Senior Principal Software Architect

Job Description
See what you're missing. Our employees work on the world's most advanced software and electronics - from developing world-class autonomous mission management capabilities to advanced data analytics to support the warfighters and the intelligence community. Spanning air, land, sea, and space, we are developing the technology of tomorrow, delivered today. Drawing strength from our differences, we're innovating for the future. And you can, too.

Our flexible work environment provides you a chance to change the world without giving up your personal life. We put our customers first -exemplified by our mission: "We Protect Those Who Protect Us®." Sound like a team you want to be a part of? Come build your career with BAE Systems.

Our engineers are the lifeblood of our company and we're more than 5,000 strong. With our robust offering of educational and career development opportunities, your chances to grow are limitless.

The Digital Architecture Team (DAT) is building the foundational software infrastructure that modernizes how BAE Systems create and delivers its products. Our suite underpins the entire product development lifecycle, from ideation through sustainment. We are seeking a Senior Principal Software Architect to own the design, delivery, and sustainment of business-critical software solutions. In this role you will be a partner with engineering, operations, quality, finance, and IT/security to surface opportunities and implement high impact solutions. The ideal candidate has extensive experience architecting modern, Agile driven software and applying model-based systems engineering (MBSE) at scale, and can lead multiple concurrent projects using these methodologies.
Responsibilities

• Own the end-to-end product development lifecycle for the business-critical software suite, from concept and design through release and sustainment.
• Provide the highest level of technical accountability, ensuring architectural integrity, performance, and security for every solution delivered.
• Define and champion a DevSecOps framework that delivers secure, repeatable, enterprise-grade releases of the software suite.
• Lead the adoption and tailoring of Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) to improve requirements traceability and impact analysis.
• Anchor Agile practices to the software lifecycle, guaranteeing that sprint/cadence planning aligns with architectural roadmaps and product structure.
• Manage expectations and execution across multiple concurrent software projects using Agile and MBSE, delivering on-time and on-budget.
• Establish and enforce standards for secure coding, automated unit/integration testing, continuous testing, and code-review processes.
• Create observability baselines - logging, metrics, tracing, and alerting - to guarantee production-grade reliability and rapid incident resolution.
• Partner with development, operations, security, finance, quality, and product teams to translate business goals into technical solutions.
• Facilitate cross-disciplinary workshops that surface improvement opportunities and drive consensus on architecture decisions.
• Design and oversee deployment strategies (containerization, cloud/on-prem hybrid, blue-green or canary releases) that ensure reliability, maintainability, and operational efficiency.
• Lead sustainment and lifecycle management, guaranteeing that systems remain secure, scalable, and cost-effective throughout their operational life.
• Mentor and coach engineering teams, guiding architectural decisions, fostering technical excellence, and building a culture of continuous learning.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives that enhance effectiveness, raise product quality, and reduce cost and schedule variance across the organization.

Required Education, Experience, & Skills

• 8 + years of professional software-engineering experience, including at least 2 years in a senior architect or technical-lead role.
• Strong proficiency in one or more modern languages (Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, Go, C#, Java) and the ability to produce production-grade code.
• Extensive experience designing, building, and operating modern, software architectures-including micro-service-style systems, container-based deployments, and orchestration platforms that run on hybrid (cloud + on-prem) environments.
• Proven track record establishing DevSecOps pipelines and data-governance frameworks that enable trusted, repeatable, enterprise-scale releases.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-disciplinary, multi-project initiatives (engineering, ops, quality, finance, security) using Agile and Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) to manage ambiguity and deliver on schedule.
• Proven experience with Git-based CI/CD platforms (GitLab, GitHub Enterprise, Azure DevOps, etc.) and automated security testing pipelines.
• Strong proficiency in modern programming languages (e.g., Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, C#) and the ability to rapidly prototype and production-harden code.
• History of delivering measurable business impact - cost savings, productivity gains, accelerated time-to-market, or improved product maturity.
• Experience operating in constrained, legacy-to-modern migration environments and navigating government security/compliance requirements.
• Strong systems-thinking and problem-solving stamina - able to tackle long-term, mission-critical challenges with creativity and persistence.
• Proven ability to build inclusive, high-performing teams where technical excellence coexists with work-life balance.
• Mentorship & technical leadership - regularly coach engineers, set architectural direction, and champion best-practice standards (secure coding, automated testing, monitoring, observability).
• Active Secret clearance required.

Preferred Education, Experience, & Skills

• SAFe (Agile) certification - SPC, RTE, or an equivalent credential.
• Hands-on experience implementing Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) with tools such as Cameo, MagicDraw, or comparable platforms.
• Experience designing or integrating agent-based AI/ML solutions that augment autonomous decision-making.
• Solid understanding of RF/EM-spectrum concepts and a track record of integrating software with complex RF hardware systems.
• Experience collaborating with hardware engineering teams in production or test-bed environments.

Pay Information
Full-Time Salary Range: $126610 - $215270

Please note: This range is based on our market pay structures. However, individual salaries are determined by a variety of factors including, but not limited to: business considerations, local market conditions, and internal equity, as well as candidate qualifications, such as skills, education, and experience.

Employee Benefits: At BAE Systems, we support our employees in all aspects of their life, including their health and financial well-being. Regular employees scheduled to work 20+ hours per week are offered: health, dental, and vision insurance; health savings accounts; a 401(k) savings plan; disability coverage; and life and accident insurance. We also have an employee assistance program, a legal plan, and other perks including discounts on things like home, auto, and pet insurance. Our leave programs include paid time off, paid holidays, as well as other types of leave, including paid parental, military, bereavement, and any applicable federal and state sick leave. Employees may participate in the company recognition program to receive monetary or non-monetary recognition awards. Other incentives may be available based on position level and/or job specifics.

About BAE Systems Electronic Systems
BAE Systems, Inc. is the U.S. subsidiary of BAE Systems plc, an international defense, aerospace and security company which delivers a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, security, information technology solutions and customer support services. Improving the future and protecting lives is an ambitious mission, but it's what we do at BAE Systems. Working here means using your passion and ingenuity where it counts - defending national security with breakthrough technology, superior products, and intelligence solutions. As you develop the latest technology and defend national security, you will continually hone your skills on a team-making a big impact on a global scale. At BAE Systems, you'll find a rewarding career that truly makes a difference. Electronic Systems (ES) is the global innovator behind BAE Systems' game-changing defense and commercial electronics. Exploiting every electron, we push the limits of what is possible, giving our customers the edge and our employees opportunities to change the world. Our products and capabilities can be found everywhere - from the depths of the ocean to the far reaches of space. At our core are more than 14,000 highly talented Electronic Systems employees with the brightest minds in the industry, we make an impact - for our customers and the communities we serve.

This position will be posted for at least 5 calendar days. The posting will remain active until the position is filled, or a qualified pool of candidates is identified.