Every day, our team members do amazing things in pursuit of our shared purpose to build trust with our clients, partners, subcontractors, and teammates. No matter your background, education, or career path, if you share our vision to create extraordinary experiences, you belong at HITT.
Senior Manager, Software EngineeringJob Description:
HITT is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to serve as a founding technical leader of its new agentic engineering practice. This is a hands-on role for a builder at the top of their craft: an engineer who works fluently with the latest AI development tools and coding agents, has strong, tested opinions about how AI changes the software development lifecycle, and wants to define those patterns from a blank page rather than inherit them.
Reporting to the Head of Software Engineering, the Principal Software Engineer sets the technical direction for how software gets built at HITT — architecting the practice’s first AI-native applications, establishing the platform and paved-road tooling every team will use, and writing production code every day alongside AI coding agents. The software this role ships must earn its place on real jobsites: fast, reliable, and usable in high-velocity, decentralized field environments.
Beyond building, this role multiplies others. The Principal Software Engineer will help recruit engineers into a lean, agile, AI-augmented team and will train HITT’s existing developers in AI-enabled methods — through pairing, code review, workshops, and reference implementations — raising the technical bar for the entire practice.
Responsibilities
Agentic Development & Technical Leadership
Architect and build HITT’s first AI-native applications and agentic workflows end to end, writing production code daily alongside AI coding agents
Define the technical patterns for agentic development at HITT, including agent orchestration, prompt and context engineering, tool and API integrations, retrieval-augmented generation, and human-in-the-loop review
Establish evaluation, testing, and observability practices that make AI-assisted software trustworthy, secure, and maintainable
Prototype rapidly to prove value, then harden the winners into reliable products adopted across jobsites and offices
Platform, Tooling & Standards
Stand up the engineering platform from scratch: repositories, CI/CD pipelines, environments, model access, guardrails, and the AI development toolchain used by every team
Create paved-road templates, reference implementations, and internal libraries that make the right way the easy way
Set and continuously raise the bar for code quality, security, and performance across the practice, in alignment with HITT’s zero trust cybersecurity strategy
Evaluate emerging AI development tools, models, and frameworks, recommending adoption with clear-eyed assessments of capability and risk
Mentorship & Enablement
Train and coach HITT’s existing developers in AI-enabled development methods through pairing, code review, workshops, and internal documentation
Help recruit engineers to the organization, interview for craft, judgment, and fluency with modern AI-assisted workflows
Model a culture of experimentation — fail fast and pivot — while managing risk responsibly
Delivery & Collaboration
Work in lean, agile teams built on small batches, fast feedback, and continuous delivery
Partner directly with project teams, field staff, and corporate functions to understand problems firsthand and deliver software that works where execution happens in real time
Communicate architecture decisions and tradeoffs clearly to both engineers and executives, providing transparency on progress, quality, and value delivered
Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience; advanced degree a plus
10+ years of professional software engineering experience, including experience operating at a staff or principal level and setting technical direction beyond a single team
Expert, hands-on fluency with AI-assisted and agentic development, including coding agents (e.g., Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, Cursor), LLM APIs, agent frameworks, tool and API integrations, retrieval-augmented generation, and evaluation
Track record of shipping production software with modern stacks: cloud-native services, APIs, web and mobile applications, CI/CD, and infrastructure as code
Demonstrated ability to mentor and upskill other engineers, and to introduce new tools and practices into an existing organization
Strong architectural judgment, with the range to move between rapid prototyping and hardened production systems
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to make complex technical topics clear to non-technical partners
Experience building software for field-based or operational users, or in construction, engineering, or manufacturing environments, is a plus
In accordance with Virginia Senate Bill 215 (SB 215), the base salary range for this position is:
$120,000.00 - $175,000.00
Compensation in other cities and states may vary. HITT Contracting offers a competitive total benefits and compensation package including performance-based bonuses, premium health care coverage including vision and dental, employer-matched 401(k), wellness reimbursement program, paid holidays and time-off, and other voluntary benefits and leave types. The determination of salary is based on the candidate’s individual professional experience, qualifications, education, skills, and training.
HITT Contracting is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to hiring and developing the most qualified individuals based on job-related experience, skills, and merit. All employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic. We value a respectful, inclusive workplace where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. HITT Contracting maintains a drug-free workplace, consistent with applicable local, state, and federal laws.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field, or equivalent practical experience
- 10+ years of professional software engineering experience, including operating at a staff or principal level and setting technical direction beyond a single team
- Expert, hands-on fluency with AI-assisted and agentic development, including coding agents (Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, Cursor), LLM APIs, agent frameworks, tool and API integrations, and retrieval-augmented generation
- Track record of shipping production software with modern stacks: cloud-native services, APIs, web and mobile applications, CI/CD, and infrastructure as code
- Demonstrated ability to mentor and upskill other engineers and introduce new tools and practices
- Strong architectural judgment and ability to move between rapid prototyping and hardened production systems
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, able to explain complex technical topics to non-technical partners
- Experience building software for field-based or operational users, or in construction, engineering, or manufacturing environments
What We Do
After more than 25 years in the industry, Americon Construction joined the HITT Contracting family in August 2016. Now known as Americon HITT, we are operating as the company’s New York regional office. Since HITT’s inception in 1937, the firm has grown to become an award-winning turnkey construction company performing a wide range of services—from base building construction and renovation, to interior fit-out and service work. Ranked by ENR as one of the top 40 largest general contractors in the nation, HITT maintains offices in Atlanta, Charleston, Dallas, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Raleigh, Richmond, Santa Clara, and Seattle. HITT’s growth is client-driven and their national success is a result of strong relationships. This acquisition is HITT’s first step towards expanding their New York footprint. Our team shares a dynamic drive to serve our clients to the best of our ability. The addition of HITT’s national resources will enable us to reach the next level in project scope, size, and volume in New York. Whether a new or repeat client, we assure you our approach to project management is still the same: deliver on promises and provide quality above expectation. With the expertise of our local New York team backed by the strength of a billion dollar firm, we’re excited to continue to grow with our clients. There is no limit to the number of industries operating in the Tri-state area. Our teams are equipped to tackle not only the multimillion dollar commercial projects, but also the smaller service, paint, and term contract work. What we do touches so many of the industries at play here in New York, providing construction services for corporate interiors, mission critical, law firms, hospitality, healthcare, higher education, Federal, and commercial mixed-use projects.
Why Work With Us
We're continually looking to grow and expand our team, with candidates who embody an entrepreneurial spirit and are passionate about construction. Whether you’re just embarking on your career in the industry or a seasoned professional with years of experience in the field—you belong here.
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