Software Engineer Lead - Simulator Systems

Job Title:

Software Engineer Lead - Simulator Systems

Job Description

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.

Responsibilities

* 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.

Essential Skills

* 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.

Additional

Skills & Qualifications

* 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.

Work…