Digital Engineering Developer

Draper Labs; Huntsville (AL); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Draper is seeking a MTS-2 Digital Engineering Developer in Huntsville, AL to design, develop, and maintain software infrastructure for national security programs. You will work under senior engineers, applying basic software development concepts and gaining hands-on experience with container technologies, while growing breadth through continuous learning.

Responsibilities include building Python/Java services, containerization with Docker/Podman, and contributing to CI/CD pipelines to ensure

Qualifications

• Proficiency in Python or Java for building data-driven services.
• Experience with container technologies and orchestration patterns.
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and automation tooling.
• Ability to work under supervision and learn from senior engineers.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and maintain Python/Java services that support data flows.
• Containerize and orchestrate applications using Docker/Podman in reproducible environments.
• Contribute to CI/CD pipelines and automated builds/tests/deployments.
• Collaborate with systems engineers to integrate software components in larger architectures.

Skills

Python

Java

Docker

Podman

CI/CD

Tools

GitLab CI

Jenkins

Job description

Overview:

Draper is an independent, nonprofit research and development company headquartered in Cambridge, MA. The 2,000+ employees of Draper tackle important national challenges with a promise of delivering successful and usable solutions. From military defense and space exploration to biomedical engineering, lives often depend on the solutions we provide. Our multidisciplinary teams of engineers and scientists work in a collaborative environment that inspires the cross-fertilization of ideas necessary for true innovation. For more information about Draper, visit www.draper.com.

Job Description Summary:

The MTS-2 Digital Engineering Developer will join the Digital Retrieval, Engineering, Architecture, and Management (DREAM) Group to design, develop, and maintain software centric infrastructure for multi domain national security programs. Working under senior engineers, the incumbent will apply basic software development knowledge to well defined problems, gain hands on experience with container technologies, and grow technical breadth through continuous learning.

Key Capability Areas:

• Technical Depth & Breadth: Apply foundational software engineering concepts to well scoped tasks and using the following languages (Python or Java) and tooling (Docker, Podman, CI/CD pipelines).
• Best Practice & QMS Adherence: Follow Draper's established processes and quality standards, suggesting improvements when appropriate.
• Growth Mindset: Pursue formal and informal learning to deepen expertise in software infrastructure and cloud native patterns.
• Problem Definition & Execution: Understand task level requirements, independently solve scoped problems, and conduct basic research when needed.
• Resource Utilization: Seek help and leverage available resources; collaborate across teams.
• Process Improvement: Identify and communicate task level inefficiencies to leadership.
• Project Management & Teamwork: Execute assignments on schedule, report issues promptly, and hold self accountable as an active team member.
• Professionalism & Mentoring: Maintain a respectful work environment and receive constructive feedback positively.

Core Responsibilities:

• Software Infrastructure Development Design, implement, and maintain Python and Java services that support data flow and analytics pipelines. Develop, containerize, and orchestrate applications using Docker and Podman, creating reproducible build environments.
• CI/CD & Automation Write scripts (Python/Bash) to automate builds, tests, and deployments into container registries and orchestration platforms. Contribute to continuous integration pipelines (e.g., GitLab CI, Jenkins) ensuring reliable delivery.
• System Integration & Support Collaborate with systems engineers to integrate software components into larger architectures (e.g., service oriented architecture). Provide support for cross domain data workflows, troubleshooting runtime issues in containerized environments.
• Process & Quality Adherence Follow Draper's QMS and best practice guidelines; suggest improvements when appropriate.
• Team Collaboration