SR SOFTWARE ENGINEER - III with Security Clearance

ASD; Redondo Beach (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

ASD seeks an Engineer Software 3 to support the Western Region Software Engineering department in a 100% on-site SCIF role in Redondo Beach, CA. The position focuses on ground software development and Operations & Maintenance contracts.

You will design, develop, test, and review software in C++, Java, and Python, contribute to cloud-native architectures, and collaborate with systems engineers and product owners to deliver reliable, scalable solutions while adhering to security and DevSecOps

Qualifications

• 12 years of relevant experience with a Bachelor's degree; 10 years with a Master's; 8 years with a PhD; 4 years may substitute for a degree.
• Distributed systems experience in Linux environments and git.
• Proficiency in C++ with strong Python/Java skills.
• Active TS or SCI security clearance is required or achievable within a reasonable time.

Responsibilities

• Designs, develops, documents, tests and debugs applications and systems; collaborates with systems engineers for data processing in satellite ground systems software.
• Define architecture for containerized, cloud-deployed mission planning system and maintain technical roadmap.
• Collaborate with product owners and engineers to refine requirements into scalable designs and define non-functional requirements.
• Review implementations in Java, Python, and C++ for standards compliance.
• Establish architectural standards, patterns and best practices (microservices vs modular monolith, APIs, event-driven).
• Support CI/CD pipeline design, automated testing, and DevSecOps for cloud deployments.
• Perform design and code reviews focusing on reliability and maintainability.
• Participate in risk identification and mitigation related to architecture choices.
• Demonstrate strong communication skills with technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Experience with Kafka or other asynchronous communication protocols.

Skills

Advanced object-oriented programming

Python programming

Strong communication

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

PhD

Tools

C++

Java

Python

Linux

Git

Kafka

Job description

Engineer Software 3 to support the Western Region Software Engineering department. As a member of this department you’ll get to support Ground Software Development and Operations & Maintenance contracts. This position will serve 100% on-site in a SCIF in Redondo Beach, CA.

Responsibilities

• Designs, develops, documents, tests and debugs applications software and systems that contain logical and mathematical solutions. Conducts multidisciplinary research and collaborates with systems engineers in the planning, design, development, and utilization of data processing systems for satellite ground systems software.
• Support the architecture definition of existing and new capabilities for a containerized, cloud-deployed mission planning system. Develop and maintain the technical roadmap, aligning architecture decisions with product and program milestones.
• Collaborate with product owners, systems engineers, and developers to refine requirements into scalable technical designs. Define non-functional requirements (performance, reliability, security, scalability, observability).
• Review and guide implementation in Java, Python, and/or C++ to ensure alignment with architecture and coding standards.
• Establish and enforce architectural standards, patterns, and best practices (e.g., microservices vs modular monolith, API design, event-driven architecture).
• Support CI/CD pipeline design, automated testing, and DevSecOps practices for cloud-hosted, containerized deployments.
• Perform design and code reviews with a focus on reliability, testability, and maintainability.
• Participate in risk identification and mitigation related to architecture and technology choices.
• Demonstrate strong communication skills, with the ability to explain complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Basic Qualifications for Engineer Software 3 12 years of relevant experience with Bachelor's degree; 10 years of relevant experience with Master's degree; 8 years of relevant experience with PhD; an additional 4 years of relevant experience may be considered in lieu of degree Must have the ability to obtain SCI within a reasonable period of time as determined by the company prior to start date Working knowledge of Advanced Object-Oriented programming skills and proficiency with C++ programming Strong programming skills in Python
• Prior experience designing and implementing distributed systems. Experience developing in a Linux environment using git

Demonstrated problem solving and decision making skills

Active TS or SCI security clearance

Preferred Qualifications for Engineer Software 3

Familiarity with CI/CD and modern DevSecOps practices (e.g., automated testing, container image scanning, infrastructure as code). Experience designing and deploying cloud applications, including event-driven architectures, microservices, and Kafka-based solutions.

Experience With Kafka Or Other Asynchronous Communication Protocols.

Experience with programming/scripting languages: C, Java, Python, Perl

Ability to read and utilize CAMEO (e.g., sequence diagrams, component diagrams) to communicate designs to stakeholders.

Strong skills in math and algorithms

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to interface with all levels of employees, management, and stakeholders

Previous participation on an Agile scrum team or familiarity with the Agile process

Familiarity with the Atlassian Tool Suite (Confluence, Jira, Bitbucket, Bamboo)

Knowledge of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) operating system

Active SCI security clearance