Principal Radio Frequency Software Engineer

Job Description

Assume responsibility for the architecture and implementation of the production software pipeline, encompassing stream ingestion, rollup, database write, and batch post-processing components. Direct a team of Senior Software Engineers supporting real-world cyber operations, including task assignment, code reviews, quality standard enforcement, and technical mentorship. Establish and uphold disciplined software engineering practices, such as versioning, CI/CD pipelines, unit and integration testing, and documentation standards. Create and assess database and storage architecture for both the tactical system and research enclave environments. Work closely with the program's technical lead to integrate research findings and batch optimization algorithms into production pipeline components. Evaluate and benchmark Python pipeline performance on tactical hardware, pinpoint bottlenecks, and oversee the migration of mature components to Rust or C for edge deployment. Manage and coordinate the tactical system VM environment and stream simulation infrastructure, ensuring that development activity does not disrupt the research VM. Define and enforce stream interface contracts among the ingestion layer, database, and downstream consumers. Evaluate emerging technologies like DuckDB/Parquet, Polars, and message queues against program requirements and advise the technical lead on adoption decisions. Maintain the program's GitLab repository structure, branching strategy, and release management. Generate clear technical documentation, including architecture decision records, interface specifications, and deployment guides. Provide support for technical reviews and contribute written inputs for sponsor deliverables as guided by the program's technical lead.

Qualifications

1. Possess 10+ years of relevant experience. 2. Hold a BS Degree—experience may substitute for education. 3. Demonstrate experience leading a software engineering team on a production data pipeline or streaming system; ability to provide technical guidance and mentor junior engineers. 4. Expert-level proficiency in Python development, including stream processing, multi-threaded/async architectures, and performance profiling. 5. Competence in one or more compiled or systems languages (Rust, C, C++, or Go) for performance-critical components; experience in porting Python to compiled targets. 6. Hands-on experience designing and implementing relational database schemas and write-intensive data pipelines (MySQL, PostgreSQL, or equivalent). 7. Experience parsing binary serialization formats like FlatBuffers or Protocol Buffers in a production context. 8. Proven ability to benchmark and optimize pipeline throughput on resource-constrained hardware or cloud environments. 9. Strong proficiency in Linux system administration, remote server management via SSH, and air-gapped development environments. 10. Experience architecting multi-consumer data systems where a single write path must serve concurrent display, analytics, and batch processing readers. 11. Proficient in disciplined software engineering practices: GitLab/Git, CI/CD pipeline design, test-driven development, and code review. 12. Excellent written and verbal communication skills; capable of producing architecture decision records and technical documentation for both engineering and leadership audiences.