ZipRecruiter is hiring: Principal Software Engineer in Bethesda

Overview Leidos has an exciting opening for you as our next TS/SCI cleared Principal Software Engineer supporting a long-term DOMEX Technology Platform (DTP) contract. You will work closely with Systems Engineers, Software Engineers, Architects, and Operations Engineering/Manager on a broad scope of activities extending across the development of systems to include middle-tier and backend engineering tasks. Have impact as part of a mission focused, solutions oriented, and adaptive team that values innovation, collaboration, and professional development. While most work is conducted on-site at our client location in Bethesda, MD, we offer a flexible schedule and, occasionally, some tasks may be performed remotely. The percentage of remote work will vary based on client requirements/deliverables. Seeking a seasoned Python engineer to design and lead the development of scalable, distributed microservices deployed in Kubernetes. You will architect solutions for data ingestion, real-time processing, and intelligent search using Kafka and Elasticsearch. As a senior team member, you’ll play a key role in technical leadership, mentoring engineers, and shaping the long-term evolution of our systems. Responsibilities Lead the design and architecture of backend systems and services. Drive initiatives across the engineering team related to scalability, reliability, and performance. Build robust, testable, and maintainable Python microservices Architect message flows with Kafka, ensuring high availability and fault tolerance Define data modeling, indexing, and query patterns for Elasticsearch to meet product requirements Guide service deployments, rollout strategies, and observability practices in Kubernetes Contribute to and review RFCs, design documents, and architecture reviews Develop and integrate Docker containers to be deployed to Kubernetes from development to production Monitor automated system integration tests to identify failed modules and components Manage individual project priorities, deliverables, and deadlines Provide input to system design including hardware/software trade-offs, reuse of components, and requirements analysis Foster collaboration with team members to provide quality service and product Act as a mentor to mid-level and junior engineers Required Qualifications Bachelor’s Degree and 12-15 years of relevant experience or Master’s with 10-13 years Active Top Secret/SCI clearance and ability to obtain/maintain Polygraph 7+ years backend software engineering experience, including at least 5 years in Python Experience building and maintaining microservices in production in Kubernetes Deep understanding of Elasticsearch internals: sharding, performance tuning, analyzers, query DSL Strong Kafka experience: event design, stream processing, performance tuning Distributed systems principles: fault tolerance, consensus, data consistency Experience leading technical projects and mentoring engineers Strong testing discipline with automation, coverage, and CI/CD DevOps tools including CI/CD (Gitlab or Jenkins) Hands-on development/scripting in Python and Bash on Linux Experience with AWS cloud Strong communication skills; self-starter and team player Preferred/Additional Skills Active Security+ and Privileged User Account (PUA) certification Elasticsearch or related certifications Experience with system design at scale (100k+ messages/sec, TB-scale indexes) Knowledge of schema registries and Kafka streaming patterns Familiarity with Keycloak for authN/Z Security best practices for services: secrets management, data protection GraphQL or Apache NiFi experience On-prem and cloud deployments using Kubernetes Infrastructure-as-code: CloudFormation, Terraform, Pulumi Experience with production/enterprise systems at scale Knowledge of idempotency and eventual consistency Proactive in identifying tech debt and process improvements #NMECDTP-LEIDOS If you\'re looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo — because the mission demands it. We\'re not hiring followers. We\'re recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We\'re already at step 30 — and moving faster than anyone else dares. Original Posting: September 16, 2025 For U.S. Positions: While subject to change based on business needs, Leidos reasonably anticipates that this job requisition will remain open for at least 3 days with an anticipated close date of no earlier than 3 days after the original posting date as listed above. Pay Range: Pay Range $126,100.00 - $227,950.00 The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law. #J-18808-Ljbffr