R&D Engineer: Software Engineer

POSITION SPECIFICS

Your working location will be fully on-site in State College, PA, but options exist for limited hybrid of on-site/work from home, based on project-dependent ability. This role requires frequent travel to sponsor locations in the Beltway area and to associate contractor and second party locations within and outside the continental United States. Trip lengths may be up to 2 weeks in duration.

We are searching for analytical software engineers to join the Strategic Systems Operation Division within the Information Advantage Office at the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL) at Penn State. This role will focus on software implementation, test, and productization.

ARL is an authorized DoD Skill Bridge partner and welcomes all transitioning military members to apply.

• Apply your expertise in software to contribute to programs of national or international impact by identifying emerging challenges, research trends, and future opportunities

• Ensure technical excellence and on-time completion of all project tasks

• Develop and deliver clear updates on program status to Fleet-level personnel at both individual and community meetings

• Interact and collaborate regularly with the engineering team, principal investigator, sponsors, and other stakeholders

• Embrace ARL's mission to discover, demonstrate, transition, and educate while contributing as a key member of a multi-disciplinary engineering team

• Proficiency in one or more modern programming languages such as Python, C++, Java, or Rust

• Ability to design, implement, and maintain high-quality, scalable software solutions across the full development lifecycle

• Strong understanding of software development principles, including object-oriented design, modular architecture, and version control

• Experience developing, testing, and maintaining software in Linux and/or Windows environments

• Working knowledge of modern development tools (Git, CI/CD pipelines, automated testing frameworks)

• Knowledge of data structures, algorithms, and performance optimization

• Experience with cloud platforms, distributed systems, or container technologies (Docker, Kubernetes)

• Ability to produce clear, maintainable, and well-documented code

• Systematic troubleshooting of operating systems and input-output debugging

• Understanding of the network protocol stack

• Prior success collaborating with product owners, researchers, system engineers, and other stakeholders to translate requirements into well-architected technical designs

• Success in environments where various forms of communication and organizational skills were crucial to be effective

• Demonstrated capacity to balance detail-oriented thinking while maintaining the ability to see the "big picture"

• Demonstrated experience supporting transitional efforts

• Current eligibility for access to classified information at the Secret level or higher and may be subject to a government background investigation to upgrade clearance eligibility to the TS/SCI level

• Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD degree in Computer Engineering or Computer Science

If filled as R&D Engineer
- Software (ARL) - Advanced Professional, this position requires:
Bachelor's Degree
- Engineering or Science 5+ years of relevant experience Required

Certifications:

None If filled as R&D Engineer
- Software (ARL) - Intermediate Professional, this position requires:
Bachelor's Degree
- Engineering or Science 2+ years of relevant experience Required

Certifications:

None If filled as R&D Engineer
- Software (ARL) - Professional, this position requires:
Bachelor's Degree
- Engineering or Science No prior relevant work experience required Required

Certifica…