Principal Software Engineer, Space and Air Industry

Job Posted 3/19/2025

Bluestaq LLC

Colorado Springs, CO

United States

Category Information Technology

Job Description

Principal Software Engineer, Space and Air Industry

Position Type: Full Time

Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado. This is not a remote position.

Salary Range: In compliance with Colorado's Equal Pay for Equal Work Act, the salary range for this role is $160,000 - $200,000. Final compensation for this role will be determined by various factors such as a candidate's relevant work, skills, certifications, and geographic location.

Additional Compensation: This position is eligible for an end-of-year bonus.

Employment Benefits: Bluestaq offers a wide range of competitive benefits including Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, Disability Insurance, Paid Leave, and 401k. For more information regarding Bluestaq benefits, please visit .

Where Innovation Powers Impact

Ready to turn your expertise into impact? Welcome to Bluestaq.

About Bluestaq

At Bluestaq, we're not just another tech company-we're a mission-driven team of innovators, problem-solvers, and trailblazers. Whether supporting space exploration, defense systems, global alliances, government initiatives, healthcare advancements, or commercial breakthroughs, our work spans industries that shape the future. Founded in 2018, Bluestaq has quickly become a leader in enterprise software and secure data management. Our name? A nod to our roots-"blue" (military shorthand for the good guys) and "staq" (as in software stack).

Recognized Excellence

We don't just talk about excellence-we deliver it. Bluestaq has earned national recognition as one of Inc. Magazine's Fastest-Growing Private Companies and is consistently ranked among Colorado's Best Workplaces. Whether we're supporting national security, enabling healthcare advancements, or driving commercial innovation, we're committed to building data management solutions that matter.

Why Colorado Springs?

Tech Talent Hotspot - Ranked #2 up-and-coming tech market in North America by CBRE (2024).

Top Place to Live - Named #3 Best Place to Live in the U.S. and Most Desirable City overall by U.S. News (2024-25).

Neighborly Spirit - Recognized as America's Most Neighborly City (2024) for community engagement and quality of life.

Active Lifestyle Hub - Top 5 for hiking and fitness, blending outdoor recreation and wellness (2022).

Pet-Friendly Leader - Ranked #1 Most Pet-Friendly City in the U.S. (2023) for furry, scaly, and feathery friends.

With 300 days of sunshine and the Rocky Mountains as your backdrop, Colorado Springs offers the perfect mix of urban energy and outdoor adventure.

Join the Mission

Ready to push boundaries with tech that transforms industries? At Bluestaq, we engineer secure, scalable data ecosystems for space, defense, healthcare, and beyond. Join us to tackle mission-critical challenges, protect the world's most valuable data, and build what's next. Let's make extraordinary possible - together.

About the Role

We are seeking a highly skilled Principal Software Engineer to design, develop, and optimize mission-critical software solutions for the space and air domains. You will play a key role in architecting and building high-performance, scalable, and secure software that operates in demanding mission environments. This position requires a balance of hands-on coding and technical expertise to drive innovation and strategic impact.

Key Responsibilities

Develop High-Performance Systems

Build scalable, secure, and robust software solutions to support real-world aerospace applications.
Develop and maintain backend services, APIs, and microservices for mission-critical operations.
Implement fault-tolerant, high-availability software in distributed environments.

Apply Technical Excellence

Apply and advocate best practices in software development, including design patterns and secure coding principles.
Conduct code reviews, mentor engineers, and promote high-quality coding standards.
Drive performance monitoring and optimization, identifying and resolving bottlenecks.
Troubleshoot and debug complex, multi-layered system issues.

Elevate Engineering Processes

Champion Test-Driven Development (TDD) and automated testing to ensure software reliability.
Collaborate with systems engineers, UI/UX designers, and DevSecOps engineers to integrate new technologies.
Enhance CI/CD pipelines, ensuring rapid and secure software deployments.

Strategic Impact and Innovation

Contribute to strategic planning and technical roadmaps that align with business and operational goals.
Research and integrate emerging technologies, keeping the organization at the forefront of innovation.

Who You Are

You are a seasoned software engineer with deep expertise in building and optimizing secure, high-performance systems. You enjoy solving complex challenges, mentoring others, and leading with technical innovation. Your ability to architect, develop, and optimize software makes you a key driver of success in high-stakes environments.

Required Qualifications

10+ years of professional experience in software development.
Expertise in Java.
Deep understanding of secure coding practices and compliance standards.
Hands-on experience with Java build tools such as Maven and Gradle.
Strong cloud computing experience, particularly with AWS.
Proficiency in API development and microservices architectures.
Experience with containerization tools like Kubernetes and Docker.
Strong database skills in both SQL and NoSQL.
Understanding of network engineering principles.
Passion for mentoring engineers and leading technical discussions.
Strong problem-solving and analytical skills.
Familiarity with Agile and Scrum methodologies.

Preferred Qualifications

Knowledge of space and air domain systems.
Security certifications such as DoD Security+ or CISSP.
AWS Certified Solutions Architect or equivalent cloud certifications.
Experience with DevOps, CI/CD pipelines (Jenkins, Terraform).
Full-stack development experience with React, Spring Boot.
Familiarity with big data technologies (Hadoop, Spark, Elasticsearch).
Experience with test-driven development (JUnit, TestNG, Mockito).
Proficiency in Git, GitHub, or Bitbucket for version control.

Required Education: 10+ years of software development with a Bachelor of Science degree OR Associate degree with 2 additional years beyond the minimum required may be substituted in lieu of a degree OR a High School Diploma with 4 additional years beyond the minimum required may be substituted in lieu of a degree.

Clearance Requirement: This position requires the ability to obtain a TS/SCI Clearance. To be eligible for a security clearance, US Citizenship is required, and an employee must agree to participate in a background screen and credit check.

Relocation: This position does not offer relocation. Candidates must live in the immediate area or relocate at their own expense.

Bluestaq is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We prohibit unlawful discrimination against applicants or employees on the basis age 40 and over, color, disability, gender identity, genetic information, military or veteran status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or any other status protected by state or local law.

Bluestaq will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with known disabilities and employees whose work requirements interfere with a religious belief unless doing so would result in an undue hardship to Bluestaq or a direct threat. Employees needing such accommodation are instructed to contact Human Resources immediately at [email protected]