Technical Lead

Carnegie Mellon University•Pittsburgh, PA

About The Position

The Software Engineering Institute (SEI) advances software engineering and cybersecurity and supports the development, acquisition, and sustainment of secure, reliable, and mission-effective software-intensive systems. The Software Development Technical Leader supports U.S. Navy customers in acquiring and sustaining a software-based maintenance and readiness application critical to fleet operations and national security. The role provides technical leadership throughout the software acquisition lifecycle, including architecture analysis, development oversight, risk reduction, and sustainment planning. It works closely with Naval Program Executive Offices (PEOs), Program Management Offices (PMOs), sustainment organizations, contractors, integrators, and fleet stakeholders to ensure software meets operational, maintainability, and long-term supportability needs. The position combines hands-on C/C++ expertise with experience in Naval acquisition programs, legacy-dependent systems, and operational environments. It involves guiding technical teams, evaluating architectural tradeoffs, developing prototypes, analyzing source code, and leading customer engagements that inform acquisition and sustainment decisions. The position is based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and may require travel up to 25% to SEI offices, sponsor sites, conferences, and offsite meetings.

Requirements

Ability to obtain and maintain an active Department of War security clearance.
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related discipline with 10 years of relevant experience; or a master’s degree in the same fields with 8 years of experience; or a Ph.D. in the same fields with 5 years of experience.
Proven experience designing and implementing complex software architectures for mission-critical or sustainment-focused systems.
Ability to identify, analyze, and balance architecture drivers, tradeoffs, extensibility, and long-term maintainability.
Deep understanding of C and C++ software development, including analysis of existing codebases.
Working knowledge of C#, Java, and Python.
Experience across the full software development lifecycle, including use of static analysis tools and techniques to improve software quality and security.
Demonstrated ability to lead technical teams and engage credibly with government and contractor stakeholders.
Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills, including the ability to explain complex technical concepts to government decision-makers.
Willingness to work directly with U.S. military and government stakeholders.
Ability to travel up to 25% to SEI offices, sponsor sites, conferences, and offsite meetings.

Nice To Haves

Existing SECRET or higher security clearance is preferred.
Previous experience leading, architecting, or developing large-scale Navy acquisition programs, including Aegis Combat System, SM-series interceptors, Sea Sparrow Missile System, or Surface Electronic Warfare programs.
Previous experience working with large-scale Naval Command elements such as NAVSEA, NAVAIR, NAVWAR, NAVFAC, NIWC, or predecessors such as SPAWAR.

Responsibilities

Support Naval software acquisition and sustainment activities in accordance with DoD 5000-series guidance, including architecture analysis, software engineering, integration, testing, deployment, and sustainment planning.
Provide technical leadership for a fleet-facing maintenance and readiness application supporting operational availability in afloat and ashore environments.
Advise Navy PEOs, PMOs, and government stakeholders on software design decisions, technical risks, modernization strategies, and tradeoffs for large, legacy-dependent systems.
Lead software development from concept through deployment, emphasizing C and C++ implementations for high-performance and mission-critical use cases.
Develop and maintain software architecture artifacts, including data-flow diagrams, sequence diagrams, interface control definitions, and quality attribute specifications.
Analyze source code, system interfaces, and data flows to identify technical debt, sustainment risks, and modernization opportunities.
Develop prototypes and technical demonstrations to reduce risk and support acquisition decisions and capability maturation.
Collaborate with Navy and government stakeholders, contractors, integrators, SEI staff, and leadership to assess needs and provide technical recommendations.
Lead and mentor developers, promoting disciplined engineering practices, continuous improvement, and mission focus.
Participate in technical interchange meetings, design reviews, and acquisition milestone activities, providing clear and defensible technical input.
Maintain awareness of emerging technologies, software development practices, and Naval digital modernization initiatives relevant to sustainment and maintenance systems.