Accenture federal services

Principal Engineer Senior Manager

Washington, DC Full Time
 
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 within global Accenture. Recognized as a Glassdoor Top 100 Best Place to Work, we offer 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.

You will be responsible for: 

  • Define a product level technical vision aligned to customer outcomes and client goals.
  • Establish lightweight architectural guardrails (interfaces, patterns, conventions) that enable rapid iteration with quality.
  • Use business, user, and operational signals to prioritize for accelerated time to value.
  • Design and integrate AI capabilities where possible with clear interfaces, guardrails, and observability to ensure reliable, safe, and measurable user value. Product Delivery
  • Convert strategy into technical roadmaps, sequencing work by impact, effort, risk, and learning value.
  • Manage the complete product delivery lifecycle, encompassing conceptualization, development, launch, and iterative enhancement, with a focus on reducing cycle time and accelerating delivery.
  • Write product code and tests across the stack (e.g., back end Java/Python, front end React/Angular, data SQL/NoSQL).
  • Govern multiple product codebases; set measurable objectives and maintain code quality, engineering throughput, and release predictability.
  • Leverage AI tools for code generation, test authoring, defect triage, and documentation to shorten feedback loops, reduce cycle time, and improve developer throughput. Application Architecture
  • Establish domain driven modularity by defining bounded contexts, enforcing separation of concerns, and composing services/components to enable rapid iteration and safe refactoring.
  • Design APIs and contracts with stable, versioned REST interfaces, schemas and ensure backward compatibility and protect integrations through contract testing.
  • Model data and integrity via pragmatic relational/NoSQL schemas; enforce referential integrity and validation; plan sensible indexing and migration strategies.
  • Engineer for performance and scale using caching, pagination, batching, and concurrency controls; set performance budgets and profile regularly. Platform Engineering • Design cloud native products with modular, scalable microservices and event driven patterns and clear contracts (REST/streaming/batch).
  • Standardize containers and orchestration by building images and operating containers with simple, repeatable deployment paths.
  • Implement data and streaming foundations using SQL/NoSQL models, caching tiers, and Kafka/Pub/Sub to deliver low latency, high throughput experiences.
  • Run CI/CD at speed with trunk-based development, automated tests, and progressive delivery (feature flags, blue green) to shorten feedback loops and reduce risk. Engineering Excellence & Mentorship
  • Set standards for clarity, reliability, performance, security, and observability; embed modern SDLC practices (DevSecOps, trunk based development, feature flags, AI coding tools).
  • Serve as a primary technical authority and mentor; lead design reviews, improve documentation, and champion reusability for efficiency. Stakeholder Engagement & Communication
  • Provide concise, data driven updates on status, risks, trade offs, and decisions to executives and cross functional leadership.
  • Build confidence via transparent communication, disciplined execution, and fast, measurable results. Continuous Improvement & Impact
  • Iterate based on telemetry, experiment outcomes, and customer feedback; institutionalize learning and best practices.
  • Activate growth levers (new user flows, platform reuse, developer experience gains) to increase user value and engineering throughput.

Here’s What You Need: 

  • 10+ years software development.
  • 8+ years full stack (back end: Java/Python; front end: Angular/React; data: SQL and NoSQL, cloud: AWS).
  • 5+ years developing, testing, and launching production software in big tech or startup environments.
  • 3+ years leading product architecture and complex technical design.
  • 1+ years building AI enabled product features and/or using AI to improve delivery (AI coding tools, intelligent analytics).
  • Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field (4 additional years of experience may be substituted).
  • U.S Citizenship

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.

 

 

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:
$177,900$203,600 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 Statement
We 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 youare 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.