Principal Software Test Architect

Date Posted:

2026-10-30



Country:

United States of America



Location:

US-CO-AURORA-S76 ~ 16430 E Hughes Dr ~ BLDG S76



Position Role Type:

Onsite



U.S. Citizen, U.S. Person, or Immigration Status Requirements:

Active and transferable U.S. government issued security clearance is required prior to start date.​ U.S. citizenship is required, as only U.S. citizens are eligible for a security clearance​



Security Clearance Type:

TS/SCI - Current



Security Clearance Status:

Active and existing security clearance required on day 1

Job Description

At RTX, the world's largest aerospace and defense company, 185,000 great minds are united by purpose and inspired to make a difference solving the world’s most complex problems. With our three market leading businesses, world-class operations and investments in research and development, we offer capabilities and opportunity no one else can. Together, we push the boundaries of known science and find new ways to connect and protect our world.

Collins Aerospace, an RTX company, is a leader in technologically advanced and intelligent solutions for the global aerospace and defense industry. Collins Aerospace has the capabilities, comprehensive portfolio, and expertise to solve customers’ toughest challenges and to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving global market. 

Collins is seeking Engineers to be part of an engineering team for the AF DCGS High Band Mission Applications Software (HBMAS) Sustainment and Development program. Under this effort, RTX Collins personnel will oversee/perform software development and sustainment for cloud-enabled systems that ingest, tag, and audit data sets, while maintaining security, integrity, and availability of data.  

The team, working with our customers and users, will focus on developing and fielding operationally relevant system capabilities in the most effective and efficient manner.  The team will apply best practices across the engineering continuum, with a focus on improved software quality and process efficiency.  

THIS ROLE IS CONTINGENT: Employment is based on contract award and customer funding

This candidate must have an active TS/SCI – Current security clearance. position is an onsite role in Aurora, CO and is contingent on contract award. Travel to customer CONUS & OCONUS sites as required, but no more than 25%. This position is an onsite role in Aurora, CO and is contingent on contract award.

Sign-on Bonus Eligible

What You Will Do

• Architect, maintain, and optimize automated test frameworks for cloud‑native applications running in Kubernetes environments.
• Design and implement automated testing across CI/CD pipelines, including integration, regression, API, contract, performance, and security testing.
• Integrate security, resiliency, and quality controls directly into the pipeline to support secure and reliable software delivery.
• Collaborate daily with software engineering, DevOps, SRE, security, and product teams to ensure alignment with architecture and product objectives.
• Use observability and distributed tracing tools to validate system behavior and diagnose issues within microservices and distributed systems.
• Identify systemic quality gaps, lead root‑cause analysis, and drive long‑term improvements in reliability, scalability, and performance.
• Support both sustainment and new feature development by ensuring test coverage evolves with changing architecture and requirements.
   

Qualifications You Must Have 

• Extensive experience architecting test strategies and automated test frameworks for cloud‑native, microservice‑based applications
• Strong proficiency with Kubernetes, container orchestration, and testing distributed systems deployed in modern CI/CD environments
• Ability to design scalable, maintainable test solutions aligned with engineering architecture, coding standards, and secure development workflows
• Expertise in validating security requirements, enforcing security gates in CI/CD pipelines, and ensuring compliance with DevSecOps best practices
• Demonstrated success driving code quality through automated testing, continuous integration, API validation, and contract‑testing patterns
• Ability to collaborate closely with software leads, product owners, QA, security, and operations teams to ensure reliable, performant software delivery
• Skilled in identifying system‑level defects, diagnosing complex issues, and driving long‑term quality improvements through root‑cause analysis
• Proficiency with observability and distributed tracing tools to evaluate system behavior, resiliency, and performance (Prometheus, Grafana, Jaeger, OpenSearch, etc.)
• Experience supporting both new feature development and sustainment activities, ensuring test coverage remains aligned with product priorities and architectural direction
• Strong understanding of Agile delivery practices, team cadence, and how testing integrates into predictable and iterative workflows
• Typically requires a degree in Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) and minimum 8 years prior relevant experience or an Advanced Degree in a related field and minimum 6 years of experience.
• Active and transferable TS/SCI - Current clearance is required prior to start date
• U.S. citizenship is required, as only U.S. citizens are eligible for a security clearance

