Lead Software Engineer

The Opportunity:

We are growing the team that will take astronauts back to the Moon and on to Mars and are looking for a software engineering lead with experience in Virtual Reality, simulations, and math modeling. This highly regarded team supports NASA in the development of software technology used to model and simulate the space environment and complex space systems for astronaut training, extra-vehicular activity (EVA) planning and review, and future human exploration vehicle design.

Candidates should have great interest and experience in VR/AR software development and in leading a team of software engineers. The ideal candidate would have some knowledge of NASA extra-vehicular processes. Most of all, they should possess a great passion to contribute to our Nation’s exploration of space.

This position requires a self-motivated, capable person wanting to work in a team-oriented, friendly, but demanding, environment. The ideal individual should have strong verbal and written communication skills, and strong customer relationship skills.

Above all, the individual will have a positive, can-do attitude, be flexible, and be willing to take on new assignments and responsibilities as they arise.

In addition to the technical requirements, the individual must be very people savvy, possess a positive team-player attitude, have experience in leading a group of software engineers, and be an articulate speaker able to communicate complex technical ideas in a convincing manner.

This work takes place at NASA/JSC in Houston, TX, a highly stimulating and dynamic environment that is critical in human space flight and the space exploration initiative.

Responsibilities:

Leadership of the development of Unreal Engine based training environments supporting the design and training for lunar surface excursion operations.

Facilities support for virtual reality-based astronaut training.

Development and upgrades to Trick based simulations of various space systems.

Testing session support for lunar excursion trials and other virtual reality-based tests.

Cooperation and collaboration with NASA customers and third-party product owners as necessary to complete the above tasks.

Technical and administrative leadership tasks including task order and work scope development, labor reporting, and performance feedback.

Qualifications:

Required:

Must be a U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident for access to USG Facilities.

B.S. in Computer Science, Aerospace, Electrical, Mechanical, Computer Engineering, or related disciplines with a minimum of 5+ years’ experience in development of VR/AR system. Greater experience is highly valued.

Experience in leadership of a team of software engineers is required.

Highly developed coordination and organization skills.

Strong computer and software skills in both Linux and Windows environments using C/C++.

Ability to manage multiple priorities with little supervision.

Highly responsible, team-oriented individual with strong work ethic.

Desired:

Significant experience with UR4/5 and C++.

Work experience, course work, internship, or other experience in space vehicle systems and operations, and aerospace dynamics is highly valued.

Familiarity with Atlassian style project management tools; Jira, Confluence, etc.

Experience with VR hardware systems such as Vive / Lighthouse systems or Meta Quest systems.

Experience with other graphical tools such as Blender, AC3D, Maya, Photoshop, GIMP, etc.

Experience with software simulation, e.g., CACI/NASA Trick simulation

Experience with C# or Python