Federal Student Aid an Office of the U.S. Department of Education
Principal Software Engineer, GS-2210-15, FPL GS-15 (Direct Hire), NTE 13 mos up
Federal Student Aid an Office of the U.S. Department of Education, Washington, District of Columbia, us, 20022
Overview
This position is located in FSA supporting various program offices. Federal Student Aid (FSA) is modernizing the systems that serve over 17 million students and power more than $120 billion in financial aid each year. We are building a team of software engineers to strengthen the technical foundation of one of the most high-impact digital services in government. This is a Principal Software Engineer, GS-2210-15, FPL GS-15 (Direct Hire), Not-to-Exceed 13 months up to 10 years. A full-time permanent competitive position is announced at the same time under FSA-2026-0014 for consideration for a different appointment length.
Responsibilities
Lead the design, build, and improvement of large-scale, cloud-based systems that are reliable, secure, accessible, and resilient. Collaborate with cross-functional partners to deliver modern software practices, improve system quality, and transform FSA into a modern digital organization. Designs, develops, tests, and delivers secure, scalable cloud-native information systems across the full system development life cycle; serve as a senior architect and technical leader for technology systems and manage multiple complex IT projects supporting student aid. Lead the design and delivery of secure, scalable IT and AI solutions; translate technical specifications into programming requirements for diverse stakeholders using languages like Python, Java, and JavaScript; apply modern architecture patterns and manage projects to meet performance, budget, and compliance goals. Provide expert technical advice, leadership, and direction on software delivery and data infrastructure; determine project objectives, set priorities, and anticipate threats and opportunities. Advise agencies on modern development methodologies, tools, and practices; lead the design and implementation of compliant CI/CD pipelines, automated testing frameworks, and deployment workflows to drive modernization and adoption of innovative technologies across government. Architect, develop, and maintain software and cloud systems with automation to enable auditable deployments; ensure projects are delivered on budget and in compliance with requirements. Plan and execute large-scale IT transformation projects with monitoring, telemetry, logging, and service-level objectives (SLOs) to improve reliability in multi-tenant cloud environments; assess and enhance project effectiveness and system performance. Ensure responsible use of AI and machine learning by identifying and mitigating risks related to bias, dual use, privacy, and civil rights; support system resilience through incident response and post-incident analysis. Create an inclusive and collaborative work environment; design and implement agile, human-centered software and systems as a solutions architect; mentor engineers and stakeholders; partner with product, data, security, operations, and vendor teams to deliver mission-driven technology solutions. Qualifications
Minimum Qualification Requirements You may meet the minimum qualifications for the GS-15 if you possess the specialized experience described below. Specialized Experience for the Principal Software Engineer, GS-2210-15 One year of experience in either federal or non-federal service equivalent to at least GS-14 performing two of the following duties: Experience as a senior technical architect by writing production code, making key architectural decisions, and directing complex IT project work across engineering teams supporting large-scale cloud-based systems. Experience building or improving deployment pipelines, CI/CD automation, observability, test automation, and deployment reliability of at-scale production systems. Experience translating complex software and system concepts into actionable guidance for non-technical stakeholders and producing technical specifications trusted by software engineering teams. Basic Experience Requirements You must possess IT-related experience demonstrating the four competencies below. Attention to Detail Customer Service Oral Communication Problem Solving Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities (KSAs) The quality of your experience will be measured by the KSAs below and will be assessed via the occupational questionnaire. Proficiency with modern software development, testing, automation, and deployment tools, including CI/CD, Infrastructure-as-Code, and automated testing frameworks. Ability to apply systems engineering concepts to ensure performance, scalability, reliability, security, and maintainability of cloud-based applications. Experience designing modern software development, testing, automation, and deployment tools including CI/CD pipelines, Infrastructure-as-Code, and automated testing frameworks. Knowledge of software engineering concepts and practical coding, debugging, refactoring, and performance optimization in production environments. Ability to use cloud, data, and security technologies to design, build, test, and deploy resilient services with modern architectural patterns. Other Information
Education cannot be substituted for experience for this position and grade level. Additional information includes veteran resources, background checks, suitability processes, benefits overview, and other program-specific details. Review our benefits and eligibility for federal employment. This position may be extended up to 10 years from the initial appointment. Preferred qualifications include a basic understanding of Artificial Intelligence (AI). How You Will Be Evaluated You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications above, with best-qualified candidates referred for further review. Notes Senior-level job postings and location-based pay ranges may appear in postings for related positions; refer to the actual vacancy announcement for the definitive details.
