Senior 1 Software Engineer – Computer Vision and Remote Sensing

Inc. (ARA) is looking for an experienced Software Engineer to join our team of developers operating at the forefront of Computer Vision technology applied to satellite imagery.

Our product runs a data production pipeline that processes a high volume of satellite imagery automatically to generate realistic, simulation- and game-ready textured 3D geometric models of real-world scenes for leading edge government research programs.

The successful candidate for this position will have a strong passion to create “big data” software that is efficient and fault tolerant, easy to deploy whether on a laptop or to the cloud, and convenient for production users and agile researchers alike. In this role you will join a team of algorithm developers, applied scientists, and software developers to create, improve, and maintain production-level software.

Our group collaborates with world-renowned university researchers to find innovative solutions to challenging real-world problems for intelligence and defense communities. We offer an exciting, relevant career with opportunity for professional growth and mentorship.

The opportunity for career advancement and continued learning at ARA goes beyond project work. We strive to identify cross-training opportunities and encourage staff to become involved in upcoming R&D efforts as well as inject new ideas into our longstanding operational programs. At ARA, we foster an environment where technical staff are empowered to research and develop their own ideas – with resources and support from a strong internal technical team and external partners. You can expect day to day to have flexibility in choosing the level of autonomy suited to you, while at the same time enjoying a challenging technical career with great opportunity for personal growth.

Responsibilities include:

• Lead software design discussions, decision analysis and resolution, and refinement of our best practices for software development and construction
• Support our subject matter experts in software design, development, and construction in presenting topics to external customers and stakeholders during in-depth technical exchange meetings

• Work with our algorithm-focused subject matter experts to understand our complex, multidisciplinary computer vision and data processing workflow at a sufficient level that enables good software engineering decision-making
• Apply performance-based optimizations and support development that improves code maintainability and performance in a distributed, containerized processing environment
• Create developer and user documentation
• Develop code that is suitable for containerized deployment, following best practices. (Currently we use primarily Python and C++, with some go code. We do not use Java.)
• Work with the team under the guidance of our quality assurance staff to increase or maintain test coverage and assure code quality
• Cross-train with staff to ensure the team is focused on code quality and performance, and, in general, best practices
• Perform as task lead for major software implementation tasks
• Learn and maintain awareness of the ongoing services available in AWS and other cloud environments and assist with refining our cloud deployments

Senior 1 Software Engineer – Computer Vision and Remote Sensing Qualifications:

• US citizenship required (green card holders are not eligible for this position)
• Eligibility to apply for and hold a U.S. security clearance (selected applicants will undergo a security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements at the time of employment)
• Relocation to the Raleigh, NC metropolitan area strongly preferred.
• Skilled in analyzing, troubleshooting, and refactoring existing source code.
• Proven experience developing code for large software frameworks in a team environment.
• Minimal travel (~2-4 trips / year) required for collaboration with customers and partners.
• Fluent in Python 3.x.
• Expertise in modern C++ (11 and later).
• Fluent in the application of software design patterns, and industry best practices for software design and construction.
• Experience with Python and C++ IDEs, toolchains, profiling, and debugging.
• Experience with Python multiprocessing.
• Experience developing containerized services for the AWS cloud environment is desirable.
• Experience with container orchestration using Kubernetes is desirable.
• Experience in managing CI/CD, DevOps, or DevSecOps pipelines and environments, such as Gitlab CI/CD pipelines is desirable.

Education and Experience Qualifications:

• B.S. Degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or similar technical field with 9 years of relevant experience OR M.S. with 7 years of relevant experience.

Anticipated salary range: $97, 950 – $163,250. Offer may vary depending on experience and skill set.

Who is ARA?

Applied Research Associates, Inc. (aka ARA) is an employee-owned international research and engineering company. We have been providing technically superior solutions to complex and challenging problems in the physical sciences since 1979. ARA has over 2,112 employee owners and continues to grow rapidly. Together, our offices throughout the U.S. and Canada provide a broad range of technical expertise in defense, civil, and health technologies, computer software and simulation, systems analysis, environmental technologies, and testing and measurement.

ARA also prides itself, on having a challenging culture where innovation & experimentation are the norm. The motto, “Engineering and Science for Fun and Profit” sums up the ARA experience. Employee ownership ensures you have a voice with what happens in the company. We are also very proud of our Women’s Initiative Network (WIN), whose purpose is to motivate, support, and encourage professional career development for women to maximize career and professional accomplishments.

To find out more about what the Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance Division has to offer, visit our website at: https://www.ara.com/benefits/