Senior Algorithm Engineer / Scientist
About The Position
Applied Research Associates (ARA) is seeking a highly capable Senior Algorithm Engineer/Scientist to join a multidisciplinary team advancing mission critical technologies for U.S. Government and defense customers. Our work spans foundational research, scientific algorithm development, prototype implementation, and transitioning technology into operational systems. This role is ideal for innovative scientists and engineers who thrive when solving challenging, real-world problems and who enjoy working at the intersection of research, engineering, and national security. The position will initially support active contracts based on technical fit and program needs. Active contracts span topics such as hearing/acoustics, stress effects, UAS detection, and ballistics modeling. As part of a collaborative research environment, the successful candidate will help drive scientific innovation, mentor team members, and grow new technical areas aligned with their expertise and interests.
Requirements
- B.S. + 8 years, M.S. + 6 years, or Ph.D. + 3 years of relevant experience or equivalent combination.
- U.S. Citizen.
- Ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance.
- Demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively within multidisciplinary teams.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to convey advanced technical concepts to technical and non-technical audiences.
- Demonstrated leadership experience, such as mentoring, project leadership, or developing new technical capabilities.
Nice To Haves
- Experience developing novel algorithms for perception, inference, estimation, autonomy, and/or decision making.
- Ability to operate across the full research-to-deployment pipeline.
- Experience reasoning about constrained, real-world operational environments and designing algorithms that remain robust under uncertainty.
- Strong proficiency with programming languages such as MATLAB, Python or something similar.
- Experience with PyTorch, TensorFlow, or similar ML frameworks.
- Demonstrated ability to write clean, maintainable, well tested code.
- Experience contributing to production quality or mission critical software systems.
- Experience writing proposals, technical reports, publications, and/or delivering customer briefings.
- Ability to support multiple projects, adapt to new technical areas, and work effectively in fast paced research settings.
- Experience with or ability to improve upon curation and maintenance of scientific databases, as well as validation methodologies of engineering models utilizing those databases.
Responsibilities
- Development of novel and innovative algorithms independently, in close collaboration with other technical performers, and/or with other algorithm subject matter experts.
- Provide new ideas and approaches to increase efficiency and accuracy of existing workflows.
- Bridge research and engineering, ensuring that algorithms not only work in theory or benchmarks but function reliably in real-world, constrained environments.
- Mentor others, lead new initiatives, and help expand ARA’s AI/ML and algorithmic capabilities.
- Engage with customers and end-users to align technical approaches with operational needs and ensure successful outcomes.
- Communicate technical insights clearly through reports, briefings, and customer interactions; act as a technical resource and mentor for other scientists and engineers.
- Shape new research directions, support proposal development, lead R&D thrusts, and contribute to capability growth within the organization.
Benefits
- Competitive benefits that address our employees' needs now and in the future.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
Education Level
Ph.D. or professional degree
