Principal IT Software Engineer

About the Role

We are seeking a Principal, IT Software Engineer to join our dynamic team, playing a pivotal role in designing and delivering complex software solutions. This position offers a high level of autonomy and significantly influences our technical direction, best practices, and cross-functional team success. You will be part of a collaborative environment in a remote position accessible from anywhere in the contiguous United States. At DIRECTV, we prioritize competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits, ensuring our pay structure reflects market standards and recognizes the abilities and experiences of our employees.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and uphold end-to-end software solutions that fulfill complex business and technical requirements.
• Spearhead architectural conversations and make informed technical choices for assigned projects, ensuring scalability, reliability, and maintainability.
• Produce clean, well-documented, and high-quality code in accordance with established engineering standards.
• Identify and oversee technical dependencies across teams and systems, consistently communicating cross-team impacts.
• Engage in sprint planning and backlog refinement to ensure reliable delivery of sprint commitments.
• Aid in Program Increment (PI) planning by defining scope, recognizing risks, and aligning technical work with longer-term goals.
• Track progress towards commitments and promptly escalate risks or blockers to management to preserve delivery timelines.
• Collaborate with product owners, architects, and cross-functional stakeholders to guarantee alignment of technical solutions with business objectives.
• Mentor junior and mid-level engineers while offering continuous feedback on code quality, technical approach, and career development.
• Lead peer code reviews and foster a culture of ongoing improvement within the development team.
• Actively participate in the wider IT development community by sharing knowledge, presenting best practices, and supporting educational initiatives for peers.
• Assist in identifying, evaluating, and mitigating technical risks during the software development lifecycle.
• Collaborate thoroughly with cross-functional teams, including product management, QA, infrastructure, and other engineering groups, to deliver integrated solutions.
• Clearly and effectively communicate technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.

Requirements

Must have:

• 3 to 5 years of progressive experience in software engineering with increasing complexity and responsibility.
• Advanced proficiency in relevant programming languages within the teams tech stack.
• Strong grasp of system design principles, software architecture patterns, and engineering best practices.
• Experience in designing and developing solutions for distributed or enterprise-scale environments.
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines, version control systems, and modern development tools.
• Proven capability to lead technical discussions and impact decisions informally.
• Background in mentoring or guiding less experienced engineers professionally.
• Exceptional cross-functional collaboration skills to work efficiently across teams and organizational boundaries.
• Hands-on experience with Agile methodologies, including sprint planning and backlog management.
• Exposure to Program Increment (PI) planning or SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework) is a plus.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, capable of simplifying complex technical concepts for varied audiences.
• Comfortable presenting technical recommendations and facilitating discussions among engineering teams and business stakeholders.