Key Responsibilities - Own technical strategy for large segments of the Bluestaq product and platform or for major mission-critical system areas
- Define reference architectures and engineering patterns that multiple teams adopt (standardized microservice patterns, shared UI frameworks, cross-cutting data contracts, API standards)
- Tackle the company's most complex technical problems: tricky scalability challenges, deep interoperability issues between systems, and highly complex distributed workflows
- Evaluate and guide adoption of major technologies, frameworks, and architectural approaches with long-term implications for the platform
- Ensure technical decisions support reliability, security, and performance at scale across the full product portfolio
- Partner closely with senior engineering leadership, product management, and program management to shape roadmaps and align technical investment with mission priorities
- Operate with strategic autonomy within your domain: set technical direction rather than executing it, while remaining grounded in delivery realities
- Delegate implementation details to Staff and Senior Staff engineers while staying sufficiently engaged to keep designs sound and on track
- Take ownership of the long-term health and evolution of key architectural components and platform foundations
- Mentor Staff and Senior Staff engineers into broader-scope technical leaders capable of owning major domains independently
- Translate mission and business requirements into technical strategies, architecture principles, and engineering investment priorities
- Lead trade studies and technical decisions on new technologies, frameworks, and architectural strategies with cross-team impact
Required Qualifications - Master-level technical expertise in one or more major software engineering domains (e.g., distributed systems, data-intensive applications, real-time systems, complex UI architectures) with strong breadth across adjacent areas
- Demonstrated ability to define technical strategy and reference architectures that are successfully adopted across multiple engineering teams over multiple years
- Extensive experience leading the technical direction of large, complex software systems from initial concept through multi-year operation and evolution
- Strong background in evaluating and adopting new technologies, frameworks, and architectural approaches at organizational scale-including build vs. buy and platform investment decisions
- Proven ability to translate business and mission requirements into durable technical decisions, engineering principles, and architectural standards
- Track record of successfully mentoring and developing Staff and Senior Staff engineers into broader technical leaders
- Outstanding written and verbal communication skills: ability to present technical strategy clearly to engineering leadership, program management, and non-technical executive stakeholders
- Experience designing systems that meet strict reliability, security, and compliance requirements in production environments
Preferred Qualifications - History of defining company-wide engineering standards, reference architectures, or platform strategies that persist across product generations and leadership transitions
- Experience leading technology evaluations, major architectural transitions, or build-vs-buy decisions at enterprise scale
- Deep knowledge of DoD or national security software requirements, security frameworks (RMF, FedRAMP, NIST 800-53, STIG), and classified system development practices
- Background in systems-of-systems integration, multi-program technical alignment, or cross-organizational engineering governance
- Published technical work, patents, or recognized external contributions in relevant software engineering domains
- Experience advising senior leadership on technology investment priorities, platform strategy, or engineering organization design
- History of building high-performing engineering cultures through strategic hiring, talent development, and technical community investment
Required Experience and Education: - PhD in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field and 10+ years of software engineering or related experience, OR
- Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field and 12+ years of software engineering or related experience, OR
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field and 14+ years of software engineering or related experience, OR
- Associate degree in a related field and 16+ years of software engineering or related experience, OR
- High School Diploma/GED and 18+ years of software engineering or related experience.
You use modern AI tools with judgment: integrating them into workflows where they're impactful, reviewing their outputs, and handling proprietary or sensitive data responsibly.
Salary Range (CO)
$165,000-$230,000 USD
Clearance Requirement: This position may require an active TS/SCI Clearance. Current clearance holders are strongly encouraged to apply. If you don't currently hold one, Bluestaq will sponsor eligible candidates through the clearance process based on program needs.
Relocation: Relocation assistance may be available for this role and is evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Date the Position Closes: Applications will be accepted for 60 days beyond the posting date, or until the position is filled, whichever comes first.
