Software Integration Engineer

DESE Research•Huntsville, AL

About The Position

DESE is seeking a proactive, collaborative Software Integration Engineer to support the development, integration, and advancement of complex software-intensive defense systems. The engineer will serve as a key software integration focal point, coordinating software, hardware, systems engineering, industry partners, and government stakeholders to ensure mission-critical systems work together effectively. The role coordinates software integration from planning and interface definition through testing, execution, issue resolution, and closure. It includes leading cross-functional technical meetings and integration working groups; managing technical assignments, schedules, and priorities; supporting SDLC activities and Agile sprint milestones; evaluating software messaging, data exchanges, and communication interfaces; and supporting interface verification in simulation, emulation, and hardware/software integration environments. The engineer communicates technical findings, risks, and recommended solutions to program leadership and stakeholders. DESE describes itself as a small, family-oriented business that has provided technical and engineering solutions in Defense, Energy, Space, and Environment for 44 years. The company emphasizes employee care, opportunities to work with talented professionals and cutting-edge technologies, and a compelling benefits package.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
Experience supporting software development, software integration, system interfaces, or software-intensive engineering programs.
Understanding of the software development lifecycle (SDLC), including Agile development practices and sprint-based delivery.
Demonstrated ability to coordinate technical activities and collaborate effectively with multidisciplinary engineering teams.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including presenting technical information to leadership and cross-functional stakeholders.
Experience participating in or facilitating technical meetings, integration discussions, or engineering reviews.
Ability to independently organize priorities, track technical actions, and coordinate issue resolution.
Working knowledge of software interfaces, system architectures, and data communication concepts.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD), missile defense systems, or similar aerospace and defense programs.
Experience serving as a technical focal point, facilitating meetings, coordinating stakeholders, and driving integration activities through completion.
Understanding of SDLC processes, Agile methodologies, sprint planning, and software delivery coordination.
Experience defining, interpreting, documenting, and validating software interfaces and associated system requirements.
Familiarity with message content, structure, and formats, including bits, bytes, data encoding, and big-endian/little-endian representations.
Experience with software emulation tools, Computer-in-the-Loop (CIL), Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL), and other simulation or integration test environments.
Familiarity with transmit, receive, and processing (TRP) rules and their impact on system performance and interface behavior.
Experience supporting software interface testing throughout development, integration, and system-level verification.
Experience coordinating with software, electrical, mechanical, and systems engineering teams, industry contractors, and government stakeholders.

Responsibilities

Serve as a primary software integration focal point, coordinating technical activities across software, hardware, systems engineering, and external organizations.
Lead cross-functional technical meetings, interface discussions, and integration working groups; establish objectives, agendas, action items, and follow-up activities.
Manage technical assignments, schedules, and integration priorities independently while communicating with program leadership and stakeholders.
Coordinate software integration from planning and interface definition through testing, execution, issue resolution, and closure.
Collaborate with engineering teams to define, interpret, and validate software interface requirements across system architectures.
Support software development lifecycle activities and coordinate integration milestones with Agile sprint delivery schedules.
Evaluate software messaging, data exchanges, and system communication interfaces to support reliable subsystem integration.
Support software interface testing and verification using simulation, emulation, and hardware/software integration environments.
Communicate technical findings, integration risks, and recommended solutions to leadership, contractors, and government stakeholders.