Network Software Engineer

Network Software Engineer

Do you love to develop creative and impactful communications and networked systems solutions for the nation's most critical challenges?

Are you searching for meaningful work in software engineering?

If so, we're looking for someone like you to join our team at APL!

We are seeking an experienced Network Software Engineer to help us solve the nation's security challenges. As a member of our team, you will be responsible for the design, development, integration, and test of communications and network software, including protocol implementation, network services, and distributed systems for the Government across numerous departments and agencies. Our solutions need to be able to operate in a timely and reliable manner in degraded or contested environments, ranging from integration or adoption of existing solutions to first-of-their-kind capabilities. Ultimately, you will join a team whose goal is to build meaningful capabilities to enable the availability of information to decision makers and warfighters under challenging conditions.

You will be joining a hardworking team of engineers and scientists who are passionate about building creative and novel communication systems. Our team is committed to national security. We strive to cultivate an environment that promotes professional growth and a balanced life. We value the exchange of different thoughts and ideas.

As a Network Software Engineer, your primary responsibilities will be to:

• Provide technical contributions and leadership in the development of software systems as part of critical communications systems for the Government.
• Provide thought leadership in the areas of communications systems and application software development by teaming with colleagues to propose creative approaches and new concepts to address hard problems.
• Architect, develop, integrate, and test software-based command and control, secure communication, and networking systems in operationally-realistic environments, working closely with sponsors to ensure mission success.
• Interact with technical specialists in other fields as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Detail work in technical reports and memoranda and present work to sponsors and the technical community.

The ideal candidate combines strong software engineering fundamentals and experience with networking concepts to understand performance tradeoffs of networked systems and systems of systems.

Qualifications

You meet our minimum qualifications for the job if you have...

• A Bachelor's degree (or higher) in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or another related technical discipline.
• At least five years of relevant experience in the development of software systems, ideally in a Linux environment.
• A strong understanding of networking fundamentals (e.g., TCP/IP, UDP, routing, switching, DNS,
• Demonstrated skill with software development following current software engineering best practices using several of the following languages: C, C++, Python, Rust, and BASH scripting.
• Experience devising approaches and using tools to debug networked systems (e.g., tcpdump, Wireshark, netstat, ss).
• Excellent interpersonal skills, work independently, and work in a multi-organizational team.
• Willingness and ability to travel on an as needed basis.
• Are able to obtain an Interim Top Secret level security clearance by your start date and can ultimately obtain a TS/SCI level clearance. If selected, you will be subject to a government security clearance investigation and must meet the requirements for access to classified information. Eligibility requirements include U.S. citizenship.

You'll go above and beyond our minimum requirements if you have...

• A Master's degree or PhD in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or another related, technical discipline.
• At least twenty years of relevant experience in the development of software systems.
• Experience leading software projects and managing teams of engineers.
• Exposure to US Government and military communication systems and network technologies, voice and video streaming, or conferencing software.
• Experience implementing or adapting network protocols (application, transport, routing, or custom protocols).
• Deep knowledge of Linux networking internals (kernel stack, netfilter, eBPF, XDP).
• Experience developing and troubleshooting real-time, low-latency, or high-bandwidth systems.
• Experience with container networking and orchestration (Kubernetes, CNI plugins, service meshes).
• Familiarity with software-defined networking (SDN) and network function virtualization (NFV).
• Experience and passion for DevOps practices, processes, and tools.
• Experience applying software expertise to full project lifecycles, including requirements analysis, design, implementation, and testing.
• An active Top Secret security clearance with SSBI and have recently been adjudicated for access to Sensitive Compartmented Information.

Minimum Rate $100,000 Annually

Maximum Rate $245,000 Annually