Principal Software Engineer (Contract Lead/Python)
Software Engineering
Remote
USD 153k-171k / year
Posted on Sep 11, 2026
About Nava
Nava is a consultancy and public benefit corporation working to make government services simple and effective. Since 2015, federal, state, and local agencies have trusted Nava to help solve highly scrutinized technology modernization challenges.
As a client services company, we guide agencies constrained by legacy systems to a future with sharp user experiences built on secure, reliable, fault-tolerant cloud infrastructure. We bill for our time, offering our expertise and problem-solving approach to help our government partners enhance their digital products and services. People are at the heart of our work, from members of the public who rely on benefit programs to government agency staff. Through human-centered design and modern engineering best practices, we help our government partners understand user needs and deliver on their missions more effectively. This focus gives everyone at Nava the opportunity to do work that is meaningful, impactful, and deeply connected to public good.
Position summary
This is a principal solution architect role where as the Contract Lead you will primarily interact with the clients, customers, vendors, subcontractors, all stakeholders, and the engineering team on a regular basis, this is a heavy client-facing role and needs real world in-depth experience to succeed. You will define the technical strategy and lead the engineering team in building modern, scalable, open-source solutions. You will coordinate across delivery teams, guide architecture and implementation, and ensure that the system meets business needs, technical standards, and long-term maintainability goals. You will collaborate with the product team, government stakeholders, and other contractors to build new systems and make improvements to existing systems.
What you’ll do
- Lead and manage a team of engineers, providing regular coaching, feedback, and support for professional growth
- Define the technical vision and architectural roadmap in collaboration with clients and the delivery team
- Work closely with government stakeholders to get buy-in on technical initiatives
- Build technical alignment across client, stakeholders, and vendor partners
- Act as a liaison between developers, executives, and non-technical stakeholders
- Make key architectural decisions that balance long-term program goals with short-term delivery needs
- Oversee technical delivery, managing risks, dependencies, and trade-offs to keep projects on track
- Establish and enforce engineering best practices in code quality, testing, security, and documentation
- Work closely with cross-functional product teams to identify and mitigate technical risks
- Guide the engineering team on planning, estimation, prioritization, trade-offs, and balancing technical debt and meeting project milestones
- Represents Nava and the engineering team in external stakeholder conversations, synthesizing client/partner feedback back to the team
- Communicates effectively with stakeholders and other practices on the contract, understanding their needs and sharing what the team needs to succeed
- Maintains alignment with other team leads, teaming partners, and government partners to keep work integrated across the larger program
- Informally mentors practitioners across the project ecosystem (government partners, teaming partners, contractors) to strengthen collaboration
- Navigates complex, high-intensity stakeholder relationships by coaching the team and directly engaging government partners and vendors when needed
- Understands and ensures adherence to contractual obligations and reporting requirements
- Maintains consistent, trustworthy external communication about the team's work and outcomes
- Sets meeting cadence, manages scope changes, and proactively identifies/escalates schedule, budget, scope, and relationship risks
- Provides clear status updates, implementation context, and accurate estimates to stakeholders and team members
- Breaks down and sequences work into actionable steps with realistic, sustainable timelines
Required skills
- 10+ years of software engineering experience, including 2+ years managing engineers and leading technical delivery
- Real world in-depth clients, customers, vendors, subcontractors, and all stakeholders management experience
- Proven ability to architect and deliver scalable, maintainable, and secure distributed systems
- Advanced proficiency in modern programming languages and frameworks (e.g., Python, React, Node.js, or equivalent)
- Strong understanding of system integration, data migration, and API/interface development
- Hands-on experience with DevOps practices, including CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure-as-code, automated testing, and cloud environments (AWS or equivalent)
- Experience building and managing cross-functional engineering teams, fostering alignment and collaboration with product, design, and client stakeholders
- Familiarity with open-source development and community-driven initiatives
- Demonstrated ability to lead with empathy, build trust, and create an environment where engineers can thrive
Compensation
$153,000—$171,000 USD
Other requirements
All roles at Nava require the following:
Legal authorization to work in the United States
Ability to meet any other requirements for government contracts for which candidates are hired
Work authorization that doesn’t require visa sponsorship, now or in the future
May be subject to a government background check or security clearance, depending on the contract
Perks working with Nava
Health coverage — comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans to support your overall health needs
Insurance coverage — Nava provides disability, life, and accidental death insurance at no cost
Time off — vacation, holidays (including Juneteenth), and floating holidays to rest and recharge
Company holidays — enjoy 12 paid federal holidays each year on top of your regular PTO
Annual bonus — when Nava meets its goals, eligible employees receive a performance-based annual bonus
Parental leave — paid time off for new parents, plus weekly meals delivered to your home
Wellness program — full platform offering physical, mental, & emotional health resources & support tools
Virtual care — see doctors online with no copay through a virtual visit program (depending on available providers)
Sabbatical leave — earn extended unpaid leave after continuous service for personal growth or rest
401(k) match — Nava matches 4% of your salary to support your retirement savings plan
Flexible work — remote-first environment with flexibility built around your schedule and responsibilities
Home office setup — company laptop & setup assistance provided via Staples for remote work needs
Utility support — monthly reimbursement to help offset eligible home office utility expenses
Learning opportunities — internal training programs and resources to help grow your professional skills
Development opportunities — LinkedIn Learning access & an annual allowance for courses, tuition, & certs
Referral bonus — get rewarded when you refer great people who join the Nava team
Commuter benefits — pre-tax commuter programs to support in-office travel when applicable
Supportive culture — A collaborative and remote-friendly team environment where people genuinely care
Location
We have fully remote options if you reside in one of the following states:
Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, DC, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin
*If you are not living in one of the states listed above, unfortunately, you will not be considered for a position at this time.
Stay in touch
Sign up for our newsletter to find out about career opportunities, new partnerships, and news from the broader civic tech community.
Please contact the recruiting team at recruiting@navapbc.com if you would like to request any form of reasonable accommodation during the application or interviewing process.
We participate in E-Verify. Upon hire, we will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. This role requires you to work from the contiguous United States.
Equal Employment Opportunity
Nava is committed to providing equal employment opportunities without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, gender and/or gender identity or expression, color, creed, religion, religious creed, age, national origin, ethnicity, disability, veteran or military status, sex, sexual orientation, reproductive health autonomy, pregnancy, childbirth, and medical conditions related to pregnancy or childbirth, genetic information, domestic violence victim status, marital status, citizenship status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Nava prohibits any such discrimination or harassment. This policy applies to all employees, applicants, contractors, and temporary workers of Nava.