Principal Software Development Engineer (Remote)

Want to energize your career? Looking for stability with the freedom to innovate? At CertiPath you can have both while making the world more secure and simplifying access processes. We are currently seeking an experienced Principal Software Engineer to design and deliver complex, high-impact systems, mentor senior engineers, and partner closely with product, design, and executive leadership to shape the technical roadmap. Join our team, make a difference, and crush your goals at CertiPath.

I’ve never heard of CertiPath. What do you do? 

We are experts in software and services for high-assurance digital identity verification and management. We are an established organization with a 21-year track record of delivering on our promises with the drive and entrepreneurial spirit of a start-up. CertiPath is focused on bringing facility and network access management for commercial clients and government agencies into the 21st century.

What will the Principal Software Engineer do?

As a Principal Software Engineer, you will be a technical leader and individual contributor who sets the bar for engineering excellence across the organization. You’ll design and deliver complex, high-impact systems, mentor engineers, and partner closely with product, design, and executive leadership to shape the technical roadmap.

This is not a people-management role, but a deeply technical position for software developers who still love writing code while influencing architecture and strategy at the highest level.

What does a typical day look like for the Principal Software Engineer?

• Architect, build, and own large-scale distributed systems,containerized applications,services, and platforms that are reliable, performant, and maintainable.
• Lead the most technically challenging and business-critical projects end-to-end.
• Define and evolve technical strategy, standards, and best practices across the entire engineering organization.
• Drive cross-team initiatives (e.g., performance, reliability, security, and developerproductivity).
• Mentor and level-up engineers through design reviews, pair programming, and technical guidance.
• Collaborate with product and business leaders to translate ambiguous problems into clear technical solutions.
• Identify and mitigate technical debt while pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.

• Stay ahead of industry trends and bring innovative ideas into the company.

What qualifications do you look for?  

• U.S.citizenshipand ability to obtain a government clearance.
• 10+ years ofprogressiveprofessional software engineering experience.
• At least a bachelor's degree in computer science or a related field (or equivalent experience).
• Proven track record of designing and shipping large-scale, highly available micro services-based applications using modern tech stacks (i.e. Nuxt, Vue.js, Python).
• Strong experience leveraging AI tools and frameworks to develop and manage MCP servers, integrate AI capabilities to drive significant productivity gains, and implement appropriate oversight, governance, and quality controls. 
• Strong experience with AWS solutions and managing containerized workloads using Kubernetes.
• Proven expertise with relational database design & architecture (MSSQL, Postgres, Redis). 
• Deep expertise in one or more domains: backend systems, infrastructure, data platforms, machine learning infrastructure, high-performance services, etc. 
• Strong computer science fundamentals (algorithms, data structures, system design). 
• Experience leading complex technical projects across teams. 
• Excellent communication skills - you can explain complex technical concepts to engineers and non-engineers alike. 
• Demonstrated ability to balance speed and quality; you ship fast without sacrificing long-term maintainability. 

We’re extra impressed by folks with:

• Experience scaling systems.
• Background in startups or high-growth environments.
• Experience with Rust
• Hands-on experience implementing applications that use PKI authentication.

• Experience with Physical Access Control Systems(PACS).
• A history of raising the bar atpreviouscompaniesi.e.open-source contributions, published technical writing, or conference talks).

What kind of benefits does CertiPath offer?

CertiPath offers outstanding benefits, including health, dental, and vision coverage; a Health Savings Account plan; and a 401(k) plan with a generous employer match. We also believe strongly in maintaining a quality work-life balance, so we offer an unlimited PTO policy, seven company holidays, and a week-long break at the end of each year.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to disability; status as a protected veteran; or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, local, or international law.