Senior Principal Software Engineer

Position Details

Date Posted: 2026-02-12

Country: United States of America

Location: US-TX-RICHARDSON-461 ~ 3200 E Renner Rd ~ RENNER BLDG 461

Role Type: Onsite

Salary Range: 132,400 USD - 251,600 USD

Security Clearance Requirements

• Active and transferable U.S. government issued security clearance is required prior to start date
• U.S. citizenship is required, as only U.S. citizens are eligible for a security clearance
• Security Clearance Type: DoD Clearance: Secret
• Security Clearance Status: Active and existing security clearance required on day 1

About Collins Aerospace

Joining Collins Aerospace isn't just about finding a job; it's about embarking on a journey to redefine the future of aerospace technology. Collins Aerospace, an RTX company, is a leader in technologically advanced and intelligent solutions for the global aerospace and defense industry. Collins Aerospace has the capabilities, comprehensive portfolio, and expertise to solve customers' toughest challenges and to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving global market.

At Collins Aerospace, our Mission Systems team helps civilian, military and government customers complete their most complex missions — whatever and wherever they may be. Our customers depend on us for intelligent and secure communications, missionized systems for specialized aircraft and spacecraft and collaborative space solutions. By joining our team, you'll have your own critical part to play in ensuring our customer succeeds today while anticipating their needs for tomorrow.

About the Role

Embark on a journey where your expertise in software engineering will help shape the future of aerospace technology. At Collins Aerospace, we're not just designing software; we're crafting the backbone of mission-critical systems within a Special Access Program (SAP) and safeguarding the lives of those who protect us. As our next Senior Principal Software Engineer, you'll immerse yourself in Strategic Nuclear Deterrence, bringing your acumen to the forefront of innovation and ensuring the efficacy and security of systems that are vital to national defense.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership for a large, embedded software team, ensuring consistent execution, quality, and delivery across multiple software products
• Own the technical, cost, and schedule performance of multiple software products across the full software development lifecycle
• Establish and enforce software engineering processes, development standards, and best practices in alignment with program, customer, and enterprise requirements
• Lead software planning, staffing, tasking, and execution, including delegation to team and technical leads
• Partner with Program Management, Systems Engineering, Hardware Engineering, and Test to define an executable and prioritized software baseline and backlog
• Communicate software status, risks, issues, and mitigation plans to program leadership, customers, and other stakeholders
• Support software proposal development, including scope definition, basis of estimate (BOE), staffing profiles, schedules, and cost estimates
• Support customer and internal reviews, presenting software architecture, plans, and execution status
• Oversee integration of software with systems, hardware, and external interfaces, including coordination with suppliers and partners as applicable
• Travel occasionally to support customer meetings and program reviews

Required Qualifications

• Typically requires a degree in Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) and minimum 10 years prior relevant experience or an Advanced Degree in a related field and minimum 7 years of experience
• Demonstrated experience leading large, multi-team software organizations with accountability for cost, schedule, and technical performance
• Professional experience in embedded software development with real-time operating systems (RTOS)
• Strong working knowledge of Earned Value Management (EVM) principles, metrics, and reporting within a DoD program environment
• Experience across all phases of the software development lifecycle, including architecture, design, implementation, integration, verification, and sustainment
• Experience developing software within a DoD or similarly regulated environment
• Active and transferable U.S. government issued secret security clearance is required prior to start date

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience interfacing directly with customers and leading technical solutions to complex system and software requirements
• Experience leading or supporting competitive software proposal efforts, including BOEs and cost/schedule trade studies
• Experience authoring, managing, and tracing software requirements and UML design artifacts within a Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) tool
• Experience developing and integrating multi-threaded embedded software using object-oriented languages within a Real-Time Operating System (RTOS)
• Experience supporting aerospace, defense, or nuclear command-and-control systems governed by standards such as DO-178C, MIL-STD-498, or equivalent
• Experience managing software suppliers, subcontractors, or distributed development teams
• Exposure to Agile frameworks such as scrum and Dev Sec Ops

What We Offer

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Three weeks of vacation for newly hired employees
• Generous 401(k) plan that includes employer matching funds and separate employer retirement contribution, including a Lifetime Income Strategy option
• Tuition reimbursement program
• Student Loan Repayment Program
• Life insurance and disability coverage
• Optional coverages including pet insurance, home and auto insurance, additional life and accident insurance, critical illness insurance, group legal, and ID theft protection
• Birth, adoption, and parental leave benefits
• Ovia Health, fertility, and family planning
• Adoption Assistance and Autism Benefit
• Employee Assistance Plan, including up to 10 free counseling sessions
• Healthy You Incentives, wellness rewards program
• Doctor on Demand, virtual doctor visits
• Bright Horizons, child and elder care services
• Teladoc Medical Experts, second opinion program
• Eligible for relocation assistance

Work Environment Note

Employees who are working in Onsite roles will work primarily onsite. This includes all production and maintenance employees, as they are essential to the development of our products.

As part of our commitment to maintaining a secure hiring process, candidates may be asked to attend select steps of the interview process in-person at one of our office locations, regardless of whether the role is designated as on-site, hybrid or remote.