Principal Software Engineer

Thales is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to provide technical leadership across system safety, software assurance, and embedded software engineering within its Navigation and non-radar Surveillance (NAS) business. This hybrid position is centered in Overland Park, Kansas, with a focus on leading safety and assurance activities for complex products, projects, and bids, supported by deep embedded software expertise.

In this role, you will serve as a technical focal point for assurance strategy and execution across the product lifecycle, from requirements and architecture through verification, compliance evidence, and release readiness. You will also coordinate with multidisciplinary teams while mentoring engineers and strengthening reusable evidence and review practices across engineering efforts.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as the technical focal point for system safety and software assurance across assigned products, projects, and bids, defining assurance approaches using relevant standards, contractual requirements, and internal engineering processes.
• Lead safety and software assurance activities throughout the product lifecycle, including requirements, architecture, verification, compliance evidence, reviews, audits, release readiness, and resolution of assurance risks or gaps.
• Provide advanced embedded software engineering leadership for navigation and non-radar surveillance products, covering design, development, integration, verification, and lifecycle support of complex software in C and C++ across RTOS, Linux/Unix, and Windows environments.
• Resolve complex technical issues related to software architecture, hardware/software interfaces, timing, performance, safety, cybersecurity, and compliance, using structured analysis and evidence-based recommendations.
• Coordinate and influence multidisciplinary teams across Systems Engineering, Software Engineering, Hardware Engineering, Verification and Validation, Quality, Cybersecurity, and Program Management to align technical activities, risks, schedules, and customer or approval-authority requirements.
• Mentor engineers and drive continuous improvement in software development, safety, assurance, technical review practices, reusable evidence, and engineering methods, while communicating technical status, risks, and recommendations to leadership and key stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical discipline, with 8+ years of progressively responsible engineering experience.
• 5+ years performing or leading system safety and/or software assurance activities for Air Traffic Management, aviation, or similarly complex safety-related systems.
• 5+ years of embedded software development experience in RTOS environments, with strong proficiency in C and C++, microprocessor-based systems, and hardware/software integration.
• Advanced working knowledge of applicable safety and software assurance standards, including DO-278A/ED-109A, and where relevant, ED-153 or MIL-STD-882; experience with DO-178B/C or ARP4761 may be considered where applicable principles can be transferred to ground-system assurance.
• Demonstrated experience evaluating safety and assurance requirements, developing or reviewing compliance evidence, applying system safety analysis methods, and managing requirements traceability, configuration, defects, technical reviews, and verification activities.
• Demonstrated ability to provide technical leadership with substantial autonomy, resolve complex engineering issues, assess software change impacts, guide multidisciplinary teams, and communicate recommendations effectively through strong writing, stakeholder engagement, and mentoring.

Technologies

• C, C++, RTOS, Linux/Unix, Windows
• DOORS, Jira
• Digital Signal Processor, Linux kernel, Microsoft Visual Studio C++
• ITAR, EAR, DO-254

Compensation & Schedule

• Location: Overland Park, KS, United States (hybrid)
• Pay range: USD 131,086 to 220,640 per year
• Job type: part time
• Schedule: Approximately 45% part-time salaried position, primarily based in the Overland Park, Kansas office on a hybrid work schedule with a Monday–Thursday 9/80 or 5/40 schedule
• Travel: less than 10% annual domestic and international travel

Benefits

• Elective Health, Dental, Vision, FSA/HSA, Voluntary Life and AD&D, Whole Group Life w/LTC, Critical Illness, Hospital Indemnity, Accident Insurance, Legal Plan, Identity Theft, and Pet Insurance
• Retirement Savings Plan after 30 days of employment with a company contribution and a match, with no vesting period
• Company paid holidays and Paid Time Off
• Company provided Life Insurance, AD&D, Disability, Employee Assistance Plan, and Well-being Program

Referral Bonus Eligibility

• Tier 1: $2,500

Regulatory & Eligibility Requirements

• Must be a US Person as defined in applicable law.
• Must be a U.S. Person as defined in applicable law, or otherwise authorized or eligible for authorization, to access hardware, software, technology, or technical data controlled under ITAR and/or EAR.
• Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States; this position is not eligible for visa sponsorship or for assuming sponsorship of an employment visa now or in the future.
• Post-offer background check required.

Additional Special Position Requirements

• Master’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Experience leading preparation for and participation in FAA, customer, or other approval-authority safety and software assurance reviews or audits, including support for Department of Defense and/or FAA programs.
• Experience with NAVAIDs such as ILS, DME, TACAN, or VOR, and/or non-radar surveillance products such as ADS-B, with familiarity in related hardware/software assurance interfaces, including DO-254 where applicable.
• Experience with specialized software and platform environments, including Digital Signal Processor development, Linux kernel modification or administration, cybersecurity assessments, and/or Windows application development using Microsoft Visual Studio C++.
• Proficiency with requirements management, issue tracking, and engineering lifecycle tools and processes, such as DOORS, Jira, Thales engineering tools, Chorus processes, and product lifecycle practices; additional language capabilities supporting international collaboration are preferred.