Principal Software Engineer

Principal Software Engineer

At Raytheon, the foundation of everything we do is rooted in our values and a higher calling – to help our nation and allies defend freedoms and deter aggression. We bring the strength of more than 100 years of experience and renowned engineering expertise to meet the needs of today's mission and stay ahead of tomorrow's threat. Our team solves tough, meaningful problems that create a safer, more secure world.

We are looking for a skilled Principal Software Engineer with embedded development experience to join our team in El Segundo, CA.

What You Will Do:

• Serve as a senior technical leader responsible for architecting, developing, integrating, and verifying high-reliability embedded and real-time software for advanced aerospace and defense systems. You will provide expert-level guidance across the software lifecycle, influence system architecture decisions, coordinate with hardware and systems teams, and drive technical execution with a high degree of autonomy.
• In this role, you will shape technical solutions for time-critical systems, mentor engineers, lead design reviews, and ensure that delivered software meets performance, scalability, cybersecurity, and safety requirements. You will also help guide long-term program strategy in collaboration with cross-functional engineering and program leadership.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide technical ownership for major embedded software capabilities, leading design, implementation, integration, and verification activities.
• Break down complex technical problems, identify solution paths, and guide teams through execution with minimal oversight.
• Specify and design scalable, maintainable, secure software architectures, ensuring alignment with Cybersecurity, Software Safety, and system-level requirements.
• Develop, optimize, and debug real-time software using FreeRTOS, Zephyr, VxWorks, or similar RTOS environments, including scheduling, semaphores, queues, drivers, and kernel/user space interactions.
• Implement embedded software in C and C++, with additional contributions in Python or assembly when required for low-level tasks, automation, or hardware bring-up.
• Lead system bring-up and integration efforts on ARM-based processor platforms, including peripheral configuration and hardware-software interface alignment.
• Develop clear, complete technical documentation, including specifications, ICDs, architecture diagrams, test plans, verification reports, and user documentation following Raytheon engineering processes.
• Drive testing and validation strategy across unit, integration, hardware-in-the-loop, and full system-level evaluations.
• Apply rigorous SDLC practices, ensuring consistency across planning, design, coding, testing, deployment, and sustainment.
• Lead Agile/Scrum activities, refine requirements, manage backlogs, and coordinate cross-functional execution.
• Support DevOps and CI/CD adoption, including build automation, pipeline integration, continuous testing, and infrastructure-as-code workflows using GitLab.
• Perform advanced embedded debugging, employing modern tools, methodologies, and ARM-specific workflows for fault isolation and resolution.
• Collaborate with hardware, systems, IV&V, cybersecurity, and program leadership to resolve issues and ensure seamless integration across the system lifecycle.
• Use MagicDraw, GitLab, and other engineering tools to support configuration management, modeling, and systems traceability.

Qualifications You Must Have:

• Typically requires a Bachelor's degree in Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) and 8 years of relevant software experience.
• Experience in C and C++, including embedded and real-time development.
• Experience with RTOS (FreeRTOS, Zephyr, VxWorks) including scheduling, drivers, task management, semaphores, and queues.
• Experience using GitLab for version control, CI/CD, or DevOps.
• Active and transferable U.S. Government issued Secret clearance is required prior to start date. U.S. citizenship is required, as only U.S. citizens are eligible for a security clearance.

Qualifications We Prefer:

• Experience developing software for ARM processors, including peripherals and low-level hardware interfaces.
• Experience applying SDLC across multiple software phases.
• Experience with Agile/Scrum processes.
• Experience designing software architecture for high-performance, safety-critical, or security-critical systems.
• Experience with Python or assembly for embedded functionality, test automation, or hardware initialization.
• Experience generating or reviewing technical documentation: ICDs, requirements, architecture specs, or test plans.
• Experience with MagicDraw or model-based systems engineering tools.
• Experience developing automated test pipelines or DevOps workflows for embedded systems.
• Experience coordinating across hardware, systems, and cybersecurity teams, including customer-facing technical discussions.
• Strong communication, leadership, mentoring, and technical review abilities.

What We Offer:

• The RTX Employee Scholar Program pays for tuition, academic fees and books for undergraduate and graduate study at approved educational institutions.
• 401(k) plan that offers a broad range of investment options. For eligible employees, we will match up to 4% of your savings to help you build financial security.
• Flexible work schedules and paid time off to accommodate work/life balance including many with every other Friday off.

The salary range for this role is 118,300 USD - 224,900 USD. The salary range provided is a good faith estimate representative of all experience levels. RTX considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the role, function and associated responsibilities, a candidate's work experience, location, education/training, and key skills.

Hired applicants may be eligible for benefits, including but not limited to, medical, dental, vision, life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability, 401(k) match, flexible spending accounts, flexible work schedules, employee assistance program, Employee Scholar Program, parental leave, paid time off, and holidays. Specific benefits are dependent upon the specific business unit as well as whether or not the position is covered by a collective-bargaining agreement.

Hired applicants may be eligible for annual short-term and/or long-term incentive compensation programs depending on the level of the position and whether or not it is covered by a collective-bargaining agreement. Payments under these annual programs are not guaranteed and are dependent upon a variety of factors including, but not limited to, individual performance, business unit performance, and/or the company's performance.

This role is a U.S.-based role. If the successful candidate resides in a U.S. territory, the appropriate pay structure and benefits will apply.

RTX anticipates the application window closing approximately 40 days from the date the notice was posted. However, factors such as candidate flow and business necessity may require RTX to shorten or extend the application window.

RTX is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or veteran status, or any other applicable state or federal protected class. RTX provides affirmative action in employment for qualified Individuals with a Disability and Protected Veterans in compliance with Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act.