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At Accenture Federal Services, nothing matters more than helping the US federal government make the nation stronger and safer and life better for people. Our 13,000+ people are united in a shared purpose to pursue the limitless potential of technology and ingenuity for clients across defense, national security, public safety, civilian, and military health organizations.
Join Accenture Federal Services, a technology company and part of global Accenture, to do work that matters in a collaborative and caring community, where you feel like you belong and are empowered to grow, learn and thrive through hands-on experience, certifications, industry training and more.
Join us to drive positive, lasting change that moves missions and the government forward!

The Work

In the context of 2026, a Principal Engineer Senior Manager at Accenture Federal Services (AFS) is a top-tier technical leadership role. This position sits at the intersection of enterprise architecture, mission-critical delivery, and hands-on innovation. You aren't just managing people; you are the "engineer's engineer," responsible for the technical integrity of massive federal systems that impact millions of citizens. As a Principal Engineer, you will serve as the primary technical authority for high-stakes federal engagements. You will bridge the gap between abstract mission goals and concrete, high-performance codebases.

The Work:

You will be responsible for:

Architectural Stewardship: Design and oversee the implementation of "Digital Cores" — scalable, cloud-native architectures that leverage GenAI, micro-services, and mesh data patterns. We no longer believe in writing software. We believe everyone should be an orchestrator of multiple agents doing our work for us.
Technical Vision & Strategy: Define the long-term tech stack for federal agencies, moving them away from legacy technical debt toward modern, resilient frameworks (e.g., Rust, Go, or advanced Python-native ML pipelines). Must be able to work with clients and teams on modernizing and adapting to the new paradigms of software development.
DevSecOps Leadership: Champion "Security-by-Design," ensuring that CI/CD pipelines automate compliance and security protocols required for IL4/5/6 environments.
Hands-on Excellence: While a leader, you remain active in the code. You will perform high-level code reviews, solve the most complex "impossible" bugs, and prototype emerging tech like Quantum-resistant encryption or Agentic AI frameworks.
Mentorship & Culture: Foster an elite engineering culture. You will mentor Lead and Senior Engineers, setting the standard for documentation, testing, and agile excellence across the practice.

Here's What You Need:

Experience: 15+ years in full-stack software engineering, with at least 5 years in a Chief, Principal, or Lead Architect capacity.
Technical Mastery: Proven expertise in modern languages (Python, Go, Javascript) and deep experience with Kubernetes (K8s) and distributed systems. MUST BE HANDS ON. You should be able to talk the talk but also walk the walk.
Communication: Ability to explain complex technical trade-offs to non-technical GS-15 or SES-level federal executives.
Federal Context: Demonstrated experience delivering solutions within federal security frameworks (FedRAMP, NIST 800-53, or DoD Impact Levels).
Cloud Fluency: Advanced proficiency in AWS, Azure, or GCP, specifically in architecting for multi-cloud or hybrid-cloud federal environments.
Education: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field (4 additional years of experience may be substituted).
AI/ML: Experience deploying Agentic AI or Large Language Model (LLM) frameworks into production environments using Model Context Protocol (MCP).
Emerging Tech: Familiarity with Rust for memory-safe systems or experience with Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) implementation.

Bonus Points If:

Advanced Degree
Motivated and proactive, with a desire to understand and address complex areas
Curiosity for learning about new technology, industry best practices, and areas of risk, analyzing and turning new insights into concrete action
Commitment to delivering tangible outcomes for customers and stakeholders
Strong written and verbal communication/interpersonal skills to effectively collaborate with cross-functional teams and stakeholders.
Excellent people management and relationship development skills
In-depth knowledge of Accenture delivery methodologies and practices

The Extras:

U.S. Citizenship
Active Top Secret/SCI (Preferred) or Ability to Obtain

As required by local law, Accenture Federal Services provides reasonable ranges of compensation for hired roles based on labor costs in the states of California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Washington, Vermont, the District of Columbia, and the city of Cleveland. The base pay range for this position in these locations is shown below. Compensation for roles at Accenture Federal Services varies depending on a wide array of factors, including but not limited to office location, role, skill set, and level of experience. Accenture Federal Services offers a wide variety of benefits. You can find more information on benefits here. We accept applications on an on-going basis and there is no fixed deadline to apply.

The pay range for the states of California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Washington, Vermont, the District of Columbia, and the city of Cleveland is:$146,100—$278,500 USD

What We Believe As a company wholly dedicated to serving the US federal government, we bring together the best talent to help reinvent how federal agencies operate and deliver greater value for their mission and the American people. We have an unwavering commitment to creating a culture in which all our people are respected, feel a sense of belonging, and have equal opportunity. As a business imperative, every person at Accenture Federal Services has the responsibility to create and sustain a culture where everyone feels welcomed and included. This is grounded in our core values and our experience that hiring and developing great people who reflect different perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds is key to driving innovation and delivering the results that our clients and the country count on.

Equal Employment Opportunity StatementWe believe that no one should be discriminated against because of their differences. All employment decisions shall be made without regard to age, race, creed, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, disability status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, citizenship status or any other basis as protected by federal, state, or local law. Our rich diversity makes us more innovative, more competitive, and more creative, which helps us better serve our clients and our communities. For details, view a copy of the Accenture Federal Services Equal Opportunity Policy Statement.Accenture Federal Services is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. Additionally, as an Affirmative Action Employer for Veterans and Individuals with Disabilities, Accenture Federal Services is committed to providing veteran employment opportunities to our service men and women.Requesting An Accommodation Accenture Federal Services is committed to providing equal employment opportunities for persons with disabilities or religious observances, including reasonable accommodation when needed. If you are hired by Accenture Federal Services and require accommodation to perform the essential functions of your role, you will be asked to participate in our reasonable accommodation process. Accommodations made to facilitate the recruiting process are not a guarantee of future or continued accommodations once hired.If you are being considered for employment opportunities with Accenture Federal Services and need an accommodation for a disability or religious observance during the interview process or for the job you are interviewing for, please speak with your recruiter.Other Employment Statements Applicants for employment in the US must have work authorization that does not now or in the future require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the United States.Candidates who are currently employed by a client of Accenture Federal Services or an affiliated Accenture business may not be eligible for consideration.Job candidates will not be obligated to disclose sealed or expunged records of conviction or arrest as part of the hiring process.The Company will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. Additionally, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the Company's legal duty to furnish information.California requires additional notifications for applicants and employees. If you are a California resident, live in or plan to work from Los Angeles County upon being hired for this position, please click here for additional important information.