Principal Software Engineer - Power and Industrial Automation

Job Title

Principal Software Engineer / Product Owner – Power Automation (On-Site)

Location

Howard County, Maryland
(On-site role – remote work not available)

Company

Avista Realtime Systems, LLC
Industrial Automation • SCADA • Power Systems • Critical Infrastructure

Role Overview

Avista is seeking a senior, hands-on software engineer to own and lead the evolution of a core real-time software platform used in power automation, industrial controls, and utility-grade environments.

This role blends product ownership, lead software development, and technical team leadership. You will be responsible for both defining the technical direction of the platform and delivering production-quality software that integrates with substations, utility SCADA systems, industrial processes, and power-system infrastructure.

This is a builder-owner role, not a coordination-only position. The right candidate enjoys being close to the code, close to the customer, and accountable for real outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

Product Ownership & Technical Direction

• Own the technical roadmap and architecture of a real-time power-automation software platform
• Translate utility, grid-operations, and customer requirements into scalable software features
• Balance performance, reliability, cybersecurity, and delivery timelines
• Serve as the internal authority on platform capabilities and limitations

Software Development (Lead Developer)

• Act as lead developer, contributing production-grade code
• Design and implement services for real-time data ingestion, processing, and storage
• Develop and maintain APIs supporting industrial and utility integrations
• Lead architectural decisions around extensibility, scalability, and security
• Review code and enforce engineering standards and best practices

Team Leadership

• Mentor and guide a small team of software engineers
• Set development standards, sprint goals, and release expectations
• Conduct technical reviews and provide constructive feedback
• Support hiring and onboarding as the team grows

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with our power systems and SCADA engineers to align software with electrical requirements
• Support Sales in technical discussions, demos, and proposals
• Collaborate with Marketing on product messaging and feature descriptions
• Support customer deployments alongside engineering and field teams

Quality, Reliability & Security

• Ensure the platform meets utility-grade reliability and availability expectations
• Implement testing, monitoring, logging, and CI/CD practices
• Support deployments in regulated and mission-critical environments

Required Qualifications

Experience

• 8+ years of professional software development experience
• 3+ years in a senior or lead engineering role
• Demonstrated experience owning or leading an industrial, SCADA, or power-automation platform or similar systems.

Power Automation & Controls Domain Expertise (Required)

• Hands-on experience with power automation systems, including substations, generation, transmission, or distribution
• Deep understanding of SCADA systems and requirements
• Solid understanding of:
  • Substation architecture
  • IEDs and protective relays
  • SCADA telemetry, controls, and alarms
  • Utility operational constraints

Industrial Protocols (Required)

• OPC UA (client and/or server implementation)
• DNP3
• IEC 61850
• Modbus (TCP/RTU)
• MQTT

Software & Infrastructure

• Backend development using Python, C#, and C/C++
• Experience with real-time or event-driven data systems
• SQL and/or time-series databases
• Containerized deployments
• Git-based workflows
• Experience with on-prem or hybrid deployments

Additional Requirements

• Strong ownership mindset and accountability
• Ability to communicate effectively with engineers, customers, and leadership
• Clear documentation and architectural decision-making
• Comfortable working in a fast-moving, engineering-driven organization

Work Environment

• On-site role in Howard County, MD
• Close collaboration with power engineers, software developers, and leadership
• Real production systems supporting live critical-infrastructure projects

Compensation & Benefits

• Competitive compensation, commensurate with experience
• Performance-based incentives
• Benefits package including health coverage, PTO, and professional development support

Screening Statement

This role requires direct experience with power automation and industrial protocols. Candidates without hands on experience will not be considered.

Hiring Process
This role involves a deliberate and in-depth evaluation process and is not limited to a single interview. Qualified candidates should expect multiple technical and product-focused discussions, an on-site visits to our office, and detailed conversations with engineering and leadership. Due to the proprietary nature of our systems, candidates will be required to execute a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) prior to reviewing internal materials or product demonstrations. We are intentionally selective and invest significant time in mutual evaluation before making a decision. For this opportunity, we do not work with third-party recruiters, staffing agencies, or placement firms; direct applicants only.