, belonging, and equity (VIBE) and creating a brighter workday for all is the cornerstone of all we do. Join us!

Workday is a leading provider of enterprise cloud applications for finance and human resources. Founded in 2005, Workday delivers financial management, human capital management, and analytics applications designed for the world's largest companies, educational institutions, and government agencies. Organizations ranging from medium-sized businesses to Fortune 50 enterprises have selected Workday.

Workday is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. Individuals seeking employment at Workday are considered without regards to age, ancestry, color, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, mental or physical disability, national origin, protected family care or medical leave status, race, religion (including beliefs and practices or the absence thereof), sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.

Further, pursuant to applicable local ordinances, Workday will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

We do not accept resumes from headhunters, placement agencies, or other suppliers that have not signed a formal agreement with us.

Workday is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities, disabled veterans, and others during our application process. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability or for religious reasons, contact us at [e-mail] .

At Workday, we value our candidates’ privacy and data security. Workday will never ask candidates to apply to jobs through websites that are not Workday Careers.

Please be aware of sites that may ask for you to input your data in connection with a job posting that appears to be from Workday but is not.

In addition, Workday will never ask candidates to pay a recruiting fee, or pay for consulting or coaching services, in order to apply for a job at Workday.