Principal Software Engineer

Tocaro Blue • Birmingham, AL

21h

About The Position

Are you looking to make a significant technical and organizational impact at a fast-growing, investor-backed AI/ML company? Do you thrive in senior technical leadership roles and enjoy shaping both architecture and engineering culture? This is a high-impact opportunity to join a rapidly growing team operating at the intersection of AI/ML models, sensor fusion, and large-scale data systems. Tocaro Blue is transforming maritime technology by modernizing legacy marine radar systems through advanced software solutions. Our flagship product, ProteusCore , is a sophisticated software platform that integrates vessel radar sensor data with artificial intelligence and machine learning models to deliver real-time situational awareness and decision support. We are seeking a Principal Software Engineer to serve as a technical leader across the organization. This role is responsible for defining software architecture, guiding complex development efforts, mentoring engineers, and ensuring the successful delivery of robust, scalable, and high-performance software systems that enable advanced AI/ML capabilities in the marine domain.

Requirements

• Degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a closely related field
• 10+ years of professional software development experience, with deep expertise in C++
• Strong experience with system-level software architecture and large-scale application design
• Proficiency with C/C++, Python, JavaScript, qmake/cmake, and GCC
• Extensive experience developing and deploying software on Linux, macOS, Windows, Android, and Docker-based environments
• Strong background in source control, CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, and documentation practices
• Demonstrated ability to lead technically complex projects from concept through production release
• Excellent problem-solving skills, code comprehension abilities, and technical communication skills
• Proven experience building, shipping, and maintaining production software products

Nice To Haves

• Experience developing or extending frontend applications using Qt and QML
• Familiarity with communication protocols such as REST, CAN, TCP/UDP, MQTT, and BLE
• Experience working with hardware-adjacent systems, firmware, or embedded platforms
• Marine, maritime, or radar domain experience
• Prior experience working with AI/ML-enabled systems or data-intensive applications

Responsibilities

• Lead the technical vision and architecture for cross-platform software systems supporting AI/ML and sensor fusion applications
• Design, develop, and maintain high-performance application software primarily in C++, with supporting technologies as needed
• Provide hands-on technical leadership while mentoring and guiding senior and mid-level engineers
• Own and evolve core software libraries and shared codebases used across teams and products
• Set engineering best practices, coding standards, and architectural guidelines across the organization
• Perform and oversee code reviews, approve pull requests, and ensure software quality and maintainability
• Collaborate closely with product management, data science, and hardware teams to align technical execution with business goals
• Provide strategic input on company-wide technical challenges, long-term roadmap planning, and risk mitigation
• Estimate project scope, timelines, and technical effort for major development initiatives

Benefits

• Competitive Salary with equity awards
• 401(k) with company match (up to 4% of salary)
• Comprehensive benefits including Health, Dental, Vision, Life, and Disability Insurance
• In-house training and professional development opportunities
• Eligibility to work on U.S. Government contracts (typically limited to U.S. citizens)
• Occasional travel (monthly day trips) for data collection and testing in Pensacola, Florida

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal