Lead Software Engineer

STR; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

STR’s Intelligence Division researches, develops, and transitions advanced analytics and ML solutions for national-security problems. This Lead Software Engineer role drives mission-critical software, translating customer needs into executable plans and owning project delivery with cross-functional teams.

You will guide architecture, implementation, integration, testing, and transition, while collaborating with researchers, mission partners, and DevSecOps to ensure secure, scalable systems.

Qualifications

• PhD/MS/BS with substantial software development experience in CS/SE/CE or related field.
• Proficiency in Python, C++, Java, Go with production-quality software.
• Experience leading software development efforts and major workstreams.

Responsibilities

• Lead software project execution from requirements to deployment and sustainment.
• Translate customer objectives into requirements, architectures, and plans.
• Lead and mentor software engineers and collaborate with systems researchers and DevSecOps.
• Decompose work, manage risks, interfaces, and progress toward objectives.
• Oversee architecture across services, data pipelines, ML integrations, UIs and deployment.

Skills

Python

C++

Java

Go

Git

CI/CD

Containers

Distributed systems

Leadership

Education

PhD with 2+ years

MS with 6+ years

BS with 8+ years

Tools

Git

Docker

Kubernetes

Job description

STR’s Intelligence Division researches, develops, and transitions advanced analytics and machine-learning solutions for challenging national-security problems. Our team includes engineers and researchers with advanced backgrounds in engineering, computer science, mathematics, and data science who apply deep technical expertise and creativity to mission-critical challenges.

Our work spans data analysis, deep learning, and statistical methods across networking, communications, social media, text, time series, geospatial, and imagery data. We develop capabilities under constraints not typically encountered in commercial environments. U.S. Government analysts use our tools and technologies to extract, enrich, and act on intelligence information worldwide.

The Role

As a Lead Software Engineer, you will lead the technical execution of mission-relevant software systems that operationalize advanced analytics, machine learning, and data-processing capabilities. You will apply software and systems engineering expertise to develop scalable, secure, maintainable applications that operate in complex customer environments.

You will work with software engineers, systems engineers, researchers, and mission partners to translate customer needs into executable technical plans. You will own technical delivery for an assigned project or major subsystem, guiding architecture, implementation, integration, testing, demonstration, and transition.

What You Will Do:

• Lead project execution: Lead software development from requirements definition through implementation, integration, test, demonstration, deployment, and sustainment
• Translate mission needs into plans: Convert customer objectives into requirements, architectures, development plans, milestones, performance measures, and acceptance criteria
• Lead the technical team: Lead and mentor software engineers and collaborate with systems engineers, researchers, DevSecOps personnel, and mission partners
• Manage technical work: Decompose complex work into actionable tasks; manage dependencies, technical risks, interfaces, and progress toward program objectives
• Own project architecture: Design and oversee architectures spanning services, APIs, data pipelines, databases, ML integrations, user interfaces, and deployment infrastructure
• Drive integration and quality: Lead design reviews, code reviews, integration activities, testing, customer demonstrations, and release readiness; ensure reliability, security, maintainability, and performance
• Support growth and transition: Contribute technical content to proposals, customer engagements, and transition planning while ensuring delivered capabilities are reusable and mission relevant

Who You Are:

• Education and experience: PhD with 2+ years, MS with 6+ years, or BS with 8+ years of relevant experience in computer science, software engineering, computer engineering, or a related technical discipline
• Clearance eligibility: Ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance, for which U.S citizenship is needed by the U.S government
• Technical delivery leadership: Experience leading software development efforts or major workstreams involving applications, services, distributed systems, data platforms, or related domains
• Systems engineering: Experience translating customer needs into software requirements, designs, development plans, test plans, and integrated capabilities
• Software development: Proficiency in one or more programming languages, such as Python, C++, Java, Go, or similar languages, with experience developing and maintaining production-quality software
• Engineering practices: Experience with Git, code review, automated testing, CI/CD, containers, issue tracking, documentation, and secure software-development practices
• Communication and collaboration: Ability to lead technical discussions, communicate risks and tradeoffs, and work effectively with customers and multidisciplinary teams

Even Better

• Clearance: Active Secret, Top Secret, or TS/SCI security clearance
• Architecture experience: Experience designing system or software architectures for distributed, data-intensive, real-time, cloud, on-premises, or edge systems
• DevSecOps experience: Experience with CI/CD, infrastructure automation, container orchestration, cloud platforms, monitoring, logging, and security tooling
• Large codebase experience: Experience developing software in large, multi-team code bases using collaborative engineering practices
• Decentralized systems: Familiarity with message queues, stream processing, distributed computing, or microservices
• Customer and capture support: Experience supporting technical proposals, customer demonstrations, technical briefings, or capture activities with DoW or IC customers
• Modern development tools: Experience using LLM-enabled development tools, such as Cursor or Codex, in a secure and effective engineering workflow

Pay Information

Full-Time Salary Range: $180,000 - $230,000

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, Carlsbad, CA, Atlanta, GA, and Denver, CO. 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.