Autonomy Algorithms Lead Software Engineer

STR; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 173,000 - 216,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

None

Job summary

STR’s Analytics & C2 Division seeks an Autonomy Algorithms Lead Software Engineer to design and implement advanced autonomous algorithms for unmanned platforms. You will guide a small engineering team through prototypes to production, contributing to mission planning and automated control pipelines.

The role supports a hybrid work model with some on-site work in Arlington, VA or Woburn, MA, and requires a Top Secret clearance with SCI eligibility.

Qualifications

• Active Top Secret clearance with SCI eligibility is required.
• BS in Computer Science or related technical field is required.
• 7+ years of software experience in relevant fields.
• 5+ years of backend algorithm development experience.
• Not interested in frontend UI/UX or DB management.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, implement, and test autonomous algorithms and software.
• Provide technical leadership and mentoring across teams.
• Work from prototypes to integrated systems throughout the SDLC.
• Develop tools for mission planning, automated control, and CI/CD pipelines.

Skills

C++/Java

Backend algorithms

Leadership

Agile development

Security clearance

Education

BS in Computer Science or related field

Tools

JIRA

Confluence

GitLab

Job description

Autonomy Algorithms Lead Software Engineer

Arlington, VA

About the Team:

STR’s Analytics& C2Division develops novel technologies to solve challenging national security problems through advanced analytics. Our team consists of passionate and motivated individuals with degrees in engineering, computer science, mathematics, physics, and data science. We use our expertiseand creativity to take innovative ideas from conception to mature implementationin order to improve mission success.

TheCollaborative Autonomy and Control(CAC) Group in the AC2Division works tobuild software systems that solve critical problems in the areas of uncrewed system autonomy, multi-agent collaboration, resource management, and control. Byleveragingexpertiseinmachine learning, algorithms,model-predictive control,and software development, we build tools thatsupporttacticalmission planningand execution, autonomous reasoning, and more.

The Role:

As an Autonomy AlgorithmsLeadSoftware Engineer,you will work as part of a tightly knit team to design, develop, implement, integrate, test, anddemonstrateadvanced algorithms and software systems for autonomous platforms. You will provide technical leadership and mentoring on programs working throughout the software and system development lifecycle, from early prototypes to integrated systems. Your work will develop a diverse set of software tools and applications for mission planning systems, automated control processes, unmanned platforms,DevSecOps, and CI/CD pipelines. This position is based in Woburn, MAorArlington, VA,and will take advantage of STR’s flexible, hybrid environment – when the work does not require use of STR’s facilities, you are welcome to work remotely.

Who You Are:

• Active Top Secret clearance with SCI eligibility, for which U.S citizenship is needed by the U.S government
• BS in Computer Science or related technical field with7+ yearsofexperience
• 5+ years of experience with C++ or Java
• Full stack development experience with a heavy focus on backend algorithmic development
• Proven understanding of data structures, algorithms, concurrency, and code optimization of backend executables
• Proven ability to develop, implement, integrate, and test autonomy algorithms and software
• Not interested in Front end UI/UX or database management/interaction
• Proven ability to work with research scientists to transition complex mathematical algorithmic concepts to software application
• Proven ability to proactively lead and manage modest size engineering teams (5+ engineers) through complete Agile development lifecycle including task definition, delegation, and maintenance
• Demonstrated success driving industry best practices in areas such as code review, unit testing, test coverage, static analysis, etc., to ensure mature, high quality software products
• Experience in leading system/software architecture design
• Comfortable working both with internal leadership and external customers in the development and execution of software product plans
• Experience utilizing the following:
  • Object-Oriented Programming principles for large scale systems
  • Agile software lifecycle methodologies and tools, such as JIRA, Confluence, Gitlab, static analysis, etc
  • Test-driven development methodologies
• A demonstrated ability to adopt new languages, libraries, and technologies

Even Better:

• MS or PhD in Computer Science or related technical field
• Experience with the following:
  • Collection Orchestration
  • Satellite Constellation Management
  • Containerization and service-based architectures
  • Coordinating Electronic Warfare resources
  • Reinforcement learning
  • Agentic AI
  • Programming for embedded and physical devices
  • Multi-agent coordination of UxVs
  • MAVLINK or other C2 protocols
  • ROS
  • TAK
  • DevSecOps and CI/CD tool chains
  • Constraint satisfaction algorithms
  • Knowledge representation/ontologies
  • Python

Pay Information

Full-Time Salary Range: $173,000 - $216,000

The salary range listed is based on external market data. Offers are based on factors, such as but not limited to, the candidate’s experience, education, training, key skills/critical skills, security clearances, and prevailing market and business conditions.

STR is a growing technology company with locations near Boston, MA, Arlington, VA, near Dayton, OH, Melbourne, FL, and Carlsbad, CA. We specialize in advanced research and development for defense, intelligence, and national security in: cyber; next generation sensors, radar, sonar, communications, and electronic warfare; and artificial intelligence algorithms and analytics to make sense of the complexity that is exploding around us.

STRis committed to creating a collaborative learning environment that supports deep technical understanding and recognizes the contributions and achievements of all team members. Our work is challenging, and we go home at night knowing that we pushed the envelope of technology and made the world safer.

STR is not just any company. Our people, culture, and attitude along with their unique set of skills, experiences, and perspectives put us on a trajectory to change the world. We can't do it alone, though - we need fellow trailblazers. If you are one, join our team and help to keep our society safe! Visit us at www.str.us for more info.

STRis an equal opportunity employer. We are fully dedicated to hiring the most qualified candidate regardless of race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

If you need a reasonable accommodation for any portion of the employment process, email us at [e-mail] and provide your contact info.

Pursuant to applicable federal law and regulations, positions at STR require employees to obtain national security clearances and satisfy the requirements for compliance with export control and other applicable laws.

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in STR’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

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A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

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