Principal Software Engineer

About the role

Job Summary

Our client, a major technology solutions company, needs a Principal Software Engineer for their Security Harness Engineering team. This is a hands-on engineering role building AI-powered tooling that secures and validates code produced by AI coding assistants and agents. The ideal candidate has actually built and shipped agentic AI systems in production, and can own the full delivery lifecycle on their own.

This position is W-2 only. We do not work with third-party firms or C2C arrangements for this role.

Contract Details

Contract Length: 52 weeks

Location: Round Rock, TX

Work Model: Onsite

Core Responsibilities

Design, build, and deploy AI-powered capabilities across the SDLC, including spec-driven development workflows and guardrails for AI-generated code

Build SDLC skills and agent tooling, including automated security checks like design review, dependency/supply-chain analysis, and static/dynamic analysis orchestration

Integrate with enterprise systems (source control, CI/CD, ticketing, security scanning, identity) through APIs, webhooks, and protocols like MCP

Work with engineering, security, product, and leadership stakeholders to define requirements and weigh trade-offs

Apply solid architecture and systems design practices around service boundaries, data models, secure defaults, and observability

Mentor junior developers and act as a technical SME for IT leadership and other teams

Lead moderate to high budget projects, sometimes more than one at a time, and manage milestones and estimates

Required Skills/Experience (Must-Haves)

Strong programming skills in Python, TypeScript/JavaScript, Go, or similar

Built and deployed AI-based solutions in production with measurable business or operational impact

Hands-on with modern AI/LLM development: context engineering, agentic system design (agent loops, multi-agent orchestration, tool/function calling), context window management and token budgeting, and evaluating AI system quality and safety

Solid grasp of software architecture and systems design, including API design, event-driven patterns, and data modeling for scale

Experience building or deploying applications with large-scale impact

Experience integrating multiple systems and platforms (REST/GraphQL APIs, CI/CD pipelines, cloud services, enterprise tooling)

Can work independently across the full delivery lifecycle and take ownership of results

Strong communication skills, able to talk to both technical and business audiences

Working knowledge of secure development practices and enterprise security/compliance needs

Preferred Skills/Experience (Nice-to-Haves)

Bachelor's or Master's in Computer Science or related field, or equivalent practical experience

Experience applying AI in a security domain, like AppSec, DevSecOps, code analysis, threat modeling, firmware security, or software supply-chain security

Familiarity with secure-by-design principles and frameworks (OWASP Top 10 for LLM Applications, NIST SSDF)

Experience with MCP, building agent skills/tools, or extending AI coding assistants like Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, or Devin

Experience with AI evaluation frameworks, guardrails, prompt/response caching, and LLMOps in production

Key Competencies and Behaviors

Security-First Mindset

Stakeholder Communication

Team Collaboration

Continuous Learning

End-to-End Ownership

Work Environment

Location: Round Rock

Fully onsite

Compensation & Benefits

Pay Range: The approximate pay range for this position is between $50.00 and $72.00. Please note that the pay range provided is a good faith estimate. Final compensation may vary based on factors including but not limited to background, knowledge, skills, and location. We comply with local wage minimums.

Medical, Dental, & Vision Insurance Plans

Employee-Owned Profit Sharing (ESOP)

401K offered

About KellyMitchell

At KellyMitchell, our culture is world class. We’re movers and shakers! We don’t mind a bit of friendly competition, and we reward hard work with unlimited potential for growth. This is an exciting opportunity to join a company known for innovative solutions and unsurpassed customer service. We're passionate about helping companies solve their biggest IT staffing & project solutions challenges. As an employee-owned, women-led organization serving Fortune 500 companies nationwide, we deliver expert service at a moment's notice.

Marketing Disclosure

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