Principal Software Quality Engineer

Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Applicants selected for the position must obtain and maintain a government security clearance.

Salary: $95,000–$245,000 base salary per year.

Company

Independent nonprofit research and development organization delivering engineering solutions for national security, space exploration, biomedical engineering, and other complex technical challenges.

What you will do

• Lead quality engineering activities across software development and operations, ensuring product integrity and compliance throughout the software development lifecycle.
• Investigate failures, perform root-cause analysis, and recommend corrective and preventive actions.
• Analyze quality and defect data to identify trends and prevent recurrence.
• Design, implement, and test procedures and low-risk experiments to improve productivity and process efficiency.
• Lead Agile/Scrum activities and drive software development process improvements, including CI/CD and quality best practices.
• Provide technical guidance to customers, suppliers, employees, and cross-functional teams while mentoring less experienced engineers.

Requirements

• Bachelor of Science degree in an engineering discipline.
• 7–10 years of experience in quality engineering or another engineering role, with at least 5 years of professional experience overall.
• At least 2 years of programming experience with C, C++, Java, Rust, Matlab, or Python in Windows, Linux, or Solaris environments.
• Experience with automation and quality tools, testing frameworks, and CI/CD systems such as GitLab pipelines.
• Knowledge of Lean Six Sigma principles, ISO 9001:2015, and AS9100 quality standards.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, communication, organizational, and cross-functional collaboration skills.

Nice to have

• Knowledge of MIL-Spec, DO-178C, or other government and industry standards.
• Experience with software cybersecurity principles and tools.
• Agile or Scrum experience; Scrum Master experience is advantageous.
• Broad experience across software development activities and complex technical troubleshooting.

Culture & Benefits

• Collaborative, multidisciplinary research and development environment.
• Programs supporting work-life balance and workplace flexibility.
• Employee clubs, including photography and yoga.
• Health and finance workshops, off-site social events, and discounts for local museums and cultural activities.
• Inclusive workplace with equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities.