Associate Software Engineer

Software Engineering Institute | Carnegie Mellon University • Pittsburgh, PA

3d • Onsite

About The Position

The Associate Software Engineer will join Carnegie Mellon University’s Software Engineering Institute (SEI), on its Enabling Edge Intelligence (E2I) team. E2I connects AI and edge systems research with real-world deployment, designing and optimizing intelligent edge systems for resource-constrained environments where safety, reliability, and performance are essential.

In this role, the engineer will collaborate with faculty, researchers, and industry partners to prototype, mature, and transition technologies to government and defense organizations. The position involves applying software engineering practices across the software development life cycle, developing and deploying software, and using AI-assisted and agentic tools to improve coding, debugging, and deployment workflows. The role is based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and includes less than 10% travel to engage with the CMU community, present at conferences, and work with sponsor organizations. The employee must be able to obtain and maintain a Department of War security clearance, which requires a background investigation.

Requirements

• Bachelor of Science or higher in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• At least 3 years of hands-on experience designing, developing, and deploying software systems.
• Solid foundation in software engineering principles across the full software development life cycle.
• Strong coding skills in at least one core language, such as Python, C++, C, or Java.
• Practical experience deploying software into local or cloud environments, with familiarity in DevOps practices and CI/CD pipelines.
• Experience leveraging generative AI and agentic tools to streamline coding, debugging, and deployment workflows.
• Curiosity and enthusiasm for learning new languages, frameworks, and edge technologies.
• Comfort using software management and orchestration platforms such as Git, Atlassian Suite, and Docker/K8s.
• Exceptional analytical skills and ability to articulate technical concepts clearly within multidisciplinary, agile teams.
• Willingness to travel less than 10%.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a Department of War security clearance, requiring a background investigation.

Nice To Haves

• At least 3 years of hands-on experience designing, developing, and deploying edge systems or performance-critical software.
• Hands-on experience building, testing, or deploying agentic AI systems.
• Background or strong interest in software architecture and edge system optimization.
• Practical exposure to AI/ML model training, evaluation, and systems integration.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and deploy software systems.
• Collaborate with faculty, researchers, and industry partners to prototype, mature, and transition technologies to government and defense organizations.
• Apply software engineering principles across the full software development life cycle.
• Deploy software in local or cloud environments and use DevOps practices and CI/CD pipelines.
• Use generative AI and agentic tools to streamline coding, debugging, and deployment workflows.
• Travel, less than 10%, to engage with the CMU community, present at conferences, and work alongside sponsor organizations.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level