Senior Principal Software Engineer

Company: Leonardo DRS
Location: Burnsville
Posted on: February 3, 2026

Job Description:

The Leonardo DRS Naval Electronics business provides leading naval computing infrastructure, network and data distribution and middleware enterprise services, as well as world-class manufacturing and support capabilities. Job Summary As the senior principal software engineer focused on software architecture for DRS Naval Electronics, you will apply your technical, development and architecture experience to lead the execution of software architecture and design-related development of tactical components and subsystems in our portfolio of US Navy electronics infrastructure solutions. The subject matter focus is software integration of sensor and combat systems on small or medium surface vessels. In this software architect role, you will provide subject matter expertise for Front End of the Business (FEOTB), Internal Research & Development (IRAD), to Development Programs in various areas, including camera function and video, stabilized gimbal, sensors, network, navigation, Radiofrequency, Radar, Edge AI and other combat system integration. This role includes software task leadership to solve software issues during design, test, transition to production, and formal deliveries. Job focus areas include leading software engineering activities in software architecture applied to software design, development, testing, and modification of sub-systems or systems and the sustainment of these systems through the product life cycle. Location/Schedule This hybrid position is eligible to worked out of one of the following Naval Electronic locations: Display, Processing, and Networking Center of Excellence in Johnstown, PA Engineering Center of Excellence in Burnsville, MN Standard working hours are Monday through Thursday from 7:30am - 5pm, and every other Friday from 7:30am - 4pm. Work is expected to be performed 2-3 days per week onsite, with the remaining work days each week eligible to be worked remotely in the state of Minnesota or Pennsylvania. Job Responsibilities In this role, you will be responsible for driving technology and completion of assigned technical solutions, efficient execution, and task completion on time and within budget. Job focus areas include leading software engineering activities in software architecture applied to software design, development, testing, and modification of sub-systems or systems and the sustainment of these systems through the product life cycle. Primary and essential accountabilities include, but not limited to, the following: Serve as Software Architect for combat systems software on small or medium surface vessels Create and maintain software architecture with UML diagrams using modeling tools using the Sensor Open Systems Architecture (SOSA) or other technical standards Author, derive, allocate and trace requirements for new or improved software products or services Review customer specifications and requirements, and develop designs to best support them, including cost as a key design variable Provide technical knowledge, assistance, and mentoring to other engineers and support personnel Architect, maintain and support software development environments using virtual machines, containers, hypervisors (e.g. OpenShift, ESXi), and test equipment. Participate on teams authoring technical sections and Basis-of-Estimates on responses to government Request for Information (RFI), Request for Proposals (RFP) Apply parametric software estimation models to support labor bids Author technical proposal language that satisfy requirements Serve as lead software engineer on development projects Design, development, analysis, testing, integration (on hardware) and debugging of computer software applications and/or system Software applications and sytems may include Image and Signal Processing, Real-time, Firmware, Database Design, Operating Systems, Operator/Machine Interface, networking and communications, or others This includes working with previously written code to make bug fixes and improvements Development and deployment performed on Red Hat Linux OS with Red Hawk real-time extensions Architect/Design, maintain and support software development environments using Virtual Machines (VM), containers, hypervisors (e.g. Kubernetes, OpenShift, ESXi), and test equipment Perform unit and system-level analysis to measure performance, cost, schedule, and risk trade-offs Support software qualification efforts, development of test software and qualification plans, test activities, and failure analysis efforts Support and/or lead Internal Research and Development (IR&D) projects, which may include prototype design and development to retire key development risks. Qualifications Technical degree (Master or Bachelor of Science) in relevant field (Computer Science, or related field of study) with at least 10 years of direct experience related to Software Engineering and must have demonstrated success in solving technical problems. The following skills are expected, though applicants are not required to have every skill listed: Background in Software Engineering, including participation in multi-discipline, cross-functional Agile Scrum teams on significant software development efforts. Proficiency in Software Architecture Modeling using tools such as Enterprise Architect (Sparx Systems) Experience with Agile SCRUM and DevSecOps practices Familiarity with requirements management processes and tools (e.g. DOORS) Familiarity with software lifecycle processes such as requirements, design, implementation, version control, testing and maintenance Familiarity with legacy, new and emerging distributed software architectures (e.g., client/server, thin client, Peer-to-Peer, Cloud, Web Services, Service-Oriented Architecture, Microservices, hardware virtualization, Saas, PaaS, IaaS, mobile computing) Proficiency in Architecture and Design Patterns (e.g. MVC, Pub-Sub, Strangler) Fluency in multiple software programming languages (e.g., Java, C, C++) Fluency in virtualization platforms for VMs and containers such as Kubernetes, OpenShift, ESXi in a linux development/deployment environment Fluency in developing in and for Linux operating systems (e.g., Red Hat, Ubuntu) Experience in multiple software domains (e.g., algorithm development, middleware services, operating systems, hardware integration, combat systems, human interfaces, test harnesses, formal methods) Ability to develop software APIs using technologies such as OMG DDS, AMQP, ZMTP, etc. Experience gathering and interpreting data, generating summaries and presentations, and presenting to technical and management leaders and peers Professional demeanor, good interpersonal skills, and ability to excel in a high-paced multi-tasked environment Ability to author engineering responses to government RFI, RFP, etc. Ability to understand and integrate Edge AI APIs into software system designs U.S. Citizenship required. This position requires an active DOD security clearance or the ability to obtain such clearance within a reasonable time after commencement of employment. The expected pay scale for this position if filled in our Burnsville, MN location is $128,000/year - $217,500/year. Should the level, location, or scope of the position change during the hiring process, the pay scale may be modified accordingly. When extending an offer of employment, Leonardo DRS considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position; any Federal Government contract labor categories and contract wage rates, the candidate’s relevant work experience, education/training, certifications, and key skills; internal equity; and market and business considerations. Taking care of our people is a top priority at Leonardo DRS. We are proud to offer competitive salaries and comprehensive benefits, including medical, dental, and vision coverage, a company contribution to a health savings account, telemedicine, life and disability insurance, legal insurance, and a 401(k) savings plan. We champion wellness programs that focus on physical, emotional, and financial well-being. We develop our talent by offering programs and activities to support career-growth, professional development, and skill enhancement. And we understand there is more to life than work, and the importance of offering flexible work schedules with our 9/80 program, competitive vacation, health/emergency leave, paid parental leave, and community service hours. *Some employees are eligible for limited benefits only Leonardo DRS, Inc. and its subsidiaries provide equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibit discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.

Keywords: Leonardo DRS, Woodbury , Senior Principal Software Engineer, IT / Software / Systems , Burnsville, Minnesota