Principal Software Engineer

Awetomaton is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to set and uphold the technical bar for a cloud-native, event-driven system used across a national intelligence enterprise. You'll own the architecture patterns, the quality gate, and the build environment - staying close to the code while guiding a team of engineers through design and delivery. The ideal candidate will possess a BS degree or higher and have 15+ years of experience (or Masters & 12+ years experience)

This position will be performed out of Dayton, OH, with relocation packages available for out-of-state talent. Active DoD Top Secret security clearance required.

Criteria for success

• Own the technical approach and code-quality standard across development; lead design reviews and establish patterns for cloud-native, event-driven microservices.

• Guide development, refactoring, integration, and deployment of enterprise data services to government cloud environments.

• Own the software build environment and end-item source delivery to the government source-code repository, including version history and reproducible builds.

• Ensure deliveries meet the no-major-defect (Category 1/2) threshold and align to agile artifacts and required contract documentation.

• Mentor engineers; serve as the technical liaison to the SME and government technical leads.

Required Experience and Skills

• Active TS/SCI.

• 15+ years of software engineering experience (or MS + 12), including 5+ years leading cloud-native microservice teams.

• Deep, hands-on experience with containers and Kubernetes, modern backend languages (Go, Java, and/or Python), and REST plus asynchronous/event-driven APIs.

• Demonstrated ownership of secure SDLC practices and CI/CD-based delivery.

• Experience leading teams in an Agile/Scrum environment.

Desired Education and Experience

• CKA or CKAD certification; relevant Scrum certification.

• Event-driven / streaming platforms (Kafka, NATS, Numaflow, or similar).

• Enterprise search, data-catalog, or large-scale data-services experience.

• Multi-enclave delivery experience.

• BS in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience).

About Awetomaton

We build software that enables humans to make informed decisions from raw intel data, with a specialization in satellite collection. We are a Dayton-based defense startup that believes there is a critical skill & culture gap - one we are filling with high-output, mission focused engineering talent. Results matter to our customers. We've never lost a customer because we deliver what they need. Awetomaton is where you do work that matters with a passionate team in an environment that inspires your creativity.

Benefits

• We provide industry leading benefits that balance your health & wellbeing today, as well as lay a solid financial future into retirement. Highlights of our benefit plan include:

• • Flexible time off totaling 36 days / year. No approvals required.

• • 100% 401k company match up to IRS annual limits. This is a benefit of up to $24,500 for 2026.

• • Health plan through Blue Cross Blue Shield with Health Savings Account (HSA). We pay 95% of employee premiums including family plans.

• • Employee favorite: Tech and Wellness reimbursement of $3000 / year. Treat yourself with the newest gadgets or athletic gear. No approvals required.

• • Annual profit sharing as 401k contribution. No set percent and dependent on annual company performance. Benefit is above and beyond 401k match.

• • MacBook laptop and well-equipped office spaces for optimal productivity in office and on-the-go.