Principal Collection Software Engineer

Quantico, VA | On-site (SCIF) | Contingent upon award

About the Job

Illuminate provides analytic and cyber solutions enabling critical decisions from vast data sources. As a Principal Collection Software Engineer, you will lead software and database engineering for systems that support lawful telecommunications interception collection. You will work alongside the customer’s collection team personnel and you are accountable for ensuring every software change meets the technical and legal requirements that govern data security, data integrity, and data retention.

This position also carries Program Manager responsibility. The Program Manager is the single point of accountability for cost, schedule, and technical performance, and the primary interface to the Contracting Officer (CO), the COR, and Government technical leads.

This position supports a proposal in progress. The candidate selected for this position will be named Key Personnel in the proposal. Employment is contingent on award of the task order.

Why Illuminate

Illuminate is a small, cleared defense contracting company with 15 years of supporting government customers. As the named Key Personnel for this position, you own both the engineering decisions and the CO/COR relationship, and your work is visible end to end. You will support the customer’s collection mission directly, on a small team where your judgment carries weight.

What Success Looks Like

At 90 days, you are cleared into the worksite, integrated with the customer’s team and running the program management routine: deliverables register, integrated schedule, and risk and issue log, all current and visible to the Government customer.

At 12 months, engineering changes ship in compliance with the data security, integrity, and retention obligations without rework, CDRLs and program artifacts are delivered on time, and the CO and COR treat you as the primary point of contact for the task order.

Core Requirements

• Location (Quantico, VA): On-site, full-time, in a SCIF. This posture is our expectation for the position and is not yet confirmed with the customer; the final worksite is confirmed at award.
• Active Clearance: Active TS/SCI required. U.S. citizenship required as a condition of the clearance. A polygraph is not required to apply. The government customer may administer one.
• Key Personnel commitment: You must provide a current resume and sign a letter of commitment confirming your availability at contract award.

Responsibilities

Software engineering and collection systems (primary)

• Leads software engineering projects for large, complex collection systems; develops requirements artifacts such as block diagrams and logic flow charts.
• Translates detailed design into new computer software.
• Tests, debugs, and refines existing custom computer software.
• Enhances software to reduce operating time or improve efficiency.
• Maintains existing databases and designs new databases as required; ensures all program deadlines are met.
• Works closely with customer team personnel in supporting lawful telecommunications intercepts.
• Prepares both program-level and user-level documentation as required.
• Ensures software projects and updates adhere to the technical and legal requirements governing data security, data integrity, and data retention.

Program Management

• Serves as Program Manager and single point of accountability for program execution: cost, schedule, and technical performance.
• Acts as the primary interface with the CO, COR, and Government technical leads; receives and responds to Government direction and escalates issues promptly.
• Plans and maintains the program's integrated schedule; tracks progress against milestones, identifies variances early, and drives recovery actions.
• Owns the deliverables register: tracks every contract deliverable (CDRLs and program artifacts) by due date, owner, review cycle, and submission status, and ensures on-time, quality-reviewed submission.
• Prepares and presents Monthly Status Reports and supports program reviews, covering accomplishments, planned activities, risks, issues, and staffing status.
• Manages program staffing, including task assignment, workload balancing, onboarding, and coordination of clearance and system access, and identifies resource gaps before they affect delivery.
• Maintains the program risk and issue register, develops mitigations, and communicates risk posture to Government stakeholders.
• Coordinates with internal Contracts, Security, and Finance on contract modifications, funding status, period-of-performance actions, and any change in scope or level of effort.
• Ensures all program activity stays within contract scope and routes any tasking that appears out of scope through the Contracting Officer rather than accepting informal direction.

Qualifications

Core Qualifications

• Active TS/SCI clearance (see Core Requirements above).
• 12 years of technical experience as a software engineer, application engineer, or developer working on computer and database management systems, or equivalent military or technical experience, or one of the degree and experience paths below.
• High degree of competence analyzing functional business applications and design specifications for functional activities.
• Working knowledge of computer equipment and demonstrated ability to develop complex software to satisfy design objectives.
• Competence in business application design, database management, and programming in C++, C#, Perl, Python, and JavaScript.
• Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) experience.
• MySQL experience.

Degree and experience paths, any one of which satisfies the minimum:

• B.S. in Software Engineering or a related field, with 12 years of qualifying experience.
• M.S. in Software Engineering or a related field, with 10 years of qualifying experience.
• Ph.D. in Software Engineering or a related field, with 8 years of qualifying experience.

Primary Differentiator

Experience with the data security, data integrity, and data retention requirements tied to telecommunication collection is the most important discriminator among otherwise qualified candidates. That includes:

• Direct engineering support to lawful intercept collection systems.
• Building or sustaining systems subject to court-ordered collection authorities and their associated retention, minimization, and audit obligations.
• Familiarity with intercept-adjacent standards and interfaces, such as SIP-based delivery, CALEA-related handover, and telecom mediation platforms.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in an operational, Agile environment (highly desired).
• Experience implementing cloud technology solutions (desirable).

Compensation & Benefits

The salary range for this position is $200,000 to $250,000 base. Final compensation will be determined based on the candidate's experience, skills, and qualifications.

Illuminate offers a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, and vision coverage, a 401(k) with employer match, and a competitive PTO and leave package.

Our Hiring Process

This position is a Key Personnel nomination against a live proposal rather than a standing open requisition, and the process reflects that. The first step is a recruiter and hiring manager screen covering technical fit against the Core Qualifications and Primary Differentiator above, along with a direct conversation about the combined engineering and program management scope and the contingent nature of the position. If both sides want to proceed, your resume is prepared for submission as Key Personnel in the proposal's Volume II, and a signed letter of commitment is required alongside it at proposal submission.

Your start date and this position are contingent on award. There is no guaranteed award timeline; we will keep you informed as the decision develops.

Equal Employment Opportunity

All employment decisions shall be made without regard to age, race, creed, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, disability status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, citizenship status or any other basis as protected by federal, state, or local law.

Illuminate is committed to providing veteran employment opportunities to our service men and women.

Illuminate provides government agencies, commercial enterprises, and network operators with the data, services, and technology that helps them protect the information that surrounds us all and extract real value from it. We combine decades of cyber, intelligence and telecommunications expertise with innovative collection and analysis tools to deliver timely, actionable insight that our customers use to make fast, informed decisions.