Software Engineer (Back End) at AeroVironment in Jessup, MD

Software Engineer (Back End) Location: 420 National Business Parkway, Jessup, MD Worker Type Regular 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 The salary range for this role is: $102,000 - $160,650 AeroVironment considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the location, the role and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, education/training, and key skills. 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”). In order to comply with the requirements of the ITAR and/or the EAR, applicants must qualify as a U.S. person under the ITAR and the EAR, or a person to be approved for an export license by the governing agency whose technology comes under its jurisdiction. