R&D Software Engineer — National-Impact, Travel‑Heavy

The Applied Research Laboratory at Penn State University; Reston (VA); Hybrid; USD 111,000 - 241,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

75% tuition discount

Robust retirement plans

Generous paid time off

Job summary

The Applied Research Laboratory at Penn State University seeks analytical software engineers for the Strategic Systems Operation Division within the Information Advantage Office. This role focuses on software implementation, testing, and productization with travel to sponsor locations as required.

ARL is a DoD SkillBridge partner welcoming transitioning military members. You will collaborate with sponsors, engineers, and researchers to deliver high-impact software products in a

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or Computer Science required or higher.
• 5+ years of relevant experience (depending on specific role) and a strong software development background.
• Experience across full software development lifecycle, Linux/Windows environments, and modern development tools.

Responsibilities

• Apply software expertise to programs with national/international impact and identify research trends.
• Ensure technical excellence and on-time completion of tasks.
• Develop and deliver clear program status updates to stakeholders.
• Interact with engineering teams, sponsors, and PI’s.
• Contribute as a key member of a multi-disciplinary engineering team.

Skills

Python

C++

Java

Rust

Linux

Windows

OO design

Version control

Data structures

Cloud platforms

Docker

Kubernetes

CI/CD

Testing frameworks

Networking basics

Documentation

Education

Bachelor's/Master's/PhD in Computer Engineering or Computer Science

Tools

Git

CI/CD pipelines

Automated testing frameworks

Docker

Kubernetes

Job description

The Applied Research Laboratory at Penn State University seeks analytical software engineers for the Strategic Systems Operation Division within the Information Advantage Office. This role focuses on software implementation, testing, and productization with travel to sponsor locations as required.

ARL is a DoD SkillBridge partner welcoming transitioning military members. You will collaborate with sponsors, engineers, and researchers to deliver high-impact software products in a