Software R&D Engineer

Penn State University•University Park, IL

1d•$105,900 - $200,808•Onsite

About The Position

We are searching for a highly motivated Robotics Engineer to join the Autonomy and Emerging Technology (AET) Department at the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL) at Penn State. AET serves as ARL’s innovation hub for developing and evaluating advanced capabilities in the Subsea and Seabed Warfare (SSW) mission space. This role will work at the intersection of autonomy, underwater robotics, and prototype system integration to rapidly transition new technologies to Navy sponsors. Our team is expanding to support SSW mission area. ARL is an authorized DoD SkillBridge partner and welcomes all transitioning military members to apply.

Requirements

C/C++, Python, Java, or similar
Agile software methodologies
DevSecOps - specifically with GitLab and/or Atlassian tools (JIRA, Bitbucket, Confluence)
Design of software using containerization technologies (Open Container Initiative, Docker, K8s/K3s) and micro-service architectures
Test and evaluation of software
Bachelor's Degree - Engineering or Science
5+ years of relevant experience (for R&D Engineer - Advanced Professional)
2+ years of relevant experience (for R&D Engineer - Intermediate Professional)
U.S. citizen

Nice To Haves

UxV systems, including platforms, mission payloads, launch and recovery, acoustic comms, and energy management
Oceanography, seabed features, and environmental data used for UxV autonomy
Past success supporting Navy missions, operational training, or UxV fleet experimentation
Development or use of UxV simulation frameworks (e.g., platform, payload, or environmental modeling)
Autonomy for unmanned systems including autonomy architectures, behavior frameworks and mission planning for undersea missions, undersea navigation and perception autonomy behaviors, and autonomy standards for UxVs (e.g., MOSA, A-GRA, UMAA, PCX)
UXV simulation, evaluation, and verification environments
Test and evaluation of maritime platforms
Contribute to research in vehicle autonomy, machine learning, autonomous systems simulation/evaluation, undersea sensors, vehicle systems
Previous Navy systems development as related to unmanned systems
Technical experience related to the development of software for autonomous or unmanned systems is highly desired
Advanced degree in Engineer, Computer Science, Software, Machine Learning
Current eligibility for access to classified information at the Secret level or higher and may be subject to a government background investigation to upgrade clearance eligibility, if required

Responsibilities

Develop/contribute to system and sub-system software implementation, test/evaluation and deployment of autonomy for UxVs, including adaptive mission behaviors, environmental awareness, distributed autonomy, multi-vehicle coordination, and integration of autonomy with UxVs sensors and payloads.
Drive advancements in UxV simulation, field testing, and fleet-relevant autonomy capabilities.
Work within a multidisciplinary team of software/systems engineers working across undersea navigation, endurance optimization, acoustic communications, environmental modeling, and autonomy-enabled CONOPS.
Work within a team of engineers to develop and test prototype architecture solutions through testing with: software-in-the-loop (SIL); hardware-in-the-loop (HIL); and on-water testing.
Interact and collaborate regularly with software team, project lead and other collaborators throughout the lab.
Conduct independent and collaborative research, development, testing, and evaluation activities to solve complex scientific and engineering challenges supporting Department of Defense sponsors and national security missions.
Investigate, evaluate, and apply established and emerging engineering principles, scientific methodologies, and advanced technologies to develop innovative technical solutions.
Plan, perform, and lead analytical studies, modeling and simulation, laboratory experimentation, field testing, and prototype demonstrations to validate engineering concepts and system performance.
Design, develop, integrate, analyze, and evaluate complex hardware, software, embedded systems, sensors, communications systems, electromechanical systems, or other mission-critical technologies within assigned technical disciplines.
Apply systems engineering principles throughout the project lifecycle, including requirements development, architecture definition, design trade studies, integration, verification, validation, risk management, and configuration management.
Develop experimental plans, test procedures, data collection methodologies, and performance metrics; analyze results to identify technical issues, validate assumptions, and recommend design improvements.