Principal Software Engineer

Your success is a train ride away!

As we move America’s workforce toward the future, Amtrak connects businesses and communities across the country. We employ more than 20,000 diverse, energetic professionals in a variety of career fields throughout the United States. The safety of our passengers, our employees, the public and our operating environment is our priority, and the success of our railroad is due to our employees.

Are you ready to join our team?

Our values of ‘Do the Right Thing, Excel Together and Put Customers First’ are at the heart of what matters most to us, and our Core Capabilities, ‘Building Trust, Accountability, Effective Communication, Customer Focus and Proactive Safety & Security’ are what every employee needs to know and do to be most impactful at Amtrak. By living the Amtrak values, focusing on our capabilities, and actively embracing and fostering diverse ideas, backgrounds, and perspectives, together we will honor our past and make Amtrak a company of the future.

Job Summary

Design and deliver high-quality solutions that meet or exceed business needs. Responsible for systems analysis, design, development, system integration, enhancements, testing, maintenance and support. Resolve problems, provide recommendations, and assist with continual improvement of processes and solutions.

Essential Functions

• Lead the technical product design and development process with customers, architects, and team members.
• Organize and document technical requirements.
• Define solutions to software applications to meet business needs.
• Develop or enhance software applications, ensuring solutions are secure and meet QA standards.
• Identify solution improvements and champion department-wide initiatives.
• Identify functional and non-functional testing needs and plans.
• Perform software testing and implement automated testing solutions.
• Provide ongoing maintenance of applications.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent combination of education, training and/or relevant experience.
• Plus 7 years of relevant work experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent combination of education, training and/or relevant experience.
• Plus 9 years of relevant work experience.
• Railroad or other transportation experience is a plus

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Familiarity with core Internet technologies and modern full stack software engineering practices

• Proficiency in Java, JavaScript, TypeScript, SQL, ( Angular or React ), and Node.js

• Development experience with Spring/SpringBoot and RESTful APIs

• Experience with distributed messaging and streaming platforms, including Kafka or RabbitMQ

• General cloud platform experience (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP)

• Skilled in version control systems (e.g., Git)

• Strong documentation and communication skills

• Solid understanding of data structures and design patterns

• Experience in frontend, backend, and cloud-native development

• Familiarity with Agile methodologies (SCRUM, SAFe)

• Understanding of information systems and application architectures

• Ability to work under deadlines, manage multiple tasks, and adapt to changing environments

The salary/hourly range is $124,600.00 – $161,352.00. Pay is based on several factors including but not limited to education, work experience, certifications, etc. Depending on an employee’s assigned worksite or location, Amtrak may consider a geo-pay differential to be applied to the employee’s base salary. Amtrak may offer additional incentive and pay programs to recognize and reward our employees, including a short-term incentive bonus based upon factors such as individual and company performance that is commensurate with the level of the position and/or long-term incentive plan compensation. In addition to your salary, Amtrak offers a comprehensive benefit package that includes health, dental, and vision plans; health savings accounts; wellness programs; flexible spending accounts; 401K retirement plan with employer match; life insurance; short and long term disability insurance; paid time off; back-up care; adoption assistance; surrogacy assistance; reimbursement of education expenses; Public Service Loan Forgiveness eligibility; Railroad Retirement sickness and retirement benefits; and rail pass privileges. Learn more about our benefits offerings here.

Requisition ID: 165647

Work Arrangement: 06-Onsite 4/5 Days Click here for more information about work arrangements at Amtrak.
Relocation Offered: No
Travel Requirements: Up to 25%

You power our progress through your performance.

We want your work at Amtrak to be more than a job. We want your career at Amtrak to be a fulfilling experience where you find challenging work, rewarding opportunities, respect among colleagues, and attractive compensation. Amtrak maintains a culture that values high performance and recognizes individual employee contributions.

Amtrak is committed to a safe workplace free of drugs and alcohol. All Amtrak positions requires a pre-employment background check that includes prior employment verification, a criminal history check and a pre-employment drug screen.

Candidates who test positive for marijuana will be disqualified, regardless of any state or local statute, ordinance, regulation, or other law that legalizes or decriminalizes the use or possession of marijuana, whether for medical, recreational, or other use. Amtrak's pre-employment drug testing program is administered in accordance with DOT regulations and applicable law.

In accordance with DOT regulations (49 CFR § 40.25), Amtrak is required to obtain prior drug and alcohol testing records for applicants/employees intending to perform safety-sensitive duties for covered Department of Transportation positions. If an applicant/employee refuses to provide written consent for Amtrak to obtain these records, the individual will not be permitted to perform safety-sensitive functions.

In accordance with federal law governing security checks of covered individuals for providers of public transportation (Title 6 U.S.C. §1143), Amtrak is required to screen applicants for any permanent or interim disqualifying criminal offenses.

Note that any education requirement listed above may be deemed satisfied if you have an equivalent combination of education, training and experience.

Amtrak is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race/color, to include traits historically associated with race, including but not limited to, hair texture and hairstyles such as braids, locks and twists, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth and related conditions, such as lactation), national origin/ethnicity, disability (intellectual, mental and physical), veteran status, marital status, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, genetic information, citizenship or any other personal characteristics protected by law.