SETA/Research Engineer

Arena Technical Resources, LLC (ATR); Bethesda (MD); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Arena Technical Resources, LLC (ATR) is looking for a SETA/Research Engineer based in Bethesda, MD. This role involves supporting government program managers in high-risk, high-payoff research through coordinating research programs and ensuring adherence to best project management practices.

The ideal candidate will possess a Bachelor's or Master's degree in a technical field and have significant experience in telecommunications systems and advanced sensor technologies, along with an active TS/SCI with CI Polygraph clearance.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of experience in physics, engineering, or computer science.
• 4 years of experience in telecommunications systems.
• Experience with advanced sensing technologies and testing equipment.

Responsibilities

• Support program managers in monitoring and integrating technical aspects of their programs.
• Coordinate across various research teams for project deliverables.
• Prepare technical reports and briefings for senior leadership.

Skills

Telecommunications systems

Signal processing

Biometric sensing modalities

Advanced sensor system design

Programming languages (LabVIEW, Python, MATLAB, C/C++)

Machine learning

Education

Bachelor's degree in applied physics, electrical engineering, systems engineering, computer science or related

Master's degree or PhD in relevant field

Tools

Spectrum analyzers

Oscilloscopes

RF test platforms

Wireless communications testbeds

Commercial off-the-shelf sensing devices

Job description

Job Title

SETA/Research Engineer

Location

Bethesda, MD

Eligibility

Candidate must possess an active TS/SCI with CI Polygraph clearance.

Overview

We are seeking a Scientific, Engineering, and Technical Assistance (SETA) Support Specialist to join our team in support of a government research organization dedicated to investing in high-risk, high-payoff research programs to tackle some of the most difficult challenges of national security.

The successful candidate will support the government program managers in the execution of the lifecycle of various research programs to include development of source selection materials, execution assistance, closeout, and transition. The SETA should be competent in Research and Development (R&D) programmatic reviews and procedures. The candidate will also be responsible for ensuring that project management best practices are followed by the individual programs to include performers, independent verification and validation (IV&V) entities, and within the government research organization itself.

The research programs you would support focus on developing advanced sensor and transmission technologies, innovative collection techniques that more precisely target desired information, and methods for collecting information from previously inaccessible sources. Additional efforts explore new approaches for integrating information from multiple sources to improve the quality, reliability, and operational utility of collected data.

Responsibilities

• Support the program managers in coordination, monitoring, communication, and integration of all technical aspects of the Program lifecycle that includes:
  • Coordinate across government, academic, and industry research teams.
  • Review and assess technical deliverables, milestones, and evaluation results.
  • Track risks, dependencies, and integration issues across performers.
  • Prepare reports, technical summaries, and briefings for senior leadership.
  • Serve as a liaison between performers, Test & Evaluation contributors, government and transition partners.
  • Provide support for program related requirements for systems integration, design, development, modeling and simulation, data analytics and architecture design.
  • Stay current on advances in technologies relevant to the research programs and perform technical studies as requested on topics of interest to the program managers.
  • Provide technical support and expertise on new concepts relevant to the program managers.
  • Support the evaluation of Seedling concepts.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in applied physics, electrical engineering, systems engineering, computer science, or a related technical field, with six plus (6+) years of work experience in one of these fields, or Master's degree with two plus (2+) years of work experience.
• Four (4) years of experience or equivalent education involving telecommunications systems, radio frequency (RF) sensing, signal processing, biometric sensing modalities, and/or advanced sensor system design and evaluation.
• Two (2) years of experience or equivalent education using test and measurement equipment relevant to advanced sensing technologies, such as spectrum analyzers, oscilloscopes, RF test platforms, wireless communications testbeds, biometric sensor test systems, or commercial off‑the‑shelf sensing devices.
• One (1) year of experience managing a multi-disciplinary research and development R&D or Test and Evaluation (T&E) teams.
• Two (2) years of experience creating program plans, work break down structures, and milestone schedules for R&D efforts.

Desired

• Master's degree or PhD in applied physics, electrical engineering, systems engineering, computer science, or related fields, with four plus (4+) years of work experience.
• Four (4) years of experience with programming languages or tools commonly used in sensing, data analysis, or experimental automation, such as LabVIEW, Python, MATLAB, C/C++, or embedded systems software.
• Two (2) years of experience with machine learning, pattern recognition, biometrics analytics, RF signal classification, or other AI/ML methods relevant to sensing applications.
• Two (2) years of experience in the Intelligence Community (IC), including experience with requirements, CONOPS, and transition.
• Awareness of supply chain, security, and integration considerations for commercial off‑the‑shelf sensing technologies, telecommunications hardware, and RF components.
• Four (4) years of experience managing a multi-disciplinary research and development (R&D) or Test and Evaluation (T&E) team.
• One (1) year of experience as a Project Manager or Deputy Project Manager.