Technical Lead

Society of Defense Financial Management; Arlington, Northern (VA, KY); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Tuition benefits

Generous time off

Retirement plan with 8% match

Onsite gym at Arlington facility

Relocation assistance

Parental and military leave

Job summary

The Software Engineering Institute (SEI) at Carnegie Mellon University seeks a Software Development Technical Leader to guide a development team in high‑performance C/C++ software for defense programs. This role demands architecture leadership, prototyping, and customer engagements.

Candidates should have TS/SCI clearance, strong C/C++ and Python skills, embedded software experience, and a proven track record in full lifecycle development with mentoring capabilities.

Qualifications

• Active TS/SCI DoD security clearance required.
• BS/MS/PhD with corresponding years of experience.
• Experience designing and implementing complex software architectures and systems.
• Proficiency in C and C++ with Python skills for analytics.
• Experience developing embedded software and interpreting performance results.
• Ability to mentor and lead developers across teams.
• Willingness to travel up to 25% to SEI offices and sponsor sites.

Responsibilities

• Lead software development projects from conception to deployment focusing on C/C++.
• Architect, design, and maintain design artifacts supporting scalable, high‑performance software.
• Mentor junior team members in architecture, design, and construction processes.
• Create prototypes to explore new technologies and solutions.
• Engage with customers to gather requirements and ensure alignment with business goals.
• Oversee code quality and security using static analysis tools.

Skills

C programming

C++ programming

Python

Software architecture

Team leadership

Mentoring

Education

BS in Computer Science or Electrical Engineering

MS in Computer Science or Electrical Engineering

PhD in related field

Tools

Static analysis tools

Embedded software development

Job description

Location: Pittsburgh, PA or Arlington, VA

What We Do:

SEI helps advance software engineering principles and practices and serves as a national resource in software engineering and computer security. The SEI works closely with academia, defense and government organizations, and industry to continually improve software-intensive systems. Our core purpose is to help organizations improve software engineering capabilities and develop or acquire the right software that is defect free, within budget and on time, every time.

Are you creative, curious, energetic, collaborative, technology-focused, and hard-working? Are you familiar with end-to-end software development activities and full-stack engineering? Apply to join our team.

About the role

We are looking for a Software Development Technical Leader with expertise in C and C++ to lead one of our development teams in crafting high-performance software solutions. This role involves guiding the development process, designing robust architectures, developing prototypes, analyzing existing software artifacts and leading customer engagements. The ideal candidate will have significant experience in full software lifecycle development, the ability analyze source code and mentor others on the architecture, design and construction process.

What you'll do

• Extensive experience with ground and space systems, including software acquisition, architecture, systems/software engineering, testing, and operations, with a deep understanding of the complexities involved in acquiring large, legacy-dependent systems.
• Demonstrated experience collaborating with senior customers, program managers, internal staff, and SEI leadership to assess and address customer needs effectively.
• Lead software development projects from conception to deployment, focusing on C and C++ programming languages.
• Demonstrated software architecture expertise by creating and maintaining design artifacts such as data flow diagrams, sequence diagrams, quality attribute specifications, and interface definitions to support scalable, maintainable, and high-performance software solutions.
• Mentor junior team members in the construction of software applications, integration of numerous components, analysis, and testing.
• Create prototypes to explore new technologies and solutions, quickly turning concepts into viable products.
• Spearhead customer engagements to gather requirements, provide technical consultations, and ensure alignment with business goals.
• Lead a team of developers while fostering a culture of continuous improvement and innovation, taking ownership of high-visibility tasks and deliverables for customers.
• Utilize static analysis tools to identify and rectify security vulnerabilities and code quality issues before deployment.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of industry trends, emerging technologies, and software development best practices.

Who you are:

• Candidates must possess an active TS/SCI DoD security clearance issued by the U.S. government. A counterintelligence polygraph is required or must be obtained upon request. Applicants must also meet additional customer-specific security requirements.
• You have a BS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related disciple with ten (10) years of experience; OR MS in the same fields with eight (8) years of experience; OR a PhD in the same fields with five (5) years of experience.
• Proven experience in designing and implementing complex software architectures and systems. The ability to identify, analyze, develop architecture drivers, tradeoffs, and extensibility is a must.
• Proficiency in the C, C++ software development languages
• Proficiency in Python for developing analytics and analyzing data
• Experience with developing embedded software, performance tests and interpreting the results
• Experience with static analysis tools and techniques for improving code quality and security
• Excellent problem-solving skills, strong analytical abilities, and a detail-oriented mindset
• Demonstrated willingness and commitment to collaborate with members of the U.S. Military and other U.S. Government stakeholders to ensure mission success
• Flexibility to travel to other SEI offices, sponsor sites, conferences, and offsite meetings on occasion. Moderate (25%) travel outside of your home location

Why work here?

Our benefits philosophy encompasses three driving priorities: choice, control, and well-being. Through Carnegie Mellon University, SEI offers a wide range of competitive employee benefits, including comprehensive health insurance, tuition benefits, generous time off, and a robust retirement savings policy to name a few.

• Join a world-class organization that has a significant impact on software in government.
• Work with cutting edge technologies and experts to solve tough problems for the government and the nation.
• Get an 8% monthly contribution for your retirement plan without having to contribute to it yourself.
• Get tuition benefits for you and your dependent children.
• Get access to university resources including mindfulness programs, a monthly transit benefit on WMATA, free onsite gym at our Arlington facility, etc.
• Enjoy paid parental and military leave.
• Qualify for relocation assistance and so much more.