Principal Test Development Engineer

The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory•Cambridge, MA

3d•$95,000 - $245,000

About The Position

Draper is an independent, nonprofit research and development company headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with more than 2,000 employees. Its multidisciplinary engineering and science teams work on national challenges in areas including military defense, space exploration, and biomedical engineering. The posting describes a Software Engineer (PMTS) working on mission-oriented projects, including self-driving cars, unmanned vehicles, medical applications, and battlefield situational-awareness systems. In an Agile environment, the engineer converts customer requirements into functional, scalable software and contributes throughout the project lifecycle, from design and requirements through testing and field deployment. The position independently solves complex problems, serves as a subject matter expert, identifies and mitigates technical risks, leads system-architecture design, and leads a medium-sized, multidisciplinary team. Applicants selected for the position must obtain and maintain a government security clearance. The role is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The stated US base salary range is $95,000 to $245,000; compensation depends on location and job-related factors, and the range does not include bonuses or benefits. Draper describes work-life-balance programs, workplace flexibility, employee clubs, workshops, social events, and discounts to local museums and cultural activities. Draper is committed to an inclusive environment and provides reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities.

Requirements

10 or more years of experience in software engineering or a related field.
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or another related field.
Ability to learn new programming languages and technologies quickly.
Ability to collaborate and communicate effectively with multidisciplinary program teams, program leadership, and nontechnical personnel.
Ability to work as a team member in a fast-paced environment and balance competing tasks and demands.
Strong organization, planning, and time-management skills.
Applicants selected for the position must obtain and maintain a government security clearance.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree is preferred.

Responsibilities

Independently execute assigned tasks.
Design algorithms using modern theory and proven techniques while following software best practices.
Analyze designs to demonstrate performance and functionality.
Develop and execute software tests to verify compliance with requirements.
Prepare technical data, procedures, reports, drawings, manuals, and other required documentation.
Communicate with customers and stakeholders to establish requirements and describe designs and deliverables.
Independently drive solutions to complex problems, develop requirements, propose paths forward when customer requirements are unclear or incomplete, and adapt to changing requirements.
Act as a subject matter expert in the relevant discipline.
Identify program- and system-level technical risks and develop and execute mitigation strategies.
Lead system-architecture design, delegating tasks and gathering design feedback as needed.
Lead a medium-sized team of engineers across multiple disciplines.