Principal Product Engineer - National Imagery
Esri
Listing collected from Esri's career site. NextChapter is independent of Esri.
Vienna, VA · $121k–$194k a year · Posted November 10, 2026
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Where Vienna, VA ranks
Where Vienna, VA placed in our monthly rankings, month by month. Each month stays online at its own address.
November 2026
- #6Cities with the most hybrid jobs in the Southeast15% · of 84
- #9Best cities for entry-level jobs that want AI skills in the Southeast7% · of 77
- #10Best cities for junior jobs in Virginia33% · of 26
- #10Best cities for pay after cost of living in Virginia$131k · of 15
- #10Best all-round cities for new graduates in the Southeast56 / 100 · of 33
- #11Best cities for AI-skill jobs in the Southeast11% · of 87
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)
How AI is used in this kind of work
AI use among mechanical engineers is little observed so far. Measured exposure for mechanical engineers: 8% (little observed).
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
Overview
You’re ready to shape the future of image analysis for the defense and intelligence community. You thrive on technical leadership, guiding teams through complex challenges and setting the vision for innovative GIS solutions. You enjoy mentoring others, influencing best practices, and making decisions that impact products across domains. You will design, test, document, and deploy innovative software solutions for the defense and intelligence communities that apply scientific principles in photogrammetry, remote sensing, and AI into innovative geospatial software capabilities.
Responsibilities
Coordinate and contribute to the implementation of significant subsystems and applications within ArcGIS
Provide technical leadership and vision, influencing design, use cases, testing, and deployment strategies
Lead the articulation and realization of innovative designs for new GIS capabilities and user experiences
Define and refine best practices for test case preparation, automation, and quality assessment
Deliver advanced technical workshops at industry events and provide onsite support to users in critical situations
Mentor and guide team members, managing project timelines, scope, and dependencies; may serve as Scrum Master or Product Owner
Collaborate across teams to ensure high standards of software quality, usability, and performance
Respond to high-priority technical support issues and develop new methods to address complex workflows
Requirements
8+ years of engineering experience working on COTS or GOTS software products, with a track record of technical leadership and innovation
Recognized expertise in one or more aspects of product engineering, with significant contributions to subsystems, applications, or domains
Demonstrated ability to lead the design, implementation, and validation of complex GIS software solutions
Deep understanding of applied test methods, automation, and quality assessment for large-scale software releases
Experience managing project timelines, scope, and dependencies, and providing technical leadership to project teams
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with experience leading technical workshops and presenting at industry events
Able to work with controlled unclassified information (CUI)
U.S. citizenship with the ability to obtain a U.S. Top Secret clearance with SCI access
Bachelor’s degree in geography, engineering, remote sensing, photogrammetry, or a related field
Recommended Qualifications
Master’s or PhD in geography, engineering, remote sensing, photogrammetry, or a related field
Experience in the defense and/or intelligence communities
Proficiency in modern development languages (Python, C#, etc.) for validating GIS functionality and developing advanced sample applications
Hands-on imagery experience across multiple modalities
Familiarity with the NITF, GeoTIFF, and CADRG formats and specifications
Experience with ArcGIS Pro, ENVI, Socet GXP, Erdas, or RemoteView
Experience as a Product Owner, Scrum Master, or System Engineer for major software projects
#LI-DV2
#LI-Onsite
Total Rewards
Esri’s competitive total rewards strategy includes industry-leading health and welfare benefits: medical, dental, vision, basic and supplemental life insurance for employees (and their families), 401(k) and profit-sharing programs, minimum accrual of 80 hours of vacation leave, twelve paid holidays throughout the calendar year, and opportunities for personal and professional growth. Base salary is one component of our total rewards strategy. Compensation decisions and the base range for this role take into account many factors including but not limited to skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs.
A reasonable estimate of the base salary range is $120,640 — $193,752 USD
The Company
At Esri, diversity is more than just a word on a map. When employees of different experiences, perspectives, backgrounds, and cultures come together, we are more innovative and ultimately a better place to work. We believe in having a diverse workforce that is unified under our mission of creating positive global change. We understand that diversity, equity, and inclusion is not a destination but an ongoing process. We are committed to the continuation of learning, growing, and changing our workplace so every employee can contribute to their life’s best work. Our commitment to these principles extends to the global communities we serve by creating positive change with GIS technology. For more information on Esri’s Racial Equity and Social Justice initiatives, please visit our website here .
If you don’t meet all of the preferred qualifications for this position, we encourage you to still apply!
Esri is an equal opportunity employer (EOE) and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. If you need reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please email askcareers@esri.com and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information. Please note that only those inquiries concerning a request for reasonable accommodation will be responded to from this e-mail address.
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