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.

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What You’ll Do

This role focuses on turning advanced scientific algorithms into robust, production-quality software used in operational systems.

• Convert research and prototype code (e.g., Python) into efficient, maintainable implementations using C/C++ and modern development practices.
• Collaborate with scientists and engineers to evaluate and optimize algorithm performance on real-world data.
• Design, develop, test, and document software from prototype through operations, following sound software engineering processes.
• Implement and validate unit and system-level tests; analyze results and provide clear written reports or well-commented code.
• Profile and optimize computational performance; work with parallel and GPU-accelerated architectures when needed.
• Participate in design reviews, code reviews, and team planning; work independently and within small multidisciplinary teams.
• Work onsite at the Falls Church, VA office for all core responsibilities.

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Minimum Qualifications (Required)

• Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics, Physics, Engineering, Computer Science, or a closely related field with an emphasis on scientific computing.
• Strong programming skills in Python (numpy, scipy, pandas) and in C or C++ for production code.
• Demonstrated exposure to college-level physics, mathematics, and/or signal & image processing techniques.
• Ability and desire to work on scientific projects; intellectual curiosity and appetite for continuous learning.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to assess algorithm performance on real-world data and document findings clearly.
• Comfortable working with minimal supervision and collaborating in small teams.
• Willingness to work onsite 100% in the Falls Church, VA office.
• U.S. citizenship is required for position eligibility.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a TS/SCI security clearance and program access.

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Preferred Skills (Nice to Have)

• Data analysis and visualization experience.
• Experience working in Linux environments.
• CUDA programming and GPU optimization experience.
• Familiarity with MPI and OpenMP parallel programming models.
• Experience optimizing scientific computing applications for performance.
• Front-end GUI or UX experience for user-facing tools.
• Physics-based modeling and simulation experience.
• Remote sensing experience (Electro-Optics or Synthetic Aperture RADAR).
• Classical signal/image processing experience (detection, estimation, tracking).
• Computer vision, image/data fusion, classification, or automated target recognition.
• Active Top-Secret clearance is a plus.

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Compensation

The following ranges reflect the pay bands for this role and vary by level, education, and experience:

• Engineer 1: $90,000 - $125,000 (required BS degree or higher)
• Engineer 2: $110,000 - $145,000 (BS + 2 years experience or MS + 0 years)
• Staff Engineer: $130,000 - $165,000 (BS + 5 years, MS + 3 years, or PhD + 0 years)

Offers consider multiple factors including role responsibilities, experience, education, and skills. These ranges are provided in compliance with pay-transparency guidance.

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Benefits & Perks

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Life and long-term disability coverage
• Vision reimbursement and fitness reimbursement
• Company-funded 5% contribution to 401(k)
• Company-funded 5% contribution to Employee Stock Ownership Plan
• Continuing education assistance
• Flexible scheduling and paid time off (PTO)
• Paid parental and bereavement leave

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Other Considerations

• Confidential Client is committed to equal employment opportunity and nondiscrimination.
• Successful passage of a criminal background screen and a Department of Transportation (DOT) drug test are required for eligibility.
• Selected applicants will undergo a government security investigation required for access to classified information.
• Confidential Client will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in accordance with applicable law.
• If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran and need an accommodation to access the application process, you may request assistance.

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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.