Lead Software Architect at The Boeing Company
Tukwila, WA
$171,700–$232,300from the description
Jul 6, 2026
Tukwila, WA
Jul 21, 2026
What this job asks for AI summary
A lead-level software architecture role focused on designing and developing Open Mission Software for airborne early warning and command-and-control aircraft, primarily the USAF E-7A and related platforms. Day-to-day work spans translating system requirements into software models, leading code and design reviews, managing risk, and guiding adoption of new development tools. Suited to experienced software architects with a defense or aerospace background and an active U.S. Secret clearance.
Senior level · 9+ years · Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA · Bachelor's required · Secret clearance · Full-time
“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
Most people in this occupation already list these. Still required — just not what gets you shortlisted.
What the occupation pays Median $170,959 (middle half $135,720–$216,519). 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 Jul 28, 2026. It is a model, not a headcount.
Why we read it this way (10)
The role is titled 'Lead Software Architect' but the scope — designing, developing, and maintaining software systems for a specific mission program with no stated org-wide technical authority — aligns with a Senior individual contributor, not a Staff or Principal band.
The 5+ years of software development experience requirement covers Python, C/C++, C#, and/or Java as interchangeable options; Python is listed first and used as the primary skill name with the others captured as alternatives.
'Software architecture and open architectures' (3+ years) is listed as a required skill; 'software architecture' is used as the canonical skill name since 'open architectures' is a descriptor of the domain rather than a distinct named tool.
The Basic Qualifications state 'Bachelor's Degree' as required; the preferred section elaborates on preferred fields of study and alternative experience paths (13+ or 17+ years), but the hard gate is a bachelor's degree.
MIL-STD-6016 and MIL-STD-6040 appear only under Preferred Qualifications.
The alternative occupation code 15-1299 is noted because the 'Lead Software Architect' framing introduces some ambiguity between a hands-on developer and a systems/architecture specialist role, though the day-to-day responsibilities (design, development, code reviews, test oversight) point primarily to 15-1252.
Position is 100% onsite in Tukwila, WA (Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro). No relocation assistance is offered.
An active U.S. Secret clearance (active within the past 24 months) is a hard gate. The role also requires U.S. Person status for export control compliance.
Ignored 1 non-technology phrase(s) as skills (responsibilities/concepts, not named tools): software architecture.
Requires a Secret clearance — the cleared population is a small fraction of this occupation, so the real candidate pool is materially smaller than the estimate below, which does not model clearance.
Read the full posting
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