Principal, IT Software Engineer 1

DIRECTV is a leading provider of digital television entertainment, and they are seeking a Principal, IT Software Engineer 1 to lead the design, development, and delivery of complex software solutions. This role involves significant technical leadership, mentoring junior engineers, and collaborating across teams to shape the technical direction of projects.

Responsibilities:

• Design, develop, and maintain end-to-end software solutions that address complex business and technical requirements
• Lead architectural discussions and make informed technical decisions for assigned projects, ensuring scalability, reliability, and maintainability
• Write clean, well-documented, and high-quality code while adhering to established engineering standards
• Identify and manage technical dependencies across teams and systems, proactively communicating cross-team impacts
• Participate in sprint planning and backlog refinement, organizing work to ensure consistent delivery against sprint commitments
• Contribute to Program Increment (PI) planning by helping define scope, identify risks, and align technical work to longer-term roadmap targets
• Monitor progress against commitments and escalate risks or blockers to leadership in a timely manner to protect delivery timelines
• Collaborate with product owners, architects, and cross-functional stakeholders to ensure technical solutions align with business objectives
• Serve as a mentor and technical guide for junior and mid-level engineers, providing consistent feedback on code quality, technical approach, and professional development
• Lead peer code reviews and promote a culture of continuous improvement within the development team
• Actively participate in and contribute to the broader IT development community by sharing knowledge, presenting best practices, and supporting peer education initiatives
• Assist in identifying, assessing, and mitigating technical risks throughout the software development lifecycle
• Collaborate extensively with cross-functional teams including product management, QA, infrastructure, and other engineering groups to deliver cohesive solutions
• Communicate technical concepts clearly and effectively to both technical and non-technical audiences

Requirements:

• 3 to 5 years of progressive software engineering experience with demonstrated growth in technical complexity and scope of responsibility
• Advanced proficiency in one or more programming languages relevant to the team's technology stack
• Strong understanding of system design principles, software architecture patterns, and engineering best practices
• Experience designing and developing solutions in distributed or enterprise-scale environments
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines, version control systems, and modern software development tooling
• Demonstrated ability to lead technical discussions and influence decisions without formal authority
• Experience mentoring or guiding less experienced team members in a professional setting
• Strong cross-functional collaboration skills with the ability to work effectively across teams and organizational boundaries
• Hands-on experience working within Agile frameworks, including sprint planning, retrospectives, and backlog management
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to translate complex technical concepts for diverse audiences
• Comfortable presenting technical recommendations and facilitating discussions with both engineering teams and business stakeholders
• Exposure to Program Increment (PI) planning or SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework) is a plus