Principal Software and Architecture Engineer

About the Team

The Sensors Division at STR focuses on technology development for advanced sensor systems, particularly in the areas of airborne/surface-based radar, electronic warfare, underwater acoustics, hyperspectral imaging, and EO/IR sensing. Within this role, we perform work on full system prototypes, experiment campaigns and technology component development. Within the Sensors Division, a Real-time Architectures, Integration and Demonstration (RAID) Group is forming to focus on transition of algorithms from concept to real-time software, providing open architecture expertise, and facilitating integration of capabilities for experimentation and test.

About the Role

As a Principal Software and Architecture Engineer in the RAID Group, you will establish, contribute to, and lead technical teams that instantiate and integrate solutions for sensor systems for customers in the national defense community. You will work across a project portfolio to mature solutions to the prototype phase and/or adapt capabilities to specific reference architectures.

A successful candidate will have demonstrated leadership skills and substantial expertise in the following areas: open systems, open architectures (e.g. – AMS-GRA, COBRA, Big Iron, COARPS, etc.), software development (targeting real-time, resource-constrained systems), software architecture and engineering, advanced sensor systems, optimization, test & evaluation, and systems engineering. Additionally, a successful candidate will have demonstrated success in complex collaborative efforts (i.e., building a cross-company understanding of existing and emerging open architectures, providing expertise in designing for those standards, and organizing efforts to achieve full integration of compliant capabilities). Furthermore, the successful candidate will have demonstrated success in business development and new work capture.

What you will do:

• Provide technical leadership to multi-disciplinary teams that develop and implement real-time software solutions for sensing (and counter-sensing) systems


• Organize, participate in, and lead efforts to transition processing capabilities from concept to real-time in compliance with standardized architectures


• Collaborate with senior technical staff across STR, especially to establish RAID as a principal resource of Open Architecture expertise


• Collaborate with senior management staff across STR, especially to identify candidate projects ready to transition to the RAID group, or needing staff assistance to facilitate transition to real-time


• Clearly communicate with customers, stakeholders, sponsors, prime- and subcontractors


• Develop strategies, roadmaps and plans needed to expand the RAID project portfolio


• Perform business development efforts, including engagement with external and internal stakeholders


• Lead, participate in, and review proposal writing efforts


• Mentor junior staff

Who you are:

• PhD, MS, or BS in Electrical Engineering, Applied Mathematics, Physics, or related technical discipline


• 5+ years for PhD, 8+ years for MS, 10+ years for BS


• Demonstrated experience managing large software teams in sensor applications


• Strong interpersonal, communication, technical, leadership, and mentorship, skills


• Ability to create and present deep technical briefings as well as high-level briefings to customers and senior management


• Understanding and experience in interacting with decision-makers and customers to translate mission needs into an end-to-end analytical solution


• Ability to survey literature to determine state-of-the-art, incorporate recent research and apply to current problem sets


• Approximately 20% overnight travel


• Active Security Clearance (TS/SCI preferable), and eligible to support special access programs, for which U.S citizenship is required by the U.S government

STR is a growing technology company with locations near Boston, MA, Arlington, VA, near Dayton, OH, Melbourne, FL, and Carlsbad, CA. We specialize in advanced research and development for defense, intelligence, and national security in: cyber; next generation sensors, radar, sonar, communications, and electronic warfare; and artificial intelligence algorithms and analytics to make sense of the complexity that is exploding around us.

STR is committed to creating a collaborative learning environment that supports deep technical understanding and recognizes the contributions and achievements of all team members. Our work is challenging, and we go home at night knowing that we pushed the envelope of technology and made the world safer.

STR is not just any company. Our people, culture, and attitude along with their unique set of skills, experiences, and perspectives put us on a trajectory to change the world. We can't do it alone, though - we need fellow trailblazers. If you are one, join our team and help to keep our society safe! Visit us at for more info.

STR is an equal opportunity employer. We are fully dedicated to hiring the most qualified candidate regardless of race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

If you need a reasonable accommodation for any portion of the employment process, email us at [email protected] and provide your contact info.

Pursuant to applicable federal law and regulations, positions at STR require employees to obtain national security clearances and satisfy the requirements for compliance with export control and other applicable laws.