Principal Software Engineer
Bigbear
Annapolis Junction, MD · Posted September 25, 2026
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Where Annapolis Junction, MD ranks
Where Annapolis Junction, MD placed in our monthly rankings, month by month. Each month stays online at its own address.
November 2026
- #15Best cities for software and engineering jobs in the Mid-Atlantic147 openings · of 68
- #17Best cities for mid-career professionals in the Mid-Atlantic60% · of 85
- #20Best cities for mid-career professionals60% · of 100
- #24Best cities for junior jobs in the Mid-Atlantic33% · of 85
- #25Best cities for AI-skill jobs in the Mid-Atlantic9% · of 85
Rankings about engineering jobs
- Best cities for software and engineering jobs #1 San Francisco (3,412 openings)
- Best cities for engineering pay after cost of living #1 San Mateo ($216k)
- Most requested AI skills in engineering jobs #1 AI tools in daily work (6.1%)
- AI tools named most often in engineering jobs #1 Claude (1.7%)
- Employers with the most engineering jobs #1 Amazon (2,992 roles)
Pay compared with the market
This listing does not state pay. Across 91 open principal software engineer listings that state pay, the middle half runs $208,500 to $320,000 and the median is $275,000.
Listed pay is what employers advertise, not what people are paid.
Principal Software Engineer salaries by state · Check your own pay
How AI is used in this kind of work
Among software developers, AI is already used for some of the tasks. Measured exposure for software developers: 29% (some).
Share of this job’s tasks that AI is already used for at work, from real usage. It is not a forecast of job loss, and a low number means no use seen yet. Source: Anthropic Economic Index.
Skills this job asks for
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About the job
Residency
All applicants must currently reside in the United States
Overview
BigBear.ai is seeking a Principal Software Engineer that will design and maintain the core middleware that powers authentication, authorization, and mission-critical integration services used across the customer site. Why this role matters You’ll own and improve middleware that secures and connects key systems. Your work will directly affect system reliability, developer productivity, and user access across the enterprise.
What you will do
Design, implement, and maintain Java/Spring Boot microservices and REST APIs that handle authentication, authorization, and other middleware concerns.
Model, query, and optimize NoSQL data stores and integrate them with Spring Boot apps for low-latency production workloads.
Troubleshoot production issues across application, database, and integration layers; lead incident response and produce durable fixes.
Contribute to system design decisions including hardware/software trade-offs and reuse vs. new development (COTS/GOTS).
Write and maintain automated tests, CI/CD pipelines, and deployment artifacts; collaborate with DevOps/infrastructure teams.
Review code, produce design documentation, and mentor less-experienced engineers.
What you need to have
An active TS/SCI with Poly clearance
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field plus 12+ years of software engineering experience. An additional 4 years of software engineering experience may be substituted for the degree (total 16 years).
Proven, hands-on experience developing and maintaining Java/Spring Boot applications: RESTful APIs, microservices, dependency injection, configuration management, and production troubleshooting.
Hands-on experience with NoSQL databases: data modeling, querying, indexing, performance optimization, and integrating NoSQL stores with Spring Boot.
What we'd like you to have
Familiarity with MongoDB: document modeling, queries, indexes, aggregation, and Spring Data MongoDB.
Experience integrating applications with LDAP/Active Directory, including user authentication, authorization, directory lookups, and Spring Security/LDAP.
Strong understanding of REST APIs, distributed systems, application security patterns, and enterprise application architecture.
Experience with automated testing, CI/CD pipelines, Git, Maven, and production deployment environments.
Ability to troubleshoot complex application, database, and integration issues; proven collaborator across development and infrastructure teams.
Working conditions & expectations
Telework possible after you’re established on the team (onboarding period onsite or hybrid may be required — will be discussed during screening).
Pay transparency
Please note the targeted compensation range is provided as an estimate, and any actual compensation offer may vary depending on the needs of the company, or an applicant's skillset, competencies, experience, education, certifications, location, or other factors. The estimated range does not include the value of any benefits offered.
About BigBear.ai
BigBear.ai is a leading provider of AI-powered decision intelligence solutions for national security, supply chain management, and digital identity. Customers and partners rely on Bigbear.ai’s predictive analytics capabilities in highly complex, distributed, mission-based operating environments. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, BigBear.ai is a public company traded on the NYSE under the symbol BBAI. For more information, visit https://bigbear.ai/ and follow BigBear.ai on LinkedIn: @BigBear.ai and X: @BigBearai.
BigBear.ai is an Equal opportunity employer all protected groups, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.
Design, implement, and maintain Java/Spring Boot microservices and REST APIs that handle authentication, authorization, and other middleware concerns.
Model, query, and optimize NoSQL data stores and integrate them with Spring Boot apps for low-latency production workloads.
Troubleshoot production issues across application, database, and integration layers; lead incident response and produce durable fixes.
Contribute to system design decisions including hardware/software trade-offs and reuse vs. new development (COTS/GOTS).
Write and maintain automated tests, CI/CD pipelines, and deployment artifacts; collaborate with DevOps/infrastructure teams.
Review code, produce design documentation, and mentor less-experienced engineers.
An active TS/SCI with Poly clearance
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field plus 12+ years of software engineering experience. An additional 4 years of software engineering experience may be substituted for the degree (total 16 years).
Proven, hands-on experience developing and maintaining Java/Spring Boot applications: RESTful APIs, microservices, dependency injection, configuration management, and production troubleshooting.
Hands-on experience with NoSQL databases: data modeling, querying, indexing, performance optimization, and integrating NoSQL stores with Spring Boot.