Research Software Engineer – DoD/ARL, On-Site PA

Penn State University; University Park (IL); On-site; USD 92,000 - 175,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

75% tuition discount

Comprehensive benefits

Job summary

Penn State University is seeking a Software Engineer for its Applied Research Laboratory (ARL). You will develop software for cutting‑edge communications research addressing national security challenges and support diverse platforms.

Expect work in Linux environments and modern DevOps tooling within a DoD-aligned program. Position is on-site at State College, PA, with opportunities to explore FPGA, signal processing, and UI/UX aspects as needed.

Qualifications

• Strong computer science fundamentals: data structures, algorithms, networking, distributed systems, memory management, security, databases, and hardware integration.
• Proficiency in C++ and C with strong object‑oriented programming principles.
• High‑performance algorithm design and software architecture expertise.
• Advanced Linux environment proficiency and experience with modern development tools.

Responsibilities

• Develop software solutions for cutting‑edge research in communications systems.
• Design applications, libraries, interfaces, and device drivers for diverse system‑level requirements.
• Implement and test algorithms across underwater, terrestrial, aerial, and space platforms.
• Create signal processing software for advanced communication systems.
• Apply your technical expertise to solve complex national security challenges.
• Expand your skills into new and adjacent technology areas.

Skills

Data structures

Algorithms

Networking

Distributed systems

Memory management

Security

Databases

C++

C

OOP principles

Linux

GitLab

JIRA

Confluence

Docker

Kubernetes

UI/UX development

Communication

Team collaboration

Troubleshooting

Python

Education

Bachelor’s Degree - Engineering or Science

Master’s degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

GitLab

JIRA

Confluence

Bamboo

Artifactory

Bitbucket

SonarQube

AWS

CMake

GDB

Vim

MATLAB

Python

Java

JavaScript

Job description

Penn State University is seeking a Software Engineer for its Applied Research Laboratory (ARL). You will develop software for cutting‑edge communications research addressing national security challenges and support diverse platforms.

Expect work in Linux environments and modern DevOps tooling within a DoD-aligned program. Position is on-site at State College, PA, with opportunities to explore FPGA, signal processing, and UI/UX aspects as needed.