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This position is located in FSA supporting various program offices. Federal Student Aid (FSA) is modernizing the systems that serve over 17 million students and power more than $120 billion in financial aid each year. We are building a team of software engineers to strengthen the technical foundation of one of the most high-impact digital services in government. This is a Principal Software Engineer, GS-2210-15, FPL GS-15 (Direct Hire), Not-to-Exceed 13 months up to 10 years. A full-time permanent competitive position is announced at the same time under FSA-2026-0014 for consideration for a different appointment length.
Responsibilities
Lead the design, build, and improvement of large-scale, cloud-based systems that are reliable, secure, accessible, and resilient. Collaborate with cross-functional partners to deliver modern software practices, improve system quality, and transform FSA into a modern digital organization. Designs, develops, tests, and delivers secure, scalable cloud-native information systems across the full system development life cycle; serve as a senior architect and technical leader for technology systems and manage multiple complex IT projects supporting student aid. Lead the design and delivery of secure, scalable IT and AI solutions; translate technical specifications into programming requirements for diverse stakeholders using languages like Python, Java, and JavaScript; apply modern architecture patterns and manage projects to meet performance, budget, and compliance goals. Provide expert technical advice, leadership, and direction on software delivery and data infrastructure; determine project objectives, set priorities, and anticipate threats and opportunities. Advise agencies on modern development methodologies, tools, and practices; lead the design and implementation of compliant CI/CD pipelines, automated testing frameworks, and deployment workflows to drive modernization and adoption of innovative technologies across government. Architect, develop, and maintain software and cloud systems with automation to enable auditable deployments; ensure projects are delivered on budget and in compliance with requirements. Plan and execute large-scale IT transformation projects with monitoring, telemetry, logging, and service-level objectives (SLOs) to improve reliability in multi-tenant cloud environments; assess and enhance project effectiveness and system performance. Ensure responsible use of AI and machine learning by identifying and mitigating risks related to bias, dual use, privacy, and civil rights; support system resilience through incident response and post-incident analysis. Create an inclusive and collaborative work environment; design and implement agile, human-centered software and systems as a solutions architect; mentor engineers and stakeholders; partner with product, data, security, operations, and vendor teams to deliver mission-driven technology solutions. Qualifications
Minimum Qualification Requirements You may meet the minimum qualifications for the GS-15 if you possess the specialized experience described below. Specialized Experience for the Principal Software Engineer, GS-2210-15 One year of experience in either federal or non-federal service equivalent to at least GS-14 performing two of the following duties: Experience as a senior technical architect by writing production code, making key architectural decisions, and directing complex IT project work across engineering teams supporting large-scale cloud-based systems. Experience building or improving deployment pipelines, CI/CD automation, observability, test automation, and deployment reliability of at-scale production systems. Experience translating complex software and system concepts into actionable guidance for non-technical stakeholders and producing technical specifications trusted by software engineering teams. Basic Experience Requirements You must possess IT-related experience demonstrating the four competencies below. Attention to Detail Customer Service Oral Communication Problem Solving Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities (KSAs) The quality of your experience will be measured by the KSAs below and will be assessed via the occupational questionnaire. Proficiency with modern software development, testing, automation, and deployment tools, including CI/CD, Infrastructure-as-Code, and automated testing frameworks. Ability to apply systems engineering concepts to ensure performance, scalability, reliability, security, and maintainability of cloud-based applications. Experience designing modern software development, testing, automation, and deployment tools including CI/CD pipelines, Infrastructure-as-Code, and automated testing frameworks. Knowledge of software engineering concepts and practical coding, debugging, refactoring, and performance optimization in production environments. Ability to use cloud, data, and security technologies to design, build, test, and deploy resilient services with modern architectural patterns. Other Information
Education cannot be substituted for experience for this position and grade level. Additional information includes veteran resources, background checks, suitability processes, benefits overview, and other program-specific details. Review our benefits and eligibility for federal employment. This position may be extended up to 10 years from the initial appointment. Preferred qualifications include a basic understanding of Artificial Intelligence (AI). How You Will Be Evaluated You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications above, with best-qualified candidates referred for further review. Notes Senior-level job postings and location-based pay ranges may appear in postings for related positions; refer to the actual vacancy announcement for the definitive details.
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