Research Computing Software Engineer (Platform Observability)
Confirmed on the employer's own hiring board on Nov 7, 2026. First seen by Alion on Aug 11, 2026. Pennsylvania State University scores C on the Alion truth index.
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:
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Approval of remote and hybrid work is not guaranteed regardless of work location. For additional information on remote work at Penn State, see Notice to Out of State Applicants.
POSITION SPECIFICS
We are seeking a motivated, self-starting Computing Software Specialist (Platform Observability) to join our Cloud Technology Advancement Department in the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL) at Penn State. In this role you will perform DevSecOps functions with a strong focus on observability and platform reliability - building and operating the monitoring, logging, and tracing backbone for our high-performance and cloud-native computing environments. This position would work out of our State College, PA, location.
ARL is an authorized DoD SkillBridge partner and welcomes all transitioning military members to apply.
You will:
- Design and implement secure, automated infrastructure solutions for high-performance computing environments through Agile software development
- Build and operate observability infrastructure across the three pillars - metrics, logging, and tracing - including dashboards, actionable alerting, and health/performance monitoring
- Work to maintain and monitor our CI/CD pipelines to allow for frequent, trouble-free deployments of infrastructure code, and deploy/operate workloads in container orchestration environments across bare metal and cloud
- Assist in performing and reviewing pull requests, writing unit tests, and producing occasional documentation as needed
- Provide demonstrations of your work to the internal team and occasionally external customers
- Coordinate with the Agile team to identify risks, issues, requirements, and design solutions for project-level activity on a daily basis
Required Skills/Experience areas include:
- DevSecOps tools/practices and Linux-based infrastructure / system administration
- Infrastructure/automation via configuration management and scripting tools
- Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) pipeline development skills
- Container orchestration and interest in cloud-native technologies
- Observability concepts and tooling - collecting and analyzing metrics, logs, and traces
Preferred Skills/Experience areas include:
- One or more observability stacks - metrics/monitoring, log aggregation, distributed tracing, and dashboard/alerting platforms
- Service-level objectives (SLOs/SLIs) and supporting on-call/incident response practices
- Container orchestration at scale and familiarity with public, private, or hybrid cloud platforms
- Configuration management via distributed version control, and experience with containerization
Your working location will be fully on-site located in State College, PA but options exist for hybrid of on-site/work from homebased on project-dependent ability. Questions related to flexible work should be directed to the hiring manager during the interview process.
MINIMUM EDUCATION, WORK EXPERIENCE & REQUIRED CERTIFICATIONS
If filled as Scientific Computing Engagement Specialist (ARL) - Intermediate Professional, this position requires: Associate Degree 2+ years of relevant experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience accepted Required Certifications: None If filled as Scientific Computing Software Specialist (ARL) - Professional, this position requires: Bachelor's Degree No prior relevant work experience required; previous relevant work experience accepted in lieu of education. Required Certifications: NoneARL’s purpose is to research and develop innovative solutions to challenging scientific, engineering, and technology problems in support of the Navy, the Intel Community (IC), and other federal government customers.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION on ARL, visit our website atwww.arl.psu.edu.
BACKGROUND CHECKS/CLEARANCES
Employment with the University will require successful completion of background check(s) in accordance with University policies.Notice regarding employment at the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL): Employees must be eligible to obtain a government security clearance, participate in the ARL drug testing program, and comply with electronic and physical monitoring requirements applicable to federal contractors. ARL operates in a secure information environment involving Unclassified, Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), and Classified information. Personal electronic devices brought onsite must be registered and may be restricted from certain areas. You must be a U.S. citizen to apply.SALARY & BENEFITS
The salary range for this position, including all possible grades, is $68,604.00 - $102,900.00.Salary Structure - Information on Penn State's salary structure
Penn State provides a competitive benefits package for full-time employees designed to support both personal and professional well-being. In addition to comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, employees enjoy robust retirement plans and substantial paid time off which includes holidays, vacation and sick time. One of the standout benefits is the generous 75% tuition discount, available to employees as well as eligible spouses and children. For more detailed information, please visit our Benefits Page.
CAMPUS SECURITY CRIME STATISTICS
Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act and the Pennsylvania Act of 1988, Penn State publishes a combined Annual Security and Annual Fire Safety Report (ASR). The ASR includes crime statistics and institutional policies concerning campus security, such as those concerning alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault, and other matters. The ASR is available for review here.
EEO IS THE LAW
Penn State is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. If you are unable to use our online application process due to an impairment or disability, please contact 814-865-1473.