Software Engineer III

Black Eagle Defense

$209K — $266K *
Information Technology
11 - 15 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 12+ years of software engineering experience with a strong full stack impact
  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field (or equivalent experience)
  • Deep expertise in at least two areas of the tech stack (backend, frontend, data, infrastructure, AI/ML)
  • Proven ability in designing scalable complex systems
  • Exceptional communication skills for diverse stakeholders
  • Strong opinions on architecture and team dynamics from real-world experience
  • Demonstrated ability to connect technical decisions to business value

Responsibilities

  • Engage in leadership discussions, providing technical depth and product insight
  • Drive architectural consistency across all technical layers
  • Challenge existing methodologies to enhance code and system quality
  • Translate technical decisions into business outcomes effectively
  • Mentor engineering teams, establishing high quality standards
  • Engage with customers for understanding technical requirements
  • Lead by example in writing high-quality code adhering to best practices

Benefits

  • Opportunities for continuous learning and growth
  • Engagement in high-impact projects within the cybersecurity AI domain
  • Collaborative and passionate work environment
  • Flexible work arrangements fostering work-life balance
  • Access to cutting-edge technologies and tools
Full Job Description
SALARY RANGE $209,000 - $266,000/year

DUTIES As a successful candidate for the Principal Product Engineer role, you'll engage in passionate, sometimes heated, debates about everything from system architecture to team structure, from code quality to customer impact. Your obsession with excellence will push our team of 25+ developers to constantly question whether we're building the right things in the right way. This role is for someone who sees the interconnectedness of all parts of our stack - from user research to infrastructure, from AI integration to performance optimization. You'll be expected to have strong opinions loosely held, challenge the status quo relentlessly, and help us build products that create meaningful impact in the cybersecurity AI space.

Required Skills:

SKILLS
  • Participate actively in leadership team discussions, bringing technical depth and product intuition to debates about direction, project prioritization, and strategic decisions
  • Drive architectural decisions across our full stack, ensuring coherent design from data infrastructure through AI integration to user interfaces
  • Challenge existing approaches and push for continuous improvement in code quality, system design, and product excellence
  • Connect technical decisions to business outcomes, ensuring every project builds toward a larger vision
  • Mentor and influence the broader engineering team through technical leadership and by setting an uncompromising standard for quality
  • Engage directly with customers when needed to understand deep technical requirements and translate them into product direction
  • Own the technical narrative of how our projects interconnect and build upon each other to create compounding value
  • Lead by example in writing code that demonstrates best practices while maintaining velocity
  • Foster and participate in intense technical debates that push the team toward better solutions


QUALIFICATIONS Twelve (12) years' experience as a SWE in programs and contracts of similar scope, type, and complexity is required. A Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or a related discipline from an accredited college or university is required. Four (4) years of additional SWE experience on projects with similar software processes may be substituted for a bachelor's degree.

Additional requirements:
  • 12+ years of software engineering experience with demonstrated impact across the full stack
  • Deep expertise in at least two areas of our stack (backend, frontend, data, infrastructure, AI/ML) with working knowledge across all areas
  • Proven track record of designing and implementing complex systems that scale
  • Experience integrating AI/ML capabilities into production systems
  • Strong opinions about software architecture, development practices, and team dynamics, backed by real-world experience
  • Exceptional communication skills - able to articulate technical vision to both engineers and non-technical stakeholders
  • History of pushing teams beyond their comfort zones while maintaining morale and productivity
  • Demonstrated ability to connect technical decisions to business value and user impact
  • Experience with modern development practices including CI/CD, infrastructure as code, and observability
  • Comfort with ambiguity and ability to drive clarity through chaos


Desired Skills:

NICE-TO-HAVES
  • Experience in cyber domain
  • Track record of building and scaling AI-powered products from conception to production
  • Previous experience in a principal or staff engineering role at a high-growth company
  • Contributions to open source projects or thought leadership in the engineering community
  • Experience building and leading distributed or remote engineering teams
  • Background in both startup and enterprise environments
  • Published papers, talks, or blogs demonstrating deep technical thinking
  • Experience with specific AI frameworks and tools relevant to cybersecurity applications

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