# Principal Engineer, Mission Software

**Company:** [Quindar](https://hotfix.jobs/companies/quindar)
**Location:** Arvada, CO, Los Angeles, CA, San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, Washington, DC
**Role:** Engineering Management
**Skills:** Software Architecture, Distributed Systems, Backend Development, API Design, Command And Control Systems, Mission Operations, Systems Engineering, Agile Methodologies, Security Clearance, Team Leadership
**Posted:** 2026-05-19

> Lead and architect mission-critical Command & Control software for space operations at a hybrid role with technical leadership and people management responsibilities. Requires deep expertise in aerospace/defense domains and hands-on architecture across distributed systems.

## Job Description

## Key Responsibilities
- Lead and mentor a multidisciplinary engineering team focused on Command & Control (C2) software and Ground Systems Integration capabilities
- Drive technical execution across mission systems programs, balancing delivery timelines, system reliability, and long-term architectural scalability
- Serve as system and software architect for strategic government and defense programs leveraging Quindar’s platform
- Define and evolve software architecture across distributed systems, mission operations tooling, integration layers, and operator-facing applications
- Collaborate closely with product, mission operations, customer success, and executive leadership to translate mission requirements into scalable technical solutions
- Guide the team through complex integration efforts involving third-party systems, mission partners, and government stakeholders
- Maintain hands-on involvement in technical design and software development, contributing directly to architecture reviews, implementation strategy, and critical code paths
- Support hiring and organizational growth for mission software engineering functions
- Mentor engineers and technical leads, helping develop technical depth, ownership, and leadership across the organization
- Coordinate with Engineering and Product leadership to proactively identify architectural gaps, technical risks, and cross-team dependencies
- Contribute to engineering standards, operational excellence, incident response processes, and post-mortem reviews
- Communicate technical concepts, program status, and architectural decisions clearly across technical and non-technical stakeholders

## Qualifications
- Proven experience leading complex software engineering efforts in aerospace, defense, mission operations, autonomy, robotics, or other high-reliability domains
- Strong software architecture experience across distributed systems, backend infrastructure, APIs, operator tooling, and mission-critical applications
- Experience serving as a technical lead, systems architect, or chief engineer on large-scale customer or government programs
- Demonstrated ability to lead and mentor engineering teams while remaining deeply technical and hands-on
- Experience integrating software systems across multiple teams, vendors, or external mission partners
- Strong understanding of software development life cycles, systems engineering principles, and Agile development methodologies
- Ability to code and review production-quality code in languages relevant to Quindar’s technology stack
- Excellent communication and leadership skills with the ability to align technical execution with strategic mission objectives
- Strong organizational and program leadership skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and drive execution across parallel efforts
- Experience working with government customers, defense programs, or regulated environments is a strong plus
- Ability to obtain U.S. Security Clearance (Active clearance strongly preferred)

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