DevSecOps Research Computing Software Engineer

Penn State University; United States; On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Penn State University is seeking a Research Computing Software Engineer to join the Reston, VA site in the Digital Engineering Department of the ARL. You will build, configure, and advance HPC environments to support DoW modeling and simulation, and develop software solutions for computational research.

Work includes developing infrastructure as code, integrating with HPC and cloud platforms, and collaborating with researchers and engineers to optimize performance and deploy new features.

Qualifications

• Requires an Associate or Bachelor's degree with 2+ years of relevant experience.
• Eligibility for access to classified information at the Secret level.
• Experience with infrastructure-as-code and automation (e.g., Ansible).

Responsibilities

• Develop, deploy, and maintain software applications and IaC for research computing.
• Optimize performance of HPC and cloud integrations.
• Collaborate with researchers and systems engineers to ensure tool integration.
• Lead or participate in software projects across planning, development, testing, and deployment.
• Provide support and troubleshooting for research computing tools.

Skills

CI/CD pipelines

Automation scripting

HPC integration

Cloud platforms

Performance optimization

AI/LLMs awareness

Education

Associate Degree

Bachelor's Degree

Tools

Ansible

Job description

POSITION SPECIFICS

We are searching for a Research Computing Software Engineer to join our Reston, VA location of the Digital Engineering Department at the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL) at Penn State. You will work to build, configure, and advance high-performance computing (HPC) environments to support DoW (Department of War) Modeling & Simulation. You will work with researchers to develop and maintain software solutions to support the computational and data analysis needs of the DoW, and design, code, test, and optimize our Infrastructure as Code (IaC) to enhance research capabilities and automated our deployments.

ARL is an authorized DoD SkillBridge partner and welcomes all transitioning military members to apply.

You will:

• Develop, deploy, enhance, and maintain software applications, infrastructure-as-code, and tools to support research computing needs
• Write clean, well-documented, and maintainable code using largely infrastructure automation scripts and tooling to include Ansible
• Integrate software solutions with existing research computing infrastructure, including high-performance computing (HPC) systems and cloud platforms
• Collaborate with systems engineers and researchers to ensure seamless integration and functionality of software tools within the research environment
• Analyze and optimize the performance of software applications, ensuring they meet the high demands of computational research
• Identify and address performance bottlenecks, memory usage issues, and other technical challenges
• Provide technical support and troubleshooting for software issues, assisting researchers in overcoming obstacles
• Stay up to date with advancements in software engineering and computational research technologies including enhancing our efforts to leverage AI and LLMs
• Propose and implement new features, improvements, and updates to enhance the functionality and usability of software tools
• Lead or participate in software development projects, including planning, development, testing, and deployment phases
• May supervise staff members, including hiring, development, and performance management

Required Skills/Experience areas include:

• Ability to integrate software solutions with existing research computing infrastructure, including high‑performance computing (HPC) environments and cloud platforms through CI/CD pipelines and automation of scripts
• Skill in analyzing and optimizing software performance to meet the demands of computational research workloads
• Capability to develop, deploy, enhance, and maintain software applications and tools that support research computing activities
• Proficiency in writing clean, well‑documented, and maintainable code or scripts
• Current eligibility for access to classified information at the Secret level or higher and may be subject to a government background investigation to upgrade clearance eligibility

Preferred Skills/Experience areas include :

• Ability to lead or contribute to software development projects across planning, development, testing, and deployment phases.
• Skill in managing project timelines, deliverables, and milestones to ensure successful and timely completion of software initiatives.
• Capacity to supervise staff members when needed, including participating in hiring, supporting employee development, and assisting with performance management activities.

Your working location will be onsite in Reston VA . Options exist for hybrid of on-site/work from home based on project-dependent ability. Questions related to flexible work should be directed to the hiring manager during the interview process.

MINIMUM EDUCATION, WORK EXPERIENCE & REQUIRED CERTIFICATIONS

If filled as Scientific Computing Engagement Specialist (ARL) - Intermediate Professional, this position requires:

• Associate Degree
• 2+ years of relevant experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience accepted
• Required Certifications: None

If filled as Scientific Computing Software Specialist (ARL) - Professional, this position requires:

• Bachelor's Degree
• No prior relevant work experience required; previous relevant work experience accepted in lieu of education.
• Required Certifications: None

ARL's purpose is to research