Software Engineer Lead – Simulator Systems

Job Title:

Software Engineer Lead – Simulator Systems

The Software Engineer Lead – Simulator Systems provides technical leadership for the design, development, integration, and sustainment of real‑time simulator and training systems. This role leads software teams working on complex, distributed simulation environments with a strong focus on real‑time performance, interoperability, and high‑fidelity training capabilities. The position combines hands‑on engineering with team leadership, architecture definition, and close collaboration with cross‑functional stakeholders.

• Lead the technical design, implementation, and modification of simulator software systems from concept through sustainment.

• Oversee the day‑to‑day technical work of teams of approximately 2–10 software engineers, ensuring alignment with project objectives.

• Assign tasks to team members, monitor progress, and intervene when needed to maintain schedule, quality, and technical direction.

• Plan and conduct design reviews and code reviews for simulator and real‑time software components, ensuring thorough and constructive feedback.

• Resolve technical disagreements within the team and ensure review comments are properly addressed and dispositioned.

• Ensure team compliance with applicable engineering standards, policies, and procedures throughout the development lifecycle.

• Provide project status updates and accurate Estimates‑to‑Complete to the Project Manager and other stakeholders.

• Mentor, train, and onboard new team members while supporting the ongoing professional development of existing engineers.

• Provide technical input and recommend corrective actions when issues arise in design, implementation, or integration.

• Support proposal efforts by contributing simulator architectures, solution designs, and cost and schedule estimates.

• Develop and modify real‑time simulation software to support training and mission‑focused systems.

• Implement software components that support simulator frameworks, runtime engines, and interfaces.

• Define software work products in alignment with requirements and industry‑standard development methods.

• Perform unit testing and adhere to coding, performance, and real‑time standards to ensure robust and efficient software.

• Expert‑level C++ development experience, including strong proficiency in modern language features and best practices.

• Hands‑on experience with Distributed Interactive Simulation (DIS) in real‑time or training environments.

• Hands‑on experience with High Level Architecture (HLA) for distributed simulation and interoperability.

• Direct experience developing, integrating, or supporting real‑time simulation systems.

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related technical field.

• 10+ years of professional software development experience.

• Experience working in Linux and/or Windows operating system environments.

• Strong knowledge of software architectures and design methodologies for complex systems.

• Strong knowledge of procedural and object‑oriented programming paradigms.

• Experience working in Agile or Scrum development environments.

• Experience with configuration management tools to manage source code, baselines, and releases.

• Experience developing software to defined requirements and/or synthesizing and refining requirements into implementable designs.

• Flight simulator and/or helicopter simulator experience, which is a major plus.

• Experience with full motion flight simulators, avionics simulators, instructor/operator stations (IOS), and simulator back‑end servers.

• Hands‑on experience with Semi‑Automated Forces (SAF) systems.

• Experience working with image generators (IGs) used in visual simulation.

• Experience with flight dynamics or flight modeling software.

• Experience with datalink and tactical simulation software.

• Experience with interoperable and distributed simulation environments beyond DIS/HLA.

• Experience with real‑time rendering engines and immersive simulation technologies.

• Experience supporting AR, VR, XR, or mixed‑reality simulation environments.

This is an on‑site position based in Orlando, FL, working primarily within a…