Software Engineer Principal - OpenShift
System One · Pittsburgh, PA
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Jul 11, 2026
Pittsburgh, PA
Jul 21, 2026
What this job asks for AI summary
A principal-level technical lead role on an agile software engineering team, running two-week sprints and serving as the primary liaison between the team, stakeholders, product owners, and solution architects. Day-to-day work centers on guiding technical decisions, reviewing solution designs, and overseeing deployments rather than routine coding, though hands-on Java development may be required when needed. A background in financial or banking domains is advantageous.
Senior level · 10+ years · Pittsburgh, PA · Contract
Advertised as Principal, but the requirements read as Senior.
We read this from the posting text with AI. Skim the description below before ruling yourself out.
How this req sits in the market our data
Roughly 95 people in the Pittsburgh, PA area plausibly meet what this posting asks for (software developers). range 30–140
Applicant volume Moderate — A normal amount of company. The rare requirements below are what will separate a shortlisted application from the rest.
What the occupation pays Median $127,238 (middle half $97,661–$159,195).
Estimated from BLS employment for this occupation and area, per-skill prevalence across our listing corpus, and published wage benchmarks — as of Jul 28, 2026. It is a model, not a headcount.
Why we read it this way (8)
This role sits in a genuine grey zone between a technical lead IC (15-1252) and a people/team manager (11-3021). The JD explicitly states it is 'not a hands-on development role on a day-to-day basis' and emphasizes leading the agile team, stakeholder engagement, and guiding technical decisions — but also requires the ability to jump in and code. 15-1252 was chosen as primary because hands-on development capability is still gated, and the role is framed as a technical lead rather than a formal people manager with hiring/budget authority.
The title says 'Principal' but the requirements (10+ years overall, 3-5 years lead experience, standard toolchain) are well within the Senior band. Advertised seniority reflects the title; assessed seniority reflects the actual scope.
The 3-5 years of lead experience requirement is a role-level gate, captured in the overall years minimum as 10 (the overall industry experience floor, which is the higher bar). The lead experience requirement is noted here for completeness.
JavaScript is explicitly called out as 'would be a plus' in the Requirements section — treated as preferred accordingly.
'Authentication' appears as a standalone line item in the Requirements section with no further elaboration; it likely refers to domain knowledge of authentication/identity protocols (e.g., OAuth, SAML, LDAP) but no specific technology is named.
Financial or banking domain background is listed as 'a plus' — omitted from skills as it is domain knowledge rather than a named technology.
No compensation figures were provided in the posting.
Posting is for a contract engagement — the market benchmarks below price full-time roles, so read the comp comparison with that in mind.
Read the full posting
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