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Boeing

Principal Software Engineer - Developer, Phantom Works

Boeing is hiring a Principal Software Engineer - Developer, Phantom Works in Berkeley, United States. It pays $198k-$268k a year and Level rates it ; you can apply on Boeing.

Level's read on this job

  • On Level's scale, this software engineer role is Little AI ●○○○: aI is not part of the work.
  • The listed pay starts 19% above the typical software engineer posting on Level.
  • Tools and skills the posting cites include software architecture, agile and real time systems.
  • Level classifies it as a lead role.
  • Level lists 815 other open roles at Boeing.

AI in this role

Principal Software Engineer leading real-time software development and system architecture for defense and aerospace applications.

software-architectureagilereal-time-systemsembedded-systems
Principal Software Engineer - Developer, Phantom Works

Company:

The Boeing Company

The Boeing Company is currently seeking a Principal Software Engineer / Developer (Level 5) to support our Phantom Works Software Engineering team located in Berkeley, MO (St. Louis area). This position will focus on supporting the Boeing Defense, Space & Security (BDS) business organization.

You will be part of the Phantom Works Open Architecture Systems Integrated Software (OASIS) Solutions team, where you will define, develop, and lead software development for real-time air and/or space systems in an Agile environment. This role requires close collaboration across teams to integrate software and hardware components, supporting mission-critical Defense infrastructure. Due to the scope and responsibilities of Phantom Works, this position requires a U.S. Top Secret security clearance for which the US Government requires US Citizenship.

Join Us. Build the Future.

You’ll have the opportunity to make a meaningful impact early in the software development lifecycle while working alongside exceptional Boeing engineers in a collaborative, inclusive team environment.

This position is expected to be 100% onsite. The selected candidate will be required to work onsite at one of the listed location options. (Berkeley, MO / St. Louis, MO area)

Position Responsibilities:

  • Own and maintain the software architecture with focus on interface clarity, stability, and versioning to minimize integration risk, with a focus on production type software that is easily maintainable.

  • Partner with appropriate stakeholders to inform system definition and oversee translation of system-level requirements into software requirements and models that meet customer, operational and performance requirements and have clear traceability to design, code and test artifacts.

  • Manage supplier/subcontractor software deliverables to ensure they meet team processes and integration requirements.

  • Lead the software engineering team’s agile delivery: facilitate sprint planning, daily stand-ups, sprint reviews/retrospectives, and remove impediments to flow.

  • Serve as the Agile/Delivery lead for software—own backlog prioritization with product/system owners, define sprint goals, and ensure timely delivery of integration-ready increments.

  • Define, document, and enforce software integration contracts (ICDs or equivalent living artifacts), data models, and message definitions in coordination with Integration & Test and Systems leads.

  • Ensure software is designed for testability: require unit, component, integration, SIL/HIL test artifacts with code deliveries, include observability hooks, and ensure failures are diagnosable.

  • Lead DevSecOps and CI/CD practices for the team: ensure pipelines support repeatable builds, automated testing, artifact traceability, and consistent deployments across dev, integration, and test environments.

  • Collaborate with Integration & Test to align delivery cadence to integration increments and controlled configuration baselines.

  • Drive verification & validation execution for software components: support development of test strategies, analyze test results, and triage defects with the team.

  • Establish and track delivery metrics (velocity, cycle time, quality metrics, technical debt) and use them to improve predictability and quality.

  • Coach and mentor engineers on agile practices, test automation, CI/CD, code quality, and observability.

  • Contribute to risk and issue management that affects software delivery and integration readiness; escalate when necessary to protect integration milestones.

  • Document integration results, test findings, and provide inputs for design reviews and readiness assessments.

Basic Qualifications (Required Skills/ Experience):

  • Bachelor’s Degree

  • Active Top Secret U.S. Security Clearance for which the US Government requires US Citizenship. (A U.S. Security Clearance that has been active in the past 24 months is considered active.)

  • 3+ years of technical leadership experience in ground and software system systems engineering (requirements, design, and operation)

  • 3+ years of experience as the technical leader of a software development or product deployment team

  • 5+ years of experience with Development Operations (DevOps) and/or Development Security Operations (DevSecOps)

  • 5+ years of experience with configuration management tools and best practices for Systems, Software, and Hardware design

Preferred Qualifications (Desired Skills/Experience):

  • Level 5 / Bachelor of Science degree from an accredited course of study in engineering, engineering technology (includes manufacturing engineering technology), chemistry, physics, mathematics, data science, or computer science and 14+ years of related work experience OR Bachelor’s Degree and 18+ years of directly related work experience OR 22+ years of related, relevant experience

  • Advanced degree (MS/PhD) in a relevant field.

  • Practical experience with requirements tracing and configuration management.

  • Certified Scrum Master (CSM), Professional Scrum Master (PSM), SAFe Agilist, or equivalent agile certification.

  • Prior leadership on aerospace, defense, avionics, or other safety‑critical systems.

  • Experience with cloud-native infrastructures (Docker/Kubernetes, AWS GovCloud, Azure Government).

  • Experience with model-based design/verification and SIL/HIL testing environments.

  • Experience managing subcontractor software deliveries.

  • Significant experience with real-time embedded software (C/C++), low-level driver development, network stacks, and hardware/software testing/debugging for microcontrollers and/or FPGAs

  • Experience & ability to implement real-time embedded hardware, firmware & software

  • Possess strong analytical skills, knowledge & proficiency with physical modeling and simulation tools

  • High level software development experience for applied physics, modeling, and/or simulation using MATLAB, Python, and or Jupyter, etc.

  • Experience in real-time embedded systems and low-level driver development with microcontrollers, single board computers, and/or FPGAs

  • Perform control system logic/algorithm, hardware, and software development tasks

Drug Free Workplace:

Boeing is a Drug Free Workplace (DFW) where post offer applicants and employees are subject to testing for marijuana, cocaine, opioids, amphetamines, PCP, and alcohol when criteria is met as outlined in our policies.

Relocation:

This position offers relocation based on candidate eligibility. Note: Basic relocation will be offered for eligible internal candidates.

Travel:

Occasional travel (10%) to California may be required.

Conflict of Interest:

Successful candidates for this job must satisfy the Company’s Conflict of Interest (COI) assessment process.

CodeVue Coding Challenge:

To be considered for this position you will be required to complete a technical assessment as part of the selection process. Failure to complete the assessment will remove you from consideration.

Pay & Benefits:

At Boeing, we strive to deliver a Total Rewards package that will attract, engage and retain the top talent. Elements of the Total Rewards package include competitive base pay and variable compensation opportunities.

The Boeing Company also provides eligible employees with an opportunity to enroll in a variety of benefit programs, generally including health insurance, flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts, retirement savings plans, life and disability insurance programs, and a number of programs that provide for both paid and unpaid time away from work.

The specific programs and options available to any given employee may vary depending on eligibility factors such as geographic location, date of hire, and the applicability of collective bargaining agreements.

Pay is based upon candidate experience and qualifications, as well as market and business considerations.

Summary pay range for Senior/Lead Level: $198,050 - $267,950

Potential signing bonus for eligible/qualified external candidates.

Language Requirements:

Not Applicable

Education:

Bachelor's Degree or Equivalent

Relocation:

This position offers relocation based on candidate eligibility.

Export Control Requirement:

This position must meet U.S. export control compliance requirements. To meet U.S. export control compliance requirements, a “U.S. Person” as defined by 22 C.F.R. §120.62 is required. “U.S. Person” includes U.S. Citizen, U.S. National, lawful permanent resident, refugee, or asylee.

Safety Sensitive:

This is not a Safety Sensitive Position.

Security Clearance:

This position requires an active U.S. Top Secret Security Clearance (U.S. Citizenship Required). (A U.S. Security Clearance that has been active in the past 24 months is considered active)

Visa Sponsorship:

Employer will not sponsor applicants for employment visa status.

Contingent Upon Award Program

This position is not contingent upon program award

Shift:

Shift 1 (United States of America)

Stay safe from recruitment fraud! The only way to apply for a position at Boeing is via our Careers website. Learn how to protect yourself from recruitment fraud - Recruitment Fraud Warning

Boeing is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical or mental disability, genetic factors, military/veteran status or other characteristics protected by law.

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How we rate this

Principal Software Engineer - Developer, Phantom Works at Boeing rates 0 out of 100 for how much of the daily work is AI. That makes it Little AI (AI Level 1 of 4). The level is about AI in the job, not seniority.

Classification

Little AI. AI is not part of the work.

  1. ●●●● Builds AI80 to 100
  2. ●●●○ Works on AI60 to 79
  3. ●●○○ Uses AI40 to 59
  4. ●○○○ Little AI0 to 39

Levels come from how often the tools, models and workflows of the role are named in the posting itself. Read the description and count the AI tools, models and workflows it names.

Prepare for this job

Built from this posting and from similar jobs on Level.

Skills and AI tools this role asks for

Software ArchitectureAgileReal Time SystemsEmbedded Systems

Also common in software engineer jobs at this level

Pay

This job starts at
$198k
Typical software engineer job
$167k

This posting starts 19% above the typical software engineer job. See software engineer jobs

Questions you could be asked

  1. Tell me about a project where software architecture was part of your work. What did you do?
  2. Tell me about a project where agile was part of your work. What did you do?
  3. Tell me about a project where real time systems was part of your work. What did you do?
  4. Tell me about a project where embedded systems was part of your work. What did you do?

Adapt your resume

  • List these exact terms on your resume: Software Architecture, Agile, Real Time Systems, and Embedded Systems. An applicant tracking system matches the wording, not the idea.
  • Attach one line of real, concrete experience to at least one of them. A tool named with nothing behind it rarely survives a human read.

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