Software Engineer

Job Description

Description

About The Role:

Innovative Defense Technologies (IDT), a leading defense technology company, is seeking a Software Engineer to be part of our Warfare Systems team and based out of our Arlington, VA or Mount Laurel, NJ location.

The Software Engineer will be part of a multi-discipline team focused on the DOW’s initiatives in support of tactical capability development for Navy surface and unmanned (UxVs) platforms and will be directly responsible for the architecting and refactoring of mission critical legacy weapons system software into a modern software technology stack where the target end state will ensure the highest impact to the US Navy by enabling a microservices based tactical platform within both a cloud-native and tactical-edge deployment model.

Warfare Systems’ project domains include real-time automated test and analysis, virtual computing environments, Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Machine Learning (ML) based data analytics, cybersecurity, as well as backfit and forward-fit tactical solutions.

The Engineer will be fiercely accountable for the delivery of well-architected and production-ready solutions that exceed the Fleet’s requirements.

Clearance & Location Requirements:

All applicants must be able to obtain/maintain an active Secret U.S. Security Clearance.

This is an on-site position. Requiring at least 3 days in office, based out of our Arlington, VA and Mount Laurel, NJ locations.

Key Responsibilities

What You Will Do:

Design, implement, and test complex software in C, C++, Python, JavaScript, and Java within various development environments.

Analyze legacy monolithic software programs, recompiling them, and incrementally apply refactoring to modernize the software using the “brownfield” and “greenfield” methodologies.

Technical assessment and deconstruction of Navy tactical system code for Surface Navy Combat systems.

Explore and prototype next-generation solutions using artificial intelligence/machine learning, distributed processing, and modeling.

Interact with customers to elicit requirements and document agreements.

Present to organization leadership on project cost, schedule, and technical progress.

Software architecture development including hardware and software interfaces between software components.

Assist in developing user, functional, and technical requirements for tactical systems.

Participate and provide feedback for design & code/peer reviews.

Integrate individual software components into complex software environments.

Support test and integration activities at IDT labs and government Land Based Test Sites (LBTS).

Integrate software components into a complex software development environment

Ensure adherence to industry standards pertaining to security, orthodox programming paradigms, and performance requirements

Understand and interact with complex DoD software systems

Work with small cross-site teams of software and/or systems engineers

Collaborate with team members to peer-review architecture design, system requirements, and implemented code

Skills, Knowledge & Expertise

Who You Are (Required):

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent full-time professional experience.

0-5 years of professional experience.

Ability to travel up to 10% of the time, as needed

Familiarity with combat system design and software

Familiarity and experience with developing tactical systems software on DOD programs.

Familiarity with C, C++, Python, and/or Java programming languages

Adept with developing in Linux OS environments, including shell scripting.

Ability to decompose and document requirements and specifications.

Understanding of distributed systems, algorithms, data structures and software design patterns, especially the Strangler Pattern

Experience with Agile software development processes

Proficiency working within a Git CM environment

Comfortable with DevSecOps best practices

Ability to convert vague customer requirements into a refined vision.

Ability to identify and describe algorithmic complexity.

Ability to work on-site with potential hybrid flexibility.

Familiarity with the software development process (requirements through deployment)

Ability to design, develop, and analyze software systems

Ability to model/code/test algorithms in C++, Python, Java

Ability to model/code/test GUI applications

Proficiency in at least one modern language (e.g., Python, Java, C++, C#) and/or one modern frontend language (e.g., TypeScript, JavaScript)

Understanding of:

Windows and Linux file systems

Version control (Git)

APIs (REST/gRPC)

Modular code design

Ability to review, critique, and harden AI-generated code

Familiarity with SQL and relational databases (e.g., Postgres)

Familiarity with computer networking and various networking protocols (e.g., TCP/IP, UDP, CORBA, DDS)

Ability to perform many concurrent assignments and determine the need for changing priorities

What Makes You Stand Out:

Up to 5 years of full-time professional experience

Familiarity with the AEGIS Weapon System Common Source Library (CSL), ideally, or Ship Self Defense System (SSDS) Single Source Library (SSL)

Experience with AEGIS, ideally, or SSDS tactical systems

Experience utilizing Make build system, Maven, and Ant scripting

Experience with X-Windows

Familiar with Model Based System Engineering (MBSE) methodologies

Experience with Jenkins, Jira, and the Atlassian tool suite

Familiarity with foundational networking concepts such as routing, switching, identity services, intrusion detection, and firewall

Familiarity deploying virtual machines in VMWare vSphere environments including networking configuration

Familiarity designing complex software development environments including submodules, remote dependencies, and mixed-code deployments

Familiarity deploying virtual machines and/or containers into Azure cloud environments including networking configuration

Solid analytical abilities, coupled with a strong sense of ownership, urgency, and drive

Problem-solving skills with the ability to navigate ambiguous situations

Excellence in oral, written, and technical communication with peers and non-technical cohorts

Initiative, creativity, reliability, teamwork

Strong organization and planning skills

Attention to detail while ability to see and understand the big picture

Experience with cloud computing, virtualization, or containerization technologies

Familiarity with Cloud infrastructure (e.g., Azure, AWS, GCP)

Experience with big data solutions (e.g. Hadoop, Spark, Kafka, Cassandra)

Demonstrated experience using AI coding assistants (e.g., GitHub Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, Codeium) for:

Code generation

Refactoring and optimization

Debugging and root-cause analysis

Ability to write effective prompts and iterate with AI to improve code quality and performance

Understanding of AI limitations, hallucinations, and validation techniques

Experience with testing frameworks including unit testing and interface testing

Experience building user interfaces with a modern component framework such as React, Angular, or Vue.

Experience using Storybook or other Mock testing tooling.

If you see yourself reflected in this role and are excited about the impact you could make, we encourage you to apply! If you know someone who may be a great fit, please feel free to share this opportunity with your network.

Pay Range*: $74,000 - $184,000

This amount may not be reflective of actual compensation that may be earned as pay is dependent on a candidate’s experience, skills, and education. The posted range does not include bonuses, commissions, tips, or other benefits. IDT is often looking to place multiple candidates at various levels. Therefore, more than one pay range has been included, commensurate with experience.

Job Benefits

Why Work at Innovative Defense Technologies (IDT):

IDT is a growing company with a vibrant, entrepreneurial culture. We are headquartered in Arlington, VA with additional offices in Fall River, MA; Mount Laurel, NJ; and San Diego, CA. At each location, our employees work together in a modern, snack-filled, and social office space, designing innovative solutions for our defense industry customers. We offer employees competitive pay and benefits including:

Generous benefits package

Competitive PTO

Paid holidays

401(k) with immediate vesting and matching

9/80 optional schedule (2nd and 4th Friday off every month)

Tuition Assistance Reimbursement Program

Professional Development Resources

Pre-Tax Commuter Benefits

Organization-Wide Monthly Tech Connect Events

Annual Employee Recognition Awards

Regular Social Events and Catered Lunches

EEO Statement:

IDT is an Equal Opportunity employer.

Full-time