Principal Software Engineer (Cloud and AI Platforms)

BlueFlag is seeking a principal-level software engineer to lead the design and delivery of cloud-native applications, services, and data platform capabilities. This opportunity is remote. In this role, you will be a hands-on technical leader who can build production software end-to-end—while also owning the cloud, Kubernetes, and data engineering patterns required to run secure, enterprise-grade platforms.

This is not a platform-only role. We need a leader who can matrix across initiatives that are software-engineering-centric (APIs, backend services, full stack web applications), and also lead teams in deploying and operating the underlying cloud/data tooling that those applications depend on (e.g., Databricks, Synapse, Starburst, Immuta, Collibra). You will also help shape how we enable AI-powered applications, including agent-based workflows, on top of governed data and reliable infrastructure.

What You'll Do

Software Engineering Leadership

• Architect, build, and maintain production-grade software (services, APIs, and web applications) with strong engineering discipline: code quality, testing, observability, and operational readiness.
• Lead design reviews, establish engineering standards, and mentor engineers across multiple projects—especially software-heavy initiatives.
• Build integration layers and service patterns that connect applications to data platforms, identity systems, and enterprise tooling.
• Drive modern SDLC practices: trunk-based development or equivalent, strong code review culture, automated testing, and predictable release workflows.

Cloud, Kubernetes, and Platform Enablement

• Design and operate Kubernetes-based application platforms, including deployment standards, networking/ingress, upgrades, reliability, and day-2 operations.
• Implement and mature CI/CD pipelines and release automation for both applications and infrastructure (including GitOps patterns where appropriate).
• Build and maintain infrastructure-as-code (e.g., Terraform) and automated environment provisioning in Azure or AWS.
• Lead engineers in deploying and maintaining enterprise platform tools such as Starburst, Immuta, Collibra, Databricks, Synapse, and related services.
• Develop plans for cloud migrations and deployments and execute modernization strategies for application and data workloads.

Data Engineering + AI Enablement

• Build and maintain data pipelines and supporting services that enable analytics, ML, and AI-enabled applications.

• Partner with stakeholders to shape practical approaches to AI agents, AI infrastructure, and AI application enablement (e.g., orchestration patterns, retrieval/knowledge integration, evaluation and monitoring) in a secure environment.

Why Join BlueFlag

At BlueFlag, we build mission-driven software and platforms for large, complex environments. You will have meaningful technical ownership and the ability to set direction—while still staying hands-on in the code. If you want to build excellent software, lead engineers, and operate in the real-world constraints of cloud security, data governance, and enterprise scale, this role offers both impact and growth.

Software Engineering

• Principal-level experience building and leading delivery of production software (backend services and/or full stack applications) with strong design and implementation depth.
• Demonstrated ability to lead engineering across multiple efforts (mentorship, design leadership, code reviews, technical standards).
• Strong proficiency in at least one backend language commonly used for enterprise software (e.g., C#/.NET, Java, Python, Go, or similar) and comfort working across the stack as needed.
• Strong understanding of API design, distributed systems fundamentals, performance, and operational reliability.

Cloud / Kubernetes / DevOps

• Strong Kubernetes experience operating production workloads (not just deploying to someone else’s cluster).
• Hands-on experience engineering and operating solutions on Azure or AWS (networking, identity, security, and operations).
• Experience with CI/CD, automation, and infrastructure-as-code (e.g., Terraform).
• Experience with observability (monitoring, logging, tracing), incident response, and root-cause remediation.

AI

• Demonstrated interest in AI agents, AI infrastructure, or AI-enabled applications (professional work, personal projects, research, or equivalent).

Other

• US Citizen: Must be a citizen of the United States
• Security Clearance: Must be able to obtain a public trust clearance.  Must be eligible to work in the United States.

Desired

• Experience with enterprise data/platform tools such as Databricks, Synapse, Starburst, Immuta, Collibra
• Experience building secure integration patterns across identity, entitlements, and data governance (auditability, policy enforcement).
• Experience with lakehouse patterns and data formats (e.g., Delta Lake, Parquet) and production data lifecycle management.
• Experience enabling AI systems in production (e.g., retrieval patterns, vector search, orchestration frameworks, evaluation/monitoring, model serving), in regulated environments.
• Experience supporting MLOps pipelines

• Competitive salary
• Generous annual leave and paid holidays
• Comprehensive group health and dental plans
• 401(k) with company match
• Life insurance and AD&D coverage
• Ongoing training and professional development opportunities