Senior Principal Algorithms Software Engineer at Grey Matters Defense Solutions
Boulder, CO
$132,000–$198,000
Jul 22, 2026
Boulder, CO
Jul 24, 2026
What this job asks for AI summary
A defense-focused software engineering role centered on designing and implementing mathematical algorithms for missile tracking applications, including state estimation and tracking filters. Work spans the full development lifecycle — from research and prototyping through integration and deployment — using Modern C++ and Python on Linux. The role suits engineers with a strong applied mathematics background and an active Secret clearance who are comfortable operating in a classified R&D environment.
Senior level · 5+ years · Boulder, CO · Secret clearance · Full-time
Pay in the description: $132,000–$198,000
Advertised as Principal, but the requirements read as Senior.
“or” means any one of them counts — you don't need all of them.
Posted 2 times — it's one opening, so apply once.
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 $168,179 (middle half $132,051–$211,194). 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 (9)
The posting covers two levels simultaneously — Principal (5+ years with BS, 3+ with MS, 1+ with PhD) and Sr. Principal (8+ years with BS, 6+ with MS, 4+ with PhD). The overall years minimum of 5 reflects the lower (Principal) threshold; the Sr. Principal threshold would be 8 years.
The hard clearance gate is an active Secret at time of application; TS/SCI is listed as a preferred qualification (a current active TS is under Preferred Qualifications), so the clearance requirement is set to Secret.
Python and C++ are listed together as a joint 1-year minimum ('Python and/or C++'), so they are captured as a single interchangeable requirement with each as an alternative for the other.
Degree is listed as 'preferred' for the BS path and equivalent experience combinations are offered, so the degree requirement is set to None.
The advertised title is 'Principal / Sr. Principal', which maps to the Principal advertised band; however, the actual scope and experience requirements (5–8 years, component-level algorithm work) are consistent with a Senior individual contributor, not a true org-wide Principal.
The role is genuinely ambiguous between Software Developers (15-1252) and Data Scientists (15-2051) given the heavy algorithm/mathematics/state-estimation focus alongside C++/Python software development; 15-1252 is chosen as primary because the JD emphasizes software development lifecycle, tool/prototype development, and debugging.
The $132,000–$198,000 salary range is stated explicitly; the posting also notes a 25% SEP employer contribution on top of salary, which is a significant additional compensation element not captured in the comp fields.
Ignored 1 non-technology phrase(s) as skills (responsibilities/concepts, not named tools): algorithm design.
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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