Principal Software Engineer in San Diego, California at Firestorm

Who We Are
Firestorm is building the next generation of uncrewed aircraft and the advanced manufacturing systems that deliver them at speed. The Software Integration & Operations department owns the software layer that spans factory floor to cloud — the applications, automation, edge systems, and intelligence that make it possible to iterate product designs, automate advanced manufacturing, and scale production with uncompromising quality and rigor.
About the Role
As a Principal Engineer in the team, you are the senior-most technical leader across engineering execution. You raise the engineering bar, lead the hardest initiatives to completion, and serve as the connective tissue between the department head, the System Architect, and the engineering teams shipping the platform. You write production code when it matters, and you choose your leverage deliberately — mentoring a senior engineer through a design, stepping into an incident, leading a high-risk migration, or pair-programming on a critical path feature.
Where the System Architect owns the reference architecture and the coherence of the system's design, the Principal Engineer owns the quality of how engineering is executed against that design. The two roles are peers, and you are expected to partner tightly with the System Architect to design our advanced manufacturing systems and directly with platform component teams to drive execution of new products or releases. This is a technical leadership role — you will be expected to turn a vision into working software, prove it in production, and grow a team to own it.
What You'll Do

• Lead the hardest engineering initiatives across the department — high-risk migrations, new module launches, incident response, and cross-team efforts where execution quality is the dominant risk.
• Raise the engineering bar across the department: code quality, testing discipline, observability, operational excellence, and the working practices that determine whether a team ships well.
• Serve as a technical mentor to senior ICs across all functions — full stack, infrastructure, embedded, integration, applied AI — and a calibration anchor for engineering hiring.
• Partner with the System Architect on landing architectural direction in engineering execution: translating reference designs into implementation plans, flagging where execution reality should inform architectural revision, and holding the line on system coherence during the build.
• Partner with the department head on roadmap, staffing, and technical strategy — the right hand who translates direction into engineering execution.
• Write production code when it matters — on critical path features, in incident response, or in proof-of-concepts that unblock a team.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent practical experience)
• U.S. Citizenship required due to ITAR regulations
• 10+ years of engineering experience with demonstrated impact across multiple production systems.
• Deep technical breadth — you hold your own across full-stack web, cloud infrastructure, systems programming, and integration work.
• Track record of leading engineering execution on non-trivial systems — features shipped, incidents handled, migrations landed, and teams raised to a higher bar.
• Demonstrated technical leadership without formal authority: mentoring, design review, incident command, and cross-team alignment.
• Strong written and verbal communication — you take a messy technical problem, write the doc that frames it, and drive the room to a decision.
• Demonstrated history of holding yourself and your teammates to a high standard, even when it creates discomfort.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior Staff or Principal engineering role at a company shipping hardware-connected software. Nominally with experience in manufacturing, aerospace, or defense software environments.
• Experience leading engineering through rapid scale — from a small team into a structured department.
• Background that includes both startup and mature-scale engineering organizations.

Work Environment

• Based at our Headquarters in San Diego, CA
• This role requires an on-site presence

This position typically operates in a standard office setting and manufacturing environment. This role requires use of standard office equipment and may involve exposure to loud noise, heat, cold, dust, or chemicals (with PPE). This position may have exposure to outdoor weather conditions, noise, and non-climate-controlled environments. May require the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) depending on the environment. This is a fast-paced work environment and requires cross departmental collaboration with independent and team-based responsibilities. The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. Ability to sit, stand, bend, reach, climb, and move about regularly throughout the day. Must have manual dexterity to operate standard machine equipment as well as standard office equipment. Must be physically capable of tolerating loud noise, heat, cold, dust, or chemicals (with PPE). Compensation US Salary Range: $200,000 - $230,000 USD The posted salary range reflects an estimate based on a variety of compensation factors, including but not limited to relevant experience, education, certifications, specialized skills, geographic location, and business needs. Actual compensation may vary, and this range is subject to change as our compensation structure or market conditions evolve. Benefits & Perks Our culture fosters collaboration, respect, and trust, empowering passionate people to do their best work. We offer a competitive salary, comprehensive benefits, and opportunities for career growth. In addition to an opportunity to take part in an innovative, collaborative and fast-growing business with a highly motivated and skilled team, we also take pride in taking care of our employees. Here are just a few ways that we show our appreciation:

• We offer comprehensive medical, dental, and visions plans
• 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan to invest in your long-term retirement goals
• Equity grants for new hires
• Unlimited PTO
• Extremely generous company holiday calendar, including a holiday hiatus in November, & December.
• Generous Parental Leave
• Lifestyle Spending Account
• FSA
• DCFSA
• HSA
• Hospital Indemnity insurance
• Critical Illness insurance
• Accident insurance
• Basic Life/AD&D, short-term and long-term disability insurance, 100% covered by Firestorm. Plus, the option to purchase additional life insurance for you and your family.
• Mental Health Resources: We provide free mental health resources 24/7 including therapy and more. Additional work-life services, such as free legal and financial support, are available to you as well.

Export Control Compliance To conform to U.S. government export control regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR), you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or otherwise eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State or U.S. Department of Commerce. Equal Opportunity Statement Firestorm is an equal opportunity employer, committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace, and upholding equitable hiring practices. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic under federal, state, or local law, including those with a criminal history, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the CA Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance. We actively encourage members of recognized minorities, women, Veterans, and those with disabilities to apply, and we work to create a welcoming and supportive environment for all applicants throughout the interview process. Firestorm is committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible work environment. If you require accommodations or assistance during the application process, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at careers@launchfirestorm.com so we can provide the support you need.