Software Development Engineer

AV; Herndon (VA); On-site; USD 83,500 - 208,750; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

401(k) with company matching

9/80 work schedule

Paid holiday shutdown

Job summary

AeroVironment, Inc. is seeking a Software Development Engineer in Chantilly, VA. The role focuses on building and maintaining mission-critical applications with a strong engineering foundation.

The position requires working on-site at least three days per week with two days remote, and involves modern tooling, AWS, and Agile practices to deliver impactful solutions.

Qualifications

• Active TS/SCI clearance with Polygraph
• 4+ years of relevant experience
• Experience with AWS tools and services
• Experience in small teams using Agile methodologies
• Writes clear, well‑structured code with tests
• Applies solid software engineering principles for modifiability and reliability
• Follows software process management during coding
• Supports documentation and process improvement
• Able to analyze and design solutions autonomously
• Leads small tasks in coordination with others

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and evolve applications with solid engineering principles and Agile methodologies.
• Work with Kubernetes and related technologies.
• Deliver high‑quality, maintainable, fault‑tolerant code in an agile team.
• Support documentation, design, and process improvement activities.
• Work autonomously on well‑defined problems and lead small tasks with others.
• Ship solutions with tangible real‑world impact.

Skills

TS/SCI clearance

Agile methodologies

AWS experience

Automated testing

Autonomous coding

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS or related

Tools

Git

Selenium

Kubernetes

Terraform

Ansible

React

Tailwind

TypeScript

JavaScript

NestJS

Scala

Akka

FluxCD

Playwright

GoLang

Job description

The Software Development Engineer role is for someone who wants to do more than just push code and sit through meetings that could’ve been emails. You’ll join a high‑performing, genuinely smart team in Chantilly, VA, working on mission‑critical systems that actually matter. The position is based in Chantilly with a minimum of three days per week on site and two days remotely.

Position Responsibilities

• Design, build, and evolve applications using solid engineering principles and Agile methodologies that the team actually believes in.
• Work with modern tools and remain comfortable in Kubernetes and related technologies.
• Deliver high‑quality, maintainable, fault‑tolerant code in a responsive agile team environment.
• Support documentation, design, and process improvement activities.
• Work autonomously on well‑defined problems and lead small tasks in coordination with other technical resources.
• Ship solutions that do something tangible and provide real world impact.

Basic Qualifications

• Active TS/SCI with Polygraph Clearance.
• Minimum 4 years of relevant experience.
• A Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related discipline may substitute for 4 years of experience; a Master's Degree may substitute for 6 years; a Ph.D. may substitute for 7 years.
• Experience developing and deploying solutions using AWS tools and services.
• Experience working in a small team practicing Agile Methodologies.
• Writes clear, well–structured code with comprehensive tests in a responsive agile team environment.
• Applies sound software engineering principles to ensure code is modifiable, efficient, reliable, understandable, and fault‑tolerant.
• Follows software process management and control throughout the coding portion of the development process.
• Supports documentation, design, and process improvement activities.
• Analyzes, designs, and implements solutions autonomously for well‑defined problems.
• Leads small tasks in coordination with other technical resources.

Other Qualifications & Desired Competencies

• Experience with AWS Cloud and AWS Certifications.
• Experience enhancing software to reduce operating time or improve efficiency.
• Experience developing and maintaining applications while addressing accessibility concerns.
• Experience with Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery (CI/CD).

Tech Stack Experience (Preferred)

• Git, Selenium, Kubernetes, Terraform, Ansible, React, Tailwind, TypeScript, JavaScript, NestJS, Scala, Akka, FluxCD, Playwright, GoLang.

Bonus Points If

• You know the difference between “it works on my machine” and “it works everywhere.”
• You’ve automated something that made you feel like a wizard for at least 3 minutes.
• You’ve debugged a problem at 4:59 PM and lived to tell the story.
• If you don’t know every single tool listed, stay curious, capable, and able to figure things out without instantly opening dozens of tabs.

Salary Range: $83,500.00 - $208,750.00

ITAR Requirement

This position requires access to information that is subject to compliance with the International Traffic Arms Regulations (ITAR) and/or the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). Applicants will be asked to provide documentation to verify U.S. person status.

• 120.15. Some positions require current U.S. Citizenship due to contract requirements.

Benefits

AV offers an excellent benefits package including medical, dental, vision, 401(k) with company matching, a 9/80 work schedule, and a paid holiday shutdown.

Equal Opportunity Employer

We are proud to be an EEO/AA Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability/veterans. AeroVironment, Inc. is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer and welcomes all qualified applicants. Qualified applicants will receive fair and impartial consideration without regard to race, sex, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, genetic data, sexual orientation, gender identity, or other legally protected status.

Additional Information

Principals only need apply. NO agencies please.