Qualifications We Prefer​

• Experience with containerization and orchestration platforms (Docker, Kubernetes, etc.) 
• Experience architecting test solutions for service meshes (Istio, Linkerd), multi‑cluster deployments, and hybrid cloud environments
• Familiarity with Kubernetes‑native testing and policy enforcement tools (Sonobuoy, Kyverno, OPA, Chaos Mesh, LitmusChaos)
• Experience supporting Agile teams as a quality coach, helping mature engineering flow, shift‑left testing, and continuous quality practices
• Knowledge of performance, scalability, and load‑testing tools for distributed cloud systems (Locust, k6, JMeter)
• Strong communication skills to clearly convey system risks, testing strategies, and quality metrics to technical and non‑technical audiences
• Relevant certifications (CKA, CKAD, CKS, cloud provider certifications, or equivalent)
• Experience collaborating across multiple Agile teams or product lines, especially in scaled frameworks such as SAFe, LeSS, or Scrum@Scale

What We Offer

Some of our competitive benefits package includes: 

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Three weeks of vacation for newly hired employees
• Generous 401(k) plan that includes employer matching funds and separate employer retirement contribution, including a Lifetime Income Strategy option
• Tuition reimbursement program
• Student Loan Repayment Program
• Life insurance and disability coverage
• Optional coverages you can buy pet insurance, home and auto insurance, additional life and accident insurance, critical illness insurance, group legal, ID theft protection
• Birth, adoption, parental leave benefits
• Ovia Health, fertility, and family planning
• Adoption Assistance         
• Autism Benefit
• Employee Assistance Plan, including up to 10 free counseling sessions
• Healthy You Incentives, wellness rewards program
• Doctor on Demand, virtual doctor visits
• Bright Horizons, child and elder care services
• Teladoc Medical Experts, second opinion program
• Eligible for relocation
• And more! 

​

Learn More & Apply Now!​

Do you want to be a part of something bigger? A team whose impact stretches across the world, and even beyond? At Collins Aerospace, our Mission Systems team helps civilian, military and government customers complete their most complex missions — whatever and wherever they may be. Our customers depend on us for intelligent and secure communications, missionized systems for specialized aircraft and spacecraft and collaborative space solutions. By joining our team, you’ll have your own critical part

Please ensure the role type defined below is appropriate for your needs before applying to this role. This position is classified as:

Onsite: Employees who are working in Onsite roles will work primarily onsite. This includes all production and maintenance employees, as they are essential to the development of our products.

At Collins, the paths we pave together lead to limitless possibility. And the bonds we form – with our customers and with each other – propel us all higher, again and again.

Apply now and be part of the team that’s redefining aerospace, every day.

#MISENG

As part of our commitment to maintaining a secure hiring process, candidates may be asked to attend select steps of the interview process in-person at one of our office locations, regardless of whether the role is designated as on-site, hybrid or remote.

The salary range for this role is 107,500 USD - 204,500 USD. The salary range provided is a good faith estimate representative of all experience levels. RTX considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the role, function and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, location, education/training, and key skills.Hired applicants may be eligible for benefits, including but not limited to, medical, dental, vision, life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability, 401(k) match, flexible spending accounts, flexible work schedules, employee assistance program, Employee Scholar Program, parental leave, paid time off, and holidays. Specific benefits are dependent upon the specific business unit as well as whether or not the position is covered by a collective-bargaining agreement.Hired applicants may be eligible for annual short-term and/or long-term incentive compensation programs depending on the level of the position and whether or not it is covered by a collective-bargaining agreement. Payments under these annual programs are not guaranteed and are dependent upon a variety of factors including, but not limited to, individual performance, business unit performance, and/or the company’s performance.This role is a U.S.-based role. If the successful candidate resides in a U.S. territory, the appropriate pay structure and benefits will apply.RTX anticipates the application window closing approximately 40 days from the date the notice was posted. However, factors such as candidate flow and business necessity may require RTX to shorten or extend the application window.

RTX is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or veteran status, or any other applicable state or federal protected class. RTX provides affirmative action in employment for qualified Individuals with a Disability and Protected Veterans in compliance with Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act.

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