Senior Scene Generation Engineer

CFD Research Corporation; Huntsville (AL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) matching

Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)

Health, vision, and dental insurance

Paid leave & holidays

Bonuses for exceptional performance

Job summary

CFD Research is seeking a seasoned engineer to advance physics-based 3D radiometric scene generation for intelligence and defense applications. You will drive design, development, and validation across end-to-end pipelines, from requirements through deployment.

The role emphasizes collaboration across sensor modeling, graphics rendering, and ML components, with on-site work in Huntsville, AL and a strong focus on performance and verification.

Qualifications

• Candidate must be a U.S. Citizen and possess (or be eligible to obtain) and maintain a SECRET clearance.
• Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Physics, Computer Science, or a related STEM field.
• Minimum of 8 years of relevant industry experience.
• Demonstrated experience in physics-based EO/IR and/or RF scene generation.
• Strong foundation in radiometry, optics, electromagnetic theory, or physics as it applies to scene generation.
• Deep experience in software engineering (C/C++ or Python) and graphics/GPU acceleration frameworks (OpenGL, Vulkan, CUDA).
• Deep experience with version control systems such as Git and best practices in collaborative code development.
• Experience with real-time HWIL simulations, T&E, and V&V methodologies.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and validate physics-based 3D radiometric scene generation workflows.
• Bridge physical sensor modeling, graphics rendering, and machine learning pipelines.
• Contribute across the full software development lifecycle from requirements to deployment.
• Optimize performance for edge devices, desktops, and multi-GPU clusters.

Skills

C/C++

Python

Graphics/GPU acceleration

Git

HWIL/T&E/V&V

Physics-based scene generation

Radiometry/Optics/EM theory

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Engineering/Physics/CS

Master's Degree (preferred)

Tools

OpenGL

Vulkan

CUDA

FLITES

JSIG

Job description

About CFD Research: Since its inception in 1987, CFD Research has delivered innovative technology solutions within the Aerospace & Defense, Biomedical & Life Sciences, Intelligence & Sensing, and Energy & Materials industries. CFD Research has earned multiple national awards for successful application and commercialization of innovative component/system technology prototypes, multi-physics simulation software, multi-disciplinary analyses, and expert support services. Based in Huntsville, Alabama where laboratory facilities and headquarters are located, CFD Research also has office and laboratory facilities in Dayton, Ohio, prototyping test and evaluation facilities in Hollywood, Alabama, and office facilities in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. CFD Research is an ISO9001:AS9100D registered company and is appraised at CMMI Level II for Services. CFD Research is a 100% ESOP (employee-owned company) recognized in Inc. Magazine's Inc5000 as a top growing company for four of the last five years. Learn more at www.cfd-research.com

Job Description

The engineer in this role will join a multidisciplinary R&D team dedicated to researching, developing, and deploying software that advances end-to-end scene generation capabilities for intelligence and defense applications. This engineer will drive the design, development, and validation of physics-based 3D radiometric scene generation workflows, which encompasses synthetic environment modeling, sensor simulation, real-time rendering, post-processing, and synthetic data generation pipelines. Bridging physical sensor modeling, graphics rendering, and machine learning pipelines, the candidate will develop software products that enable the training and evaluation of advanced sensing algorithms across diverse platforms, including edge devices, desktop workstations, and multi-GPU clusters. The successful candidate will contribute across the full software development lifecycle, from requirements analysis and system architecture to testing, deployment, and performance optimization.

Basic Qualifications

• Candidate must be a U.S. Citizen and possess (or be eligible to obtain) and maintain a SECRET clearance
• Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Physics, Computer Science, or a related STEM field
• Minimum of 8 years of relevant industry experience
• Demonstrated experience in physics-based EO/IR and/or RF scene generation
• Strong foundation in radiometry, optics, electromagnetic theory, or physics as it applies to scene generation
• Deep experience in software engineering (e.g., C/C++ or Python) and graphics/GPU acceleration frameworks (OpenGL, Vulkan, CUDA)
• Deep experience with version control systems such as Git and best practices in collaborative code development
• Experience with real-time Hardware-in-the-Loop (HWIL) simulations, Test & Evaluation (T&E), and Verification & Validation (V&V) methodologies

Desired Qualifications

• Existing SECRET security clearance
• Master's Degree in Engineering, Physics, Computer Science, or a related STEM field
• Experience working with FLITES, JSIG, or similar scene generation/signature modeling tools
• Experience with real-time signal injection for operational sensor systems
• Hands-on experience with 3D scene construction, 3D modeling, and creating virtual environments
• Familiarity with photogrammetry techniques and processing real-world data into synthetic simulation assets

Location

This role is based in the Huntsville, AL area, and is 100% onsite.

Benefits

CFD Research offers competitive salaries and excellent employee benefits, including an employer matching 401(k) and Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). CFD Research offers our Full-Time, permanent employee-owners a highly competitive insurance package, including medical, vision, and dental insurance. Additionally, we offer company paid leave, compensation time, parental leave, long-term and short-term disability, accidental death and dismemberment, and life insurance. Part-Time and Temporary employee-owners may receive partial or reduced benefits and leave time based on their employment status level. Performance appraisals occur twice a year and annual pay increases are based upon corporate goals, personal development, performance, and outstanding achievements. In addition, group and individual bonuses are awarded for exceptional performance.

CFD Research is an EO employer - Veterans/Disabled and other protected categories