Principal Software Engineer at KBR
Huntsville, AL
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Aug 10, 2026
Huntsville, AL
Sep 24, 2026
What this job asks for AI summary
This role leads the architecture, development, and integration of software for a new Modeling and Simulation Lab supporting U.S. Army missile and air defense programs at KBR's MAGS division in Huntsville, AL. Day-to-day work involves integrating COTS/GOTS simulation tools, developing APIs for interoperability, and conducting software demonstrations directly with government customers. The position suits an experienced engineer comfortable working on-site in a defense environment with occasional travel.
Senior level · 10+ years · Huntsville, AL · Bachelor's required · Secret clearance · 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
Most people in this occupation already list these. Still required — just not what gets you shortlisted.
What the occupation pays Median $130,897 (middle half $102,526–$165,828).
Estimated from BLS employment for this occupation and area, per-skill prevalence across our listing corpus, and published wage benchmarks — as of Aug 12, 2026. It is a model, not a headcount.
Why we read it this way (9)
The title says 'Principal Software Engineer' but the actual requirements — 10+ years of experience, team-level scope, no indication of org-wide technical authority — align with a Senior-level role. The 'Principal' label appears to be a title convention rather than a true top-of-ladder designation.
The programming languages (Java, C, C++, MATLAB, Python) are listed in the required section with 'and/or' phrasing, indicating any one of them satisfies the requirement; Java is used as the primary skill name with the others as alternatives.
Git/GitLab/DevOps are listed as required with 'or similar' phrasing; common substitutes are included as alternatives.
COTS/GOTS integration is a named capability requirement from the required section, retained as a skill despite being somewhat process-oriented, because the posting explicitly gates on it.
The alt SOC (15-1211 Computer Systems Analysts) is noted because a significant portion of the role involves analyzing and integrating existing systems and tools rather than building net-new software, though software development and architecture are the primary framing.
No compensation range is provided in the posting.
Relocation to the Huntsville, AL area is required; the role is on-site (not remote), with up to 15% travel.
Ignored 1 non-technology phrase(s) as skills (responsibilities/concepts, not named tools): API development.
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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