Full-Time

Principal Software Engineer

Posted on 8/17/2026

Bluestaq

Bluestaq

51-200 employees

Secure data infrastructure for mission-critical sectors

Compensation Overview

$165k - $230k/yr

No H1B Sponsorship

Colorado Springs, CO, USA

In Person

No relocation support is offered; candidates must live in the immediate area or relocate at their own expense.

US Top Secret Clearance Required

Bachelor's, Master's, PhD, Associate's

Category
Software Engineering (1)
Required Skills
FedRAMP
Distributed Systems
Microservices

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Requirements
  • Master-level technical expertise in one or more major software engineering domains, such as distributed systems, data-intensive applications, real-time systems, or complex UI architectures, with strong breadth across adjacent areas.
  • Demonstrated ability to define technical strategy and reference architectures successfully adopted across multiple engineering teams over multiple years.
  • Extensive experience leading the technical direction of large, complex software systems from initial concept through multi-year operation and evolution.
  • Strong background evaluating and adopting new technologies, frameworks, and architectural approaches at organizational scale, including build-versus-buy and platform investment decisions.
  • Proven ability to translate business and mission requirements into durable technical decisions, engineering principles, and architectural standards.
  • Track record of mentoring and developing Staff and Senior Staff engineers into broader technical leaders.
  • Ability to present technical strategy clearly to engineering leadership, program management, and non-technical executive stakeholders, with outstanding written and verbal communication skills.
  • Experience designing systems that meet strict reliability, security, and compliance requirements in production environments.
  • PhD in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field and 10+ years of software engineering or related experience; or a master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field and 12+ years; or a bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field and 14+ years; or an associate degree in a related field and 16+ years; or a high school diploma/GED and 18+ years.
  • Ability to use modern AI tools with judgment, integrate them into impactful workflows, review their outputs, and handle proprietary or sensitive data responsibly.
Responsibilities
  • Own technical strategy for large segments of the product and platform or for major mission-critical system areas.
  • Define reference architectures and engineering patterns adopted by multiple teams, including standardized microservice patterns, shared UI frameworks, cross-cutting data contracts, and API standards.
  • Tackle complex technical problems involving scalability, interoperability between systems, and distributed workflows.
  • Evaluate and guide adoption of major technologies, frameworks, and architectural approaches with long-term platform implications.
  • Ensure technical decisions support reliability, security, and performance at scale across the full product portfolio.
  • Partner with senior engineering leadership, product management, and program management to shape roadmaps and align technical investment with mission priorities.
  • Set technical direction with strategic autonomy while remaining grounded in delivery realities.
  • Delegate implementation details to Staff and Senior Staff engineers while staying engaged to keep designs sound and on track.
  • Own the long-term health and evolution of key architectural components and platform foundations.
  • Mentor Staff and Senior Staff engineers into broader-scope technical leaders capable of owning major domains independently.
  • Translate mission and business requirements into technical strategies, architecture principles, and engineering investment priorities.
  • Lead trade studies and technical decisions on new technologies, frameworks, and architectural strategies with cross-team impact.
Desired Qualifications
  • History of defining company-wide engineering standards, reference architectures, or platform strategies that persist across product generations and leadership transitions.
  • Experience leading technology evaluations, major architectural transitions, or build-versus-buy decisions at enterprise scale.
  • Deep knowledge of Department of Defense or national security software requirements, including RMF, FedRAMP, NIST 800-53, STIG, and classified system development practices.
  • Background in systems-of-systems integration, multi-program technical alignment, or cross-organizational engineering governance.
  • Published technical work, patents, or recognized external contributions in relevant software engineering domains.
  • Experience advising senior leadership on technology investment priorities, platform strategy, or engineering organization design.
  • History of building high-performing engineering cultures through strategic hiring, talent development, and technical community investment.

Bluestaq provides secure data infrastructure that supports missions across defense, commercial, healthcare, and space sectors, enabling safe storage, sharing, and processing across cloud, hybrid, and edge environments. It builds platforms that handle data storage, processing, and controlled access with encryption and compliance so teams access the right data when needed. The company stands out through mission-focused, scalable data solutions and a people‑first culture, reflected in Inc. 5000 honoree status and Best Workplace awards. Its goal is to enable mission-ready data globally to support critical operations across multiple sectors.

Company Size

51-200

Company Stage

N/A

Total Funding

N/A

Headquarters

Colorado Springs, Colorado

Founded

2018

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Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Colorado approved 585 net new jobs in 2022, signaling sustained growth ambitions.
  • Bluestaq said in 2026 it is hiring 22 roles, concentrated in Colorado Springs.
  • July 16, 2026 ARQ launch expands addressable markets into healthcare, finance, agriculture, and government.

What critics are saying

  • ARQ's commercial launch on July 16, 2026 lacks disclosed customers, revenue, or renewal proof.
  • Bluestaq's defense-to-commercial pivot pits it against Palantir, Databricks, and Snowflake immediately.
  • If ARQ wins no repeat commercial accounts by 2027, the platform story collapses.

What makes Bluestaq unique

  • July 16, 2026: BLUESTAQ / ARQ spans CLOUD, EDGE, ENCLAVE, and MOBILE deployments.
  • Bluestaq sells secure data movement without replacing legacy systems; that reduces switching friction.
  • Built from defense and intelligence work since 2018, not generic enterprise software.

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Benefits

Annual performance bonus

Private health cover allowance

Health/wellness allowance

Professional subscription

Salary sacrifice and salary packaging options

Paid Vacation

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

24%

1 year growth

24%

2 year growth

24%
SpaceNews
Jul 16th, 2026
Bluestaq launches BLUESTAQ / ARQ defense-grade data infrastructure now available for commercial, government, and enterprise organizations.

Bluestaq launches BLUESTAQ / ARQ defense-grade data infrastructure now available for commercial, government, and enterprise organizations. Eight years of architecture built for the most demanding environments on the planet. Now available to every organization with the same problem. COLORADO SPRINGS, CO, July 16, 2026 - Bluestaq today announced the launch of BLUESTAQ / ARQ, the company's commercial data infrastructure platform. / ARQ is built for organizations in healthcare, financial services, agriculture, government, and commercial operations that need their data to move securely, compliantly, and without replacing what they already have. The data problem isn't new. Critical information exists across systems that don't talk to each other, governance requirements turn days into months, and integrations that should take a week take a year. Bluestaq has been solving this problem since 2018, not in a lab, but in operational environments where data failures carry real consequences. Federal security operations. Multi-agency coordination at scale. Environments where the architecture either works or it doesn't. The problem is the same whether the stakes are operational, clinical, financial, or agricultural and so is the platform. Platform Architecture BLUESTAQ / ARQ is the foundation. Four deployment environments meet organizations wherever they operate: * ARQ / CLOUD is built for organizations operating in modern, scalable cloud environments. * ARQ / EDGE supports on-premises, tactical, and sovereign infrastructure where cloud connectivity cannot be guaranteed. * ARQ / ENCLAVE serves classified and high-security network environments. * ARQ / MOBILE puts iOS, Android, and ATAK-class access in the hands of distributed and field-deployed teams. Four capabilities extend / ARQ's reach across data sources, distribution channels, and decision workflows: * ARQ / MARKET connects organizations with vetted data vendors worldwide for the discovery, procurement, and governed secure delivery of commercial datasets. * ARQ / AI delivers intelligence at mission speed - we bring the infrastructure, you bring the analytics. * ARQ / FABRIC federates, synchronizes, and replicates data across every / ARQ deployment into a real time connected global data mesh. * ARQ / INTEROP connects / ARQ to the systems you already trust, integrating directly with your analytics platforms, operations systems, and dashboards. Throughout it all, customers retain full ownership and control of their data. "We built this in environments where the data had to move and there was no room to get it wrong. Eight years supporting critical operations around the globe. We learned this problem is the same everywhere. Healthcare, agriculture, financial services. Organizations with invaluable data stuck in systems that don't talk to each other. / ARQ is the connective infrastructure that makes it move. I am jacked about the partnerships we are building across the defense, allied, agriculture and financial communities, and we are just getting warmed up." Dr. Seth Harvey, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Bluestaq Availability BLUESTAQ / ARQ is available immediately. Visit arq.bluestaq.com or contact the team at [email protected] to schedule a discussion. The Architecture of Trust. Built to work. Proven in mission. Media Contact Rebecca Decker Chief Operating Officer, Bluestaq [email protected] | (719) 394-1059 About Bluestaq Bluestaq is a data company founded in 2018, headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with additional offices in London, Canberra, and Brisbane. The company builds secure, hybrid data platforms for organizations that refuse to accept "good enough" when it comes to moving their most important data. The data's there. It's always been there. We just made it move.

PR Newswire
Jul 16th, 2026
Bluestaq launches BLUESTAQ / ARQ defense-grade data infrastructure now available for commercial, government, and enterprise organizations.

Bluestaq launches BLUESTAQ / ARQ defense-grade data infrastructure now available for commercial, government, and enterprise organizations. Jul 16, 2026, 06:00 ET Eight years of architecture built for the most demanding environments on the planet. Now available to every organization with the same problem. COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., July 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ - Bluestaq today announced the launch of BLUESTAQ / ARQ, the company's commercial data infrastructure platform. / ARQ is built for organizations in healthcare, financial services, agriculture, government, and commercial operations that need their data to move securely, compliantly, and without replacing what they already have. The data problem isn't new. Critical information exists across systems that don't talk to each other, governance requirements turn days into months, and integrations that should take a week take a year. Bluestaq has been solving this problem since 2018, not in a lab, but in operational environments where data failures carry real consequences. Federal security operations. Multi-agency coordination at scale. Environments where the architecture either works or it doesn't. The problem is the same whether the stakes are operational, clinical, financial, or agricultural and so is the platform. Platform Architecture BLUESTAQ / ARQ is the foundation. Four deployment environments meet organizations wherever they operate: * ARQ / CLOUD is built for organizations operating in modern, scalable cloud environments. * ARQ / EDGE supports on-premises, tactical, and sovereign infrastructure where cloud connectivity cannot be guaranteed. * ARQ / ENCLAVE serves classified and high-security network environments. * ARQ / MOBILE puts iOS, Android, and ATAK-class access in the hands of distributed and field-deployed teams. Four capabilities extend / ARQ's reach across data sources, distribution channels, and decision workflows: * ARQ / MARKET connects organizations with vetted data vendors worldwide for the discovery, procurement, and governed secure delivery of commercial datasets. * ARQ / AI delivers intelligence at mission speed - we bring the infrastructure, you bring the analytics. * ARQ / FABRIC federates, synchronizes, and replicates data across every / ARQ deployment into a real time connected global data mesh. * ARQ / INTEROP connects / ARQ to the systems you already trust, integrating directly with your analytics platforms, operations systems, and dashboards. Throughout it all, customers retain full ownership and control of their data. "We built this in environments where the data had to move and there was no room to get it wrong. Eight years supporting critical operations around the globe. We learned this problem is the same everywhere. Healthcare, agriculture, financial services. Organizations with invaluable data stuck in systems that don't talk to each other. / ARQ is the connective infrastructure that makes it move. I am jacked about the partnerships we are building across the defense, allied, agriculture and financial communities, and we are just getting warmed up." Dr. Seth Harvey, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Bluestaq Availability BLUESTAQ / ARQ is available immediately. Visit arq.bluestaq.com or contact the team at [email protected] to schedule a discussion. The Architecture of Trust. Built to work. Proven in mission. Media Contact Rebecca Decker Chief Operating Officer, Bluestaq [email protected] | (719) 394-1059 About Bluestaq Bluestaq is a data company founded in 2018, headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with additional offices in London, Canberra, and Brisbane. The company builds secure, hybrid data platforms for organizations that refuse to accept "good enough" when it comes to moving their most important data. The data's there. It's always been there. We just made it move. SOURCE Bluestaq LLC

GovCon Wire
Apr 18th, 2024
Army Veteran Brandon Tripp Joins Software Developer Bluestaq as Chief Growth Officer

Army veteran Brandon Tripp joins software developer Bluestaq as chief growth officer.

The Business Journals
Mar 21st, 2022
Bluestaq LLC increases headcount by 585

Bluestaq expects to create 585 net new jobs over the next eight years.

KRDO
Jan 19th, 2022
Bluestaq increases headcount by 60

Bluestaq outgrew its original location at Catalyst Campus in downtown Colorado Springs and is close to outgrowing its current location in the 1st Bank building; the company plans to hire an additional 60 employees during the next 18 months.