Software Engineer I
The Software Engineer I at Confidential Client will develop and maintain mission-critical embedded software solutions supporting U.S. defense communications across airborne, maritime, and ground environments. This early career role involves full software development lifecycle participation, including design, coding, testing, and security implementation, within an agile team environment focused on advancing warfighter capabilities.
About Careertakes
👉 Important disclosure: Careertakes is a third-party recruiting platform supporting this hiring process. If selected, you will be employed directly by our client, Defense and Space Manufacturing.
Applicants for this role may also receive access to additional matched opportunities through the Careertakes platform.
Who We Are
Confidential Client develops innovative communications, networking, and computing solutions that improve the sharing of information, video, text, and voice across airborne, maritime, and ground environments. We design and ship software and hardware that supports mission-critical operations at the tactical edge.
About This Role
We’re hiring an early-career Software Engineer I (San Diego, CA) to help build, ship, and secure mission-critical embedded and networked software. This role is a strong fit for a candidate with a Computer Science background who enjoys tackling low-level and systems problems and is ready to grow in a supportive, agile development environment.
What You’ll Do
- Join a team of software engineers building next‑generation embedded applications — from kernel-level components through to user interfaces.
- Contribute across the software development lifecycle for multiple projects.
- Support functional and operational software test events.
- Provide input on system and network design and configuration.
- Help shape corporate software development processes and best practices.
- Collaborate in sprint planning, code reviews, and daily scrums.
- Contribute to project planning and proposal efforts.
- Implement high-level designs into robust, maintainable code.
- Troubleshoot and resolve bugs and issues.
- Produce and maintain system documentation and test reports.
- Participate in ongoing code reviews and provide constructive feedback.
- Implement security requirements into system components.
- Work closely with Project Management to keep development sprints on schedule.
Requirements
- BS degree in Computer Science or equivalent.
- Academic or practical experience with at least one strongly‑typed language (C/C++ preferred; Java, C#, Rust, Go, Zig, etc. acceptable).
- Working knowledge of design patterns and software engineering fundamentals.
- Must be a U.S. Citizen and be able to obtain a U.S. SECRET security clearance.
Nice to Have
- Familiarity with networking protocols and Linux DevOps workflows.
- Experience writing Python and Bash deployment scripts and setting up automated testing (CI/CD, GitLab).
- Experience with build systems and package managers (npm, conan, maven, etc.).
- Exposure to web stacks (React, Postgres, APIs, JavaScript).
- Experience with containerization (Docker, etc.).
- Prior work in agile, professional software development environments (revision control, TDD, CI).
Compensation
- Salary range: $80,000 - $110,000 (annual).
Benefits
- Medical, dental, and vision (employee coverage is fully funded; partial dependent coverage).
- 11 paid Federal holidays.
- Paid Time Off (PTO): date of hire through second year — 10 days/year (accrued); after two years — unlimited.
- 40 hours paid sick leave per year.
- 401(k) with employer matching.
- Annual bonuses.
- Cell phone reimbursement: $100/month.
About Confidential Client
Confidential Client is a veteran‑owned, rapidly growing small business based in San Diego focused on airborne, maritime, and ground networking. We center the warfighter in our design process and deliver intuitive, resilient solutions that meet complex national security needs. We value collaboration, creativity, and a commitment to engineering excellence.
Equal Opportunity & Hiring Transparency
Careertakes and our client are Equal Opportunity Employers committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce. We prohibit discrimination or harassment of any kind. To support a fair and efficient hiring process, AI tools may be used to assist with application review or resume screening. These tools do not replace human decision-making. Final hiring decisions are made by people.
If you have questions about how your data is used, please contact us directly.
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