Software Engineer 2

Job Description

The AV PRIME program is seeking a Software Engineer 2 with strong back-end development experience—particularly in Hadoop and microservices—to join a small, high-impact software team. If taking ideas from concept to working prototype in fast, iterative cycles excites you, and you enjoy solving complex problems in distributed systems, this role will give you the opportunity to have outsized impact on how our organization operates.

You will work as a hands-on engineer on a close-knit team, designing and building scalable back-end services and data-intensive systems that support mission-critical applications.

Position Responsibilities

• Design, develop, maintain, and enhance complex back-end software systems based on documented requirements.
• Implement services and data pipelines using Hadoop and related big-data technologies.
• Build and evolve microservices-based architectures, including service boundaries, APIs, and inter-service communication patterns.
• Utilize sound software design and development methodologies to build, integrate, and execute simulations in development and test environments.
• Provide input to system and software design, including hardware/software trade-offs, software reuse strategies, and effective use of COTS/GOTS components versus new development.
• Perform requirements analysis and synthesis from system level down to individual services and modules.
• Implement and consume RESTful APIs to integrate back-end services with other systems and client applications.
• Containerize services (e.g., Podman/Docker) and deploy them to orchestrated environments (e.g., Kubernetes).
• Diagnose and resolve complex issues in distributed systems, including performance analysis, latency reduction, and scalability tuning.
• Apply strong analytical troubleshooting and performance evaluation techniques across the stack.
• Collaborate with team members and stakeholders to refine requirements, estimate work, and deliver incremental value.
• Participate in code reviews, testing, and continuous improvement of engineering practices.
• Work independently when needed, demonstrating ownership, follow-through, and clear communication.

Job Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Math, or Physics is required or equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.
• Minimum 14 years of relevant experience in software engineering, modernization, or solution architecture.
• An active TS/SCI clearance with polygraph.

Required Skills

• Strong Java development skills for back-end and service-layer implementations.
• Experience building and consuming RESTful services.
• Hands-on experience with containers (Podman and/or Docker).
• Experience with container orchestration platforms such as Kubernetes.
• Practical experience designing and implementing microservices architectures.
• Back-end development experience with Hadoop or similar big-data processing frameworks.
• Familiarity with Two or More of the Following:
  • Processing paradigms: Machine Learning workflows, streaming data processing, and/or batch processing pipelines.
  • Data stores: MongoDB, ArangoDB, Redis, PostgreSQL (data modeling, performance tuning, and operations).

Desired Skills

• Experience deploying and operating applications in cloud environments such as AWS or on hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI).
• Familiarity with observability tools (logging, metrics, tracing) for distributed systems.
• Experience working in agile or iterative development environments.

Clearance Level

Top Secret with Poly

Salary Range

$102,000 - $160,650

ITAR Requirement

This position requires access to information that is subject to compliance with the International Traffic Arms Regulations ("ITAR") and/or the Export Administration Regulations ("EAR"). Applicants must qualify as a U.S. person under ITAR and EAR or be approved for an export license. Some positions require current U.S. Citizenship due to contract requirements.

Benefits

• Medical insurance
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• 401K with company matching
• 9/80 work schedule
• Paid holiday shutdown

About AV

AV isn’t for everyone. We hire the curious, the relentless, the mission-obsessed. The best of the best.

We don’t just build defense technology—we redefine what’s possible. As the premier autonomous systems company in the U.S., AV delivers breakthrough capabilities across air, land, sea, space, and cyber. From AI-powered drones and loitering munitions to integrated autonomy and space resilience, our technologies shape the future of warfare and protect those who serve.

Founded by legendary innovator Dr. Paul MacCready, AV has spent over 50 years pushing the boundaries of what unmanned systems can do. Our heritage includes seven platforms in the Smithsonian—but we’re not building history, we’re building what’s next.

If you're ready to build technology that matters—with speed, scale, and purpose—there’s no better place to do it than AV.

We are proud to be an EEO/AA Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability/veterans. AeroVironment, Inc. is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer and welcomes all qualified applicants.