Software Engineer

Riverside Overview Riverside Research is an independent National Security Nonprofit dedicated to research and development in the national interest. We provide high-end technical services, research and development, and prototype solutions to some of the country’s most challenging technical problems. All Riverside Research opportunities require U.S. Citizenship. Position Overview

Riverside Research is seeking a Software Engineer to support an Air Force research and development effort focused on advanced electro-optical and event-based sensing technologies. The successful candidate will work alongside engineers and researchers to design, develop, integrate, and demonstrate prototype sensor systems for Department of Defense applications.

In this role, you will develop and maintain C++ and Python software running on embedded Linux platforms utilizing ARM processors and FPGA-based hardware. You will play a key role in system integration efforts, contribute to technical solution development, and help transition research concepts into robust software used in laboratory and field demonstrations.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, test, and maintain software applications in modern C++ and Python for embedded Linux platforms.
• Lead software integration efforts with FPGA-based processing components, hardware accelerators, and high-speed sensor interfaces including AXI, DMA, and GPIO.
• Develop scalable and maintainable software architectures that support research, prototyping, and transition activities.
• Design and maintain automated unit, integration, and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) test environments to verify system functionality and performance.
• Develop software tools for hardware control, calibration, data collection, and automated analysis.
• Troubleshoot complex hardware/software integration issues and drive technical solutions across multidisciplinary teams.
• Participate in software design reviews, code reviews, and technical planning activities.
• Support technical demonstrations, customer engagements, and program milestones.
• Mentor junior engineers and contribute to software development best practices.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Ability to obtain and maintain a TS/SCI security clearance.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related STEM field.
• 3-7 years of experience developing software in C/C++ and Python for Linux-based systems.
• Experience developing software in embedded or hardware-integrated environments.
• Strong proficiency with Linux development environments, debugging tools, and command-line workflows.
• Experience using Git and collaborative software development practices.
• Demonstrated ability to independently solve technical challenges and deliver solutions with minimal supervision.

Desired Qualifications

• Experience with embedded ARM-based platforms, including AMD/Xilinx Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC, NVIDIA Jetson, or similar devices.
• Experience integrating software with FPGA-based systems and hardware accelerators.
• Familiarity with FPGA development workflows, including Vivado, Vitis, VHDL, Verilog, or HLS.
• Experience with CMake, automated testing frameworks, CI/CD pipelines, and static analysis tools.
• Experience developing real-time data processing, sensor processing, or signal processing applications.
• Background in computer vision, digital signal processing (DSP), optical communications, or event-based sensing technologies.
• Experience with board bring-up, schematic review, and hardware debugging using oscilloscopes and logic analyzers.
• Active Secret or TS/SCI security clearance.

Global Comp $95,000 - 140,000 This represents the typical compensation range for this position based on experience, location and other factors. Closing Statement Riverside Research Institute is a not-for-profit, technology-oriented defense company, where service to our customers and support of our staff is our overall mission. Riverside is an affirmative action-equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws regarding recruitment and hiring. Riverside offers comprehensive compensation and benefit packages to our employees. Riverside bases its employment decisions solely on technical experience, qualifications and other job-related criteria related to our organizational purpose as a not-for-profit company, and without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, physical or mental disability, veteran’s status or any other status legally protected by applicable federal, state, and local law.