👋🏼 Hey!

Bitwise is a leading provider of mission-focused intelligence solutions that advance national security for the Intelligence Community and Department of Defense. We’re a small and growing company, so you can expect to hop in on the ground floor with us and be a consequential member of the team. You'll be more than a contract performer for us – you’ll also be asked for ideas to improve our company and improve your career, and you’ll contribute to our team culture. We value growth and community above almost all else, so we gather regularly for game nights, happy hours, tech talks, and plenty more. We think you’ll like it here!

Remember, Bitwise is not a cult. 🖖🏼

🎯 What We Look For

Bitwise hires talented engineers who are driven by purpose and who value a culture of technical excellence, growth, and overall wellness. We deliver new and innovative intelligence solutions to our customers at the very forefront of our country’s national security missions. And we do it every single day. Our work matters, and so will you.
We ask that every new hire be able to:

• Interact with our customers and earn their confidence in your abilities
• Be detailed, even if that means taking a little more time to get it right
• Contribute their ideas and ideals to improve all aspects of our company
• Allow us to invest in their education so we both grow together
• Know and live our core values every single day

💡 About this Role

We're seeking a Principal Product Engineer who lives and breathes the craft of building exceptional AI-integrated solutions. This is not a role for someone looking for comfortable boundaries. We need someone who is genuinely haunted by the possibilities of what we could build, who loses sleep over architectural decisions, and who ties their identity to the quality and impact of their work. You'll join our leadership team as a key voice in shaping our technical direction, product strategy, and team evolution. You'll engage in passionate, sometimes heated debates about everything from system architecture to team structure, from code quality to customer impact. Your obsession with excellence will push our team of 25+ developers to constantly question whether we're building the right things in the right way. This role is for someone who sees the interconnectedness of all parts of our stack - from user research to infrastructure, from AI integration to performance optimization. You'll be expected to have strong opinions loosely held, challenge the status quo relentlessly, and help us build products that create meaningful impact in the cybersecurity AI space.
 
Responsibilities will include:

• Participate actively in leadership team discussions, bringing technical depth and product intuition to debates about direction, project prioritization, and strategic decisions.
• Drive architectural decisions across our full stack, ensuring coherent design from data infrastructure through AI integration to user interfaces.
• Challenge existing approaches and push for continuous improvement in code quality, system design, and product excellence.
• Connect technical decisions to business outcomes, ensuring every project builds toward a larger vision.
• Mentor and influence the broader engineering team through technical leadership and by setting an uncompromising standard for quality.
• Engage directly with customers when needed to understand deep technical requirements and translate them into product direction.
• Own the technical narrative of how our projects interconnect and build upon each other to create compounding value.
• Lead by example in writing code that demonstrates best practices while maintaining velocity.
• Foster and participate in intense technical debates that push the team toward better solutions.

📋 Requirements

• Active TS/SCI with Polygraph. Candidates without a current clearance will not be considered.
• 12+ years of software engineering experience with demonstrated impact across the full stack
• Deep expertise in at least two areas of our stack (backend, frontend, data, infrastructure, AI/ML) with working knowledge across all areas.
• Proven track record of designing and implementing complex systems that scale.
• Experience integrating AI/ML capabilities into production systems.
• Strong opinions about software architecture, development practices, and team dynamics, backed by real-world experience.
• Exceptional communication skills - able to articulate technical vision to both engineers and non-technical stakeholders.
• History of pushing teams beyond their comfort zones while maintaining morale and productivity.
• Demonstrated ability to connect technical decisions to business value and user impact.
• Experience with modern development practices including CI/CD, infrastructure as code, and observability.
• Comfort with ambiguity and ability to drive clarity through chaos.
• Twelve (12) years of experience with a Bachelor’s degree in a technical discipline or 4 additional years may substitute for a degree.
• Don't quite meet these requirements? Peep our other prime positions

🌟 Preferred Skills and Experience

• Experience in cyber domain.
• Track record of building and scaling AI-powered products from conception to production.
• Previous experience in a principal or staff engineering role at a high-growth company.
• Contributions to open source projects or thought leadership in the engineering community.
• Experience building and leading distributed or remote engineering teams.
• Background in both startup and enterprise environments.
• Published papers, talks, or blogs demonstrating deep technical thinking.
• Experience with specific AI frameworks and tools relevant to cybersecurity applications.

🏝️ Benefits at Bitwise

• Top salaries because we're top performers
• Pick your PTO – Everyone values time and money differently, so we give you the flexibility to choose between 3 and 5 weeks of PTO with a corresponding adjustment to your pay. Your choice, your balance.
• All 11 federal holidays, paid!
• Up to 2 snow days, paid!
• We’ll quadruple (4x!) the first 6% you contribute to your 401(k), giving you up to a 24% company match. Contributing less than 6%? Unclaimed matches come right back to you as extra income, giving you a guaranteed 24% that goes to your retirement, to your paycheck, or both. C’mon now! 🚀
• 100% employer-paid medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurances. That’s a lot. Already covered on health insurance? No problem – we’ll trade you this benefit for a boost to your salary instead.
• $5,250 annual education assistance for training, certifications, tuition, and even student loan repayments. 
• Spot bonuses for obtained certifications, customer recognition, and just about anything else that makes us go "Hot damn!". We hope to say that many times about you. 🔥

💰 Salary Range

This position is hourly. We estimate you'll earn between $250,000 and $290,000 annually, including our flex income, depending upon your annual work hours.

🛎️ What to expect after applying

You'll get an email from us right away to acknowledge your application. After that, we'll:

• Send over additional company materials for you to review
• Schedule a video call to talk about you, our company, and your place in it
• Craft a delightful offer package for you and record a video walkthrough
• Work closely with you through onboarding. We’ll keep it joyful and easy.

ℹ️ Disclaimers

Bitwise is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected status. All employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit, and business needs.

Compensation for this position, including all compensation options, will be determined on an individual basis following the interview process.

If you require accommodations at any stage of the application or interview process, please contact our excellent Head of Growth and Talent Acquisition, Janine Hunter, at janine.hunter@bitwise.tech for assistance.