Principal Software Developer Jobs in Virginia (NOW HIRING)

Quick Position Facts! * Location: Arlington, Virginia at our G2 Ops office.
* Work Setting: In-Office with Hybrid or Flexible Schedule Available Based on Program Requirements * Salary Range: $145,000 - $170,000 plus comprehensive benefits package.
* Years of Industry Experience: 10 + years of relevant experience.
* Security Clearance Requirement: Active DoD Secret clearance required at start, with the ability to obtain and maintain a DoD Top Secret clearance after starting.
About the Role. The Principal Software Engineer (AEGIS Software Domain Lead) serves as the senior software engineering lead for G2 Ops' software capabilities supporting the AEGIS portfolio. This role provides hands-on technical leadership across the program's software application portfolio, with primary responsibility for leading the development and continued evolution of the SOFIA Cyber Analytics Platform, as well as technical oversight of MONARCH, SMART, and related cybersecurity and digital engineering applications. This is a software engineering leadership position responsible for defining software architecture and engineering standards, leading technical execution, mentoring software engineers, and ensuring the delivery of scalable, secure, and maintainable software capabilities. The successful candidate will have substantial professional software development experience and remain comfortable working directly with software architecture, source code, APIs, databases, cloud infrastructure, DevSecOps pipelines, and modern application development frameworks. The Software Engineering Capability Lead works closely with cybersecurity engineers, systems engineers, program leadership, and customer stakeholders to translate mission and technical requirements into executable software solutions supporting Department of Defense customers. What You’ll Do * Serve as the senior software engineering lead for the program's application portfolio, providing technical direction and engineering oversight for SOFIA, MONARCH, SMART, and related software capabilities.
* Lead the software architecture, design, development, integration, deployment, enhancement, and sustainment of applications supporting the AEGIS portfolio.
* Provide primary technical leadership for the SOFIA development team, including software architecture, technical planning, development priorities, design decisions, code quality, and engineering execution.
* Establish and promote common software engineering standards, architectures, development methodologies, and best practices across the program's software portfolio.
* Provide hands-on technical leadership across front-end, back-end, APIs, databases, analytics, cloud integration, and plugin development.
* Analyze user and mission needs and translate requirements into software architectures, technical specifications, development tasks, and executable software solutions.
* Design and develop scalable, maintainable, and secure software architectures integrating engineering, cybersecurity, and operational data from multiple sources.
* Guide the development and enhancement of software supporting cyber analytics, vulnerability assessment, reachability analysis, mission impact assessment, data visualization, digital engineering, and decision support.
* Review software designs and source code, troubleshoot complex technical issues, and provide technical guidance to software engineers throughout the development lifecycle.
* Mentor software engineers through architecture reviews, code reviews, technical planning, and modern software engineering practices.
* Apply and continuously improve modern software development methodologies, including Agile, DevOps/DevSecOps, CI/CD, automated testing, configuration management, and secure software development practices.
* Evaluate and integrate emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, advanced analytics, cloud services, and modern software frameworks, where they provide measurable value to program capabilities.
* Collaborate with cybersecurity engineers, systems engineers, cloud architects, project/program management, and customer stakeholders to integrate software with broader system and mission environments.
* Support technical demonstrations, customer engagements, proposals, technical planning, and internal research and development efforts.
What You’ll Bring * Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical discipline; Master's degree preferred.
* 10+ years of professional software engineering experience, including substantial experience designing, developing, enhancing, and sustaining software applications.
* Demonstrated experience leading software development teams as a Lead Software Engineer, Principal Software Engineer, Software Architect, Technical Lead, or similar engineering role.
* Demonstrated proficiency applying programming concepts and developing software in one or more modern programming languages.
* Experience developing modern web-based applications, distributed systems, APIs, and data-driven software solutions.
* Strong understanding of software architecture, application design, APIs, databases, cloud technologies, and secure software development.
* Experience integrating multiple data sources and maintaining application data stores within complex software environments.
* Experience applying modern software development methodologies, including Agile and DevOps/DevSecOps, in a professional software engineering environment.
* Ability to perform architecture and design reviews, review source code, troubleshoot complex software issues, and provide technical direction to other software engineers.
* Strong communication skills with the ability to lead technical discussions with software engineers, multidisciplinary engineering teams, program leadership, and customers.
* Experience supporting Department of Defense or Federal Government software development programs preferred.
* Experience with cybersecurity analytics, digital engineering, MBSE, complex system-of-systems environments, or mission-focused engineering applications preferred.
* Certified Scrum Developer, Agile Developer, or comparable software development certification preferred.
* CompTIA Security+ preferred.
* Active Secret clearance required.
Additional Considerations * This is a full-time position supporting mission-focused customer environments.
* Outside employment or activities must not create conflicts of interest with company or customer responsibilities
Why G2 Ops? What makes someone choose one company over another? Compensation, benefits, meaningful work, flexibility, growth opportunities, culture? At G2 Ops, we believe you shouldn’t have to choose. We offer competitive pay and benefits, but what truly sets us apart is our collaborative culture. Team members support mission-focused projects alongside highly skilled technical professionals across engineering, cybersecurity, operations, and program teams. We encourage continuous learning, cross-training, and professional growth while empowering team members to contribute ideas that improve how we work and deliver value to our customers. At G2 Ops, your contributions matter to our customers’ missions and to the continued success of our team. Compensation & Benefits. The annual salary range for this position is $145,000 - $170,000, depending on qualifications and experience. G2 Ops offers a competitive compensation and benefits package designed to support our employees both personally and professionally, including: * 100% company-paid insurance for medical, dental, and vision for eligible employees and family members
* 100% company-paid insurance for life, short-term disability (STD), and long-term disability (LTD) for eligible employees
* 401(k) plan with discretionary employer matching
* 10 paid holidays
* Paid time off (PTO)
* Educational assistance
In addition, we provide professional development opportunities, performance recognition programs, and resources that support long-term career growth and work-life balance. AI at G2 Ops. At G2 Ops, we don’t just talk about AI — we actively use it to improve how we work. Our teams are integrating AI into engineering, cybersecurity, operations, and decision-making workflows. We continue to invest in secure AI tooling aligned with government security requirements while developing practical, mission-focused applications across the company. Whether your role is technical or operational, you’ll have opportunities to explore how AI can enhance efficiency, innovation, and mission impact. Work Environment. Because we support classified and mission-critical DoD programs, many roles require onsite collaboration at G2 Ops offices and/or customer locations. Depending on program requirements, telework and flexible scheduling options may be available. We’ve built a collaborative environment where team members can learn, contribute, and grow while supporting meaningful customer missions. Ready to Apply? If you’re excited about solving meaningful problems, working alongside talented teammates, and contributing to important mission-focused work, we’d love to hear from you. We look forward to learning more about you! About G2 Ops, Inc. (G2 Ops) G2 Ops leverages over a decade of experience integrating Systems, Cybersecurity, and Software Engineering techniques to provide solutions to a growing list of Government and private customers. We combine cutting edge tools with innovative engineering practices, data analytics, and risk algorithms that enhance visibility into complex infrastructures, optimizing resiliency in system design and operations. G2 Ops is a woman-owned small business led by an executive staff known for providing innovative solutions to solve our nation’s most complex engineering challenges. G2 Ops has been named to the Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest growing companies each of the last 9 years (2018-2026) and has locations in Arlington, VA, Virginia Beach, VA,