Jr 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 Junior 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 develop, integrate, and demonstrate prototype sensor systems for Department of War applications.

In this role, you will develop and test C++ and Python software on embedded Linux platforms based on ARM processors and FPGAs. You will work directly with hardware testbeds, support real-time data processing and optical communications capabilities, and help transition research concepts into maintainable software used in laboratory and field demonstrations.

Responsibilities

• Develop, test, and debug software applications in modern C++ and Python for embedded Linux systems.
• Support integration of software with FPGA-based processing components, hardware accelerators, and high-speed sensor interfaces such as AXI, DMA, and GPIO.
• Create and maintain unit, integration, and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) test frameworks to verify system functionality and performance.
• Develop Python utilities for hardware control, calibration, test automation, and data analysis.
• Participate in code reviews and contribute to software build, deployment, and configuration management processes.
• Work with engineers across hardware and software disciplines to troubleshoot system integration issues.
• Support laboratory experiments, field demonstrations, and customer technical reviews.
• 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.
• 0-2 years of relevant experience, including internships, undergraduate research, capstone projects, or professional software development experience.
• Experience developing software in C/C++ and Python.
• Familiarity with Linux development environments and command-line tools.
• Experience using Git for version control.

Desired Qualifications

• Experience with embedded ARM-based systems such as AMD/Xilinx Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC, NVIDIA Jetson, or Raspberry Pi platforms.
• Exposure to FPGA development tools and workflows, including Vivado, Vitis, VHDL, Verilog, or High-Level Synthesis (HLS).
• Familiarity with CMake, automated testing frameworks, and software quality tools.
• Coursework or project experience related to computer vision, digital signal processing, optical communications, robotics, or sensor systems.
• Experience reading schematics, performing board bring-up activities, or debugging hardware interfaces using oscilloscopes or logic analyzers
• Current security clearance

Global Comp

$75,000 - $95,000 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.