Principal Software Engineer- Embedded OS at Alten USA
Denver, CO
$125,000–$150,000from the description
Aug 14, 2026
Denver, CO
Sep 25, 2026
What this job asks for AI summary
This role focuses on building and maintaining embedded platform software for engineering clients across aerospace, automotive, and related industries. The engineer will develop Yocto-based embedded Linux distributions, BSP software (including hypervisors and device drivers), and CI/CD pipelines with integrated security tooling, while also serving as the primary technical point of contact for platform capabilities with cross-functional stakeholders. It suits an experienced embedded Linux engineer with hands-on Xilinx/AMD SoC and Yocto expertise.
Senior level · 7+ years · Remote · Bachelor's required · Full-time
Advertised as Principal, but the requirements read as Senior.
“or” means any one of them counts — you don't need all of them.
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
Rare in this occupation — lead with these, and say what you built with them.
Most people in this occupation already list these. Still required — just not what gets you shortlisted.
What the occupation pays Median $138,970 (middle half $107,524–$175,762). This posting is about at that midpoint.
Estimated from BLS employment for this occupation and area, per-skill prevalence across our listing corpus, and published wage benchmarks — as of Aug 18, 2026. It is a model, not a headcount.
Why we read it this way (9)
The posting is remote/hybrid eligible based on the mandatory salary-disclosure notice covering remote roles, but no specific work location or metro is stated — CBSA left blank.
The title is 'Principal Software Engineer' but the requirements (7+ years with a Bachelor's, 5+ with a Master's, 3+ with a PhD) and scope align more closely with a Senior-level role at most organizations; the Principal advertised title appears to reflect ALTEN's internal leveling rather than org-wide technical authority.
Degree requirement: the JD offers tiered paths (Bachelor's + 7 yrs, Master's + 5 yrs, PhD + 3 yrs). A Bachelor's is the minimum formal degree gate; equivalent experience is not explicitly offered as a substitute, so the degree requirement is set to Bachelor's.
The overall years minimum is set to 7, reflecting the minimum experience required under the Bachelor's path (the lowest-barrier entry point).
The role sits at the boundary between embedded software development (15-1252) and systems/platform operations (15-1244); primary day-to-day work — writing BSP software, device drivers, CI/CD pipelines, and Yocto distributions — tips it toward Software Developers.
Only US Persons (citizens or permanent residents) are eligible; no active security clearance is required.
BSP development and Linux device drivers appear in the qualifications section under 'Solid understanding of BSP and OS layers' and the Technologies list; treated as required given the explicit 'Develop and maintain BSP software' responsibility and qualifications language.
Networking security and OTA update mechanisms are mentioned in responsibilities and the tools list but not called out with firm gating language in qualifications — omitted as standalone skills to avoid over-extraction; secure boot is explicitly called out in qualifications.
Ignored 1 non-technology phrase(s) as skills (responsibilities/concepts, not named tools): BSP development.
Read the full posting
The employer publishes the full description on their own site — read it there ↗. Or sign in to read it here — it's free, and it also lets you track this application.