Software Principal Engineer at KION Group in Grand Rapids, MI

Software Principal Engineer Location: Grand Rapids, MI, United States Dematic Corp. has a need for a Software Principal Engineer in our Lifecyle Solutions & Services Modernizations and Upgrades (LSS MU) group. The ideal candidate will have experience working in the material handling industry and industrial automation. The primary responsibility for the Software Principal Engineer is to work with other members of the LSS MU team to provide technical guidance, execution support, and direction to project teams. This expert role also actively participates in the creation and application of standard processes to deliver consistent results for our customers. We offer: Career Development Competitive Compensation and Benefits Pay Transparency Global Opportunities Learn More Here: https://www.dematic.com/en-us/about/careers/what-we-offer Dematic provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training. The base pay range for this role is estimated to be $X-Y at the time of posting. Final compensation will be determined by various factors such as work location, education, experience, knowledge, and skills. Tasks and Qualifications: This is What You Will do in This Role Lead end‑to‑end system and software design for customer solutions, including architecture definition, technical specifications, and design reviews. Develop high‑complexity software components (C, VB.NET, C#) while providing technical oversight and mentoring to other engineers. Direct database architecture and development, including schema design, performance optimization, and complex data migrations (MSSQL, Oracle). Serve as the primary technical interface for customers—participating in requirement discussions, presenting designs, and guiding technical decisions. Lead system integration efforts across software, equipment, and on‑site systems; oversee FAT activities, demos, and customer acceptance testing. Manage on‑site commissioning and validation, ensuring full system functionality and resolving complex issues. Oversee deployment planning and execution for production changes, including backend updates, database changes, and GUI package releases. Provide expert‑level go‑live support and ensure operational stability during customer rollout. Mentor and develop engineering team members through guidance on design principles, coding standards, and technical best practices. Responsible for developing, upgrading, retrofitting, testing and integrating various software warehouse logistics solutions efficiently to implement the required software solutions. Balance and work on multiple projects simultaneously Diagnose customer issues on new and existing projects. Assist in the development of solutions to upgrade existing systems. Communicate with customers and external team members on project requirements and solutions. Provide engineering support as required. Resolve incompatibility issues with older software on new hardware. Upgrade existing software to newer versions. Collaborate with highly cross-functional, Agile teams to build out new customer features and functionality. Improve internal processes to make code deployment easier, faster and more consistent. Play a critical role in system design, architecture, and execution. Travel across North America to customer sites to validate system functionality and testing (up to approximately 20%) What We are Looking For BS in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related discipline At least 15+ years' experience in similar position in the industry Working knowledge required in: Windows Server configurations, VMWare, HyperV, Java, database (ORACLE and MS SQL-Sever), Visual Basic, and C++; C#, Java Script Excellent communication and customer service mindset Organization, analytical, reasoning and problem solving. Maintaining accurate and detailed records Excellent team and communications skills May provide technical assistance to support staff and other employees. Passion for problem solving and executing with excellence. Knowledge of industrial automation.