Technology & Digital

Principal Software Engineer - Platform - US Defense / Public Sector

Job ID: 106464
  • Boston
  • Chicago
  • New York City
  • San Francisco
  • Silicon Valley
  • Washington DC
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Do you want to work on complex and pressing challenges—the kind that bring together curious, ambitious, and determined leaders who strive to become better every day? If this sounds like you, you’ve come to the right place.

Your Impact

Come and work with our Firm’s top technical minds on a product team developing an AI Platform that will enable next-generation client services. Be at the forefront of developing this exciting technology for our Firm. 
You will work with a cross-functional team that includes senior firm leaders, CST leaders, practice leaders and cutting-edge engineers. The team is led by some of our Firm’s most senior leaders, including Asutosh Padhi, Brian Elliott, and Klemens Hjartar and is scaling to a large team of full-stack engineers, data engineers, data scientists, and designers.
This role will specifically focus on customization and additional features required to deploy this platform for Defense and other Government clients.
We are looking for a Tech Lead to lead the development and customization of our Platform capabilities to Defense, including leading a group of technologists, reviewing their contributions, and bridging the gap between vision and development.
As a Tech Lead on the Platform team, you will be at the forefront of our firm's AI initiatives. Your role will include determining how to implement the product vision in a Defense / Public Sector context, overseeing the technical team, and writing, testing, debugging, and maintaining application code using Python, React and NextJS. You will leverage industry leading LLMs to drive data retrieval and synthesis. You will review the work of others and cultivate a developmentally-rich team environment.
Your expertise will be crucial in identifying and resolving technical issues and challenges. This involves keeping up to date with the fast-moving technology of generative AI and leveraging the best of the industry to keep the Platform at the leading edge of generative AI products. You will be pivotal in driving innovation within our firm, delivering impactful AI solutions, and collaborating with a distributed team across the world.

Your Growth

Driving lasting impact and building long-term capabilities with our clients is not easy work. You are the kind of person who thrives in a high performance/high reward culture - doing hard things, picking yourself up when you stumble, and having the resilience to try another way forward.
In return for your drive, determination, and curiosity, we'll provide the resources, mentorship, and opportunities you need to become a stronger leader faster than you ever thought possible. Your colleagues—at all levels—will invest deeply in your development, just as much as they invest in delivering exceptional results for clients. Every day, you'll receive apprenticeship, coaching, and exposure that will accelerate your growth in ways you won’t find anywhere else.
When you join us, you will have:
  • Continuous learning: Our learning and apprenticeship culture, backed by structured programs, is all about helping you grow while creating an environment where feedback is clear, actionable, and focused on your development. The real magic happens when you take the input from others to heart and embrace the fast-paced learning experience, owning your journey.
  • A voice that matters: From day one, we value your ideas and contributions. You’ll make a tangible impact by offering innovative ideas and practical solutions, all while upholding our unwavering commitment to ethics and integrity. We not only encourage diverse perspectives, but they are critical in driving us toward the best possible outcomes.
  • Global community: With colleagues across 65+ countries and over 100 different nationalities, our firm’s diversity fuels creativity and helps us come up with the best solutions for our clients. Plus, you’ll have the opportunity to learn from exceptional colleagues with diverse backgrounds and experiences.
  • World-class benefits: On top of a competitive salary (based on your location, experience, and skills), we provide a comprehensive benefits package to enable holistic well-being for you and your family.

Your qualifications and skills

  • US Citizenship required
  • Defense experience and experience working with data at various classification levels required
  • SECRET Security Clearance Required; TS+ clearance preferred
  • 5+ years of experience as a Software Engineer
  • Experience with distributed system architectures, secure platform engineering, and knowledge graphs
  • Strong programming skills in Python, expertise in React and NextJS
  • Expertise with SQL databases, particularly PostgreSQL or cloud equivalent such as Amazon RDS
  • Experience utilizing LLMs and prompt engineering
  • Experience with CI/CD pipeline setup and management
  • Familiarity in using cloud platforms for deploying and managing applications; knowledge of containerization. Multiple cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) a plus
Please review the additional requirements regarding essential job functions of McKinsey colleagues.
Our unwavering commitment to integrity drives everything we do, guiding us to always act in the best interests of our clients, our people, and the communities we serve.
Industries
  • Aerospace & Defense
Capabilities
  • Technology
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FOR U.S. APPLICANTS: McKinsey & Company is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Certain US jurisdictions require McKinsey & Company to include a reasonable estimate of the salary for this role. For new joiners for this role in the United States, including all office locations where the job may be performed, a reasonable estimated range is $214,100 - $217,600 USD —to help you understand what you can expect. This reflects our best estimate of the lowest to highest [salary/hourly wages] for this role at the time of this posting, ensuring you have a clear picture right from the start, though it's important to remember that actual salaries may vary. Factors like your office location, your unique blend of experience and skills, start date and our current organizational needs all play a part in determining the final figure. Certain roles are also eligible for bonuses, subject to McKinsey's discretion and based on factors such as individual and/or organizational performance.

Additionally, we provide a comprehensive benefits package that reflects our commitment to the wellness of our colleagues and their families. This includes medical, mental health, dental and vision coverage, telemedicine services, life, accident and disability insurance, parental leave and family planning benefits, caregiving resources, a generous retirement contributions program, financial guidance, and paid time off.

FOR NON-U.S. APPLICANTS: McKinsey & Company is an Equal Opportunity employer. For additional details regarding our global EEO policy and diversity initiatives, please visit our McKinsey Careers and Diversity & Inclusion sites.

Job Skill Group - N/A
Job Skill Code - PSE1 - Principal Software Engineer I
Function - Technology
Industry - Aerospace & Defense
Post to LinkedIn - Yes
Posted to LinkedIn Date - Mon Mar 02 00:00:00 GMT 2026
LinkedIn Posting City - Washington DC
LinkedIn Posting State/Province - District of Columbia 
LinkedIn Posting Country - United States
LinkedIn Job Title - Principal Software Engineer - Platform - US Defense / Public Sector
LinkedIn Function - Consulting;Information Technology
LinkedIn Industry - Defense & Space;Information Technology and Services
LinkedIn Seniority Level - Mid-Senior level