IT Spec (APPSW) "Principal Software Engineer", GS-2210-15, FPL GS-15 (DH), Full-time

Summary

This position is located in FSA supporting various program offices. Federal Student Aid (FSA) is modernizing the systems that serve over 17 million students and power more than $120 billion in financial aid each year. We are building a team of software engineers to strengthen the technical foundation of one of the most high-impact digital services in government. Duties APPLICATION LIMIT: This vacancy announcement is limited to the first 200 applications received and will close at 11:59PM Eastern Time on the day that we receive the 200th application, or at 11:59PM Eastern Time on the listed closing date, whichever occurs first. Note: there is a term NTE 13 mos up to 10 years competitive position being announced at the same time for another position under FSA-2026-0066, if you would like to be considered for both. Applicants must apply for both announcements as they are two different appointment lengths in two different offices. We encourage you to read this entire vacancy announcement prior to submitting your application. As a Principal Software Engineer, you will lead the design, build, and improvement of large-scale, cloud-based systems that must be reliable, secure, accessible, and resilient. You’ll collaborate with cross-functional partners to deliver modern software practices, improve system quality, and help transform FSA into a modern digital organization. This role blends the mission of public service with the complexity and scale of major tech platforms. Your job is to make it easier and faster for the team to ship changes safely. If you like untangling complex systems and building the tools and patterns that let teams move faster, this is the role. This position is in the Department of Education (ED) Federal Student Aid (FSA), As a Principal Software Engineer, GS-2210-15, you will be responsible for

• Designs, develops, tests, and delivers secure, scalable cloud-native information systems across the full system development life cycle, serving as a senior architect and technical leader for technology systems, and managing multiple complex and innovative IT projects supporting student aid.
• Leads the design and delivery of secure, scalable IT and AI solutions by translating technical specifications into programming requirements for diverse stakeholders, using languages like Python, Java, and JavaScript to build and maintain software and cloud infrastructure, applying modern architecture patterns, and managing projects to meet performance, budget, and compliance goals.
• Provides expert technical advice, leadership, and direction on all software delivery and data infrastructure related issues for the improvement of FSA products, platforms, and services. Determines project objectives and sets priorities; anticipates potential threats and opportunities.
• Applies expert-level IT and software engineering knowledge to advise agencies on modern development methodologies, tools, and practices; leads the design and implementation of compliant CI/CD pipelines, automated testing frameworks, and deployment workflows to drive sustainable modernization and promote the adoption of innovative technologies across government.
• Architects, develops, and maintains software and cloud systems by applying programming expertise and automation practices to enable consistent, auditable deployments, while ensuring IT projects are delivered on budget and in compliance with technical and contractual requirements.
• Plans and executes large-scale IT transformation projects, applying monitoring, telemetry, logging, and service-level objectives (SLOs) to improve reliability in multi-tenant cloud environments, and uses qualitative and quantitative methods to assess and enhance project effectiveness and system performance.
• Ensures responsible use of AI and machine learning by identifying and mitigating risks related to bias, dual use, privacy, and civil rights, while supporting system resilience through incident response, troubleshooting, remediation, and post-incident analysis.
• Creates an inclusive and collaborative work environment that fosters innovation and creative problem-solving; designs and implements agile, human-centered software and systems as a solutions architect, while mentoring engineers and stakeholders, and partnering closely with product, data, security, operations, and vendor teams to deliver mission-driven technology solutions.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

• You may be subject to serve a one-year probationary period.
• Must be a US Citizen
• Relocation will not be paid.
• Must complete a Background Investigation and Fingerprint check.
• Males 18 and over must be registered with the Selective Service.

As a condition of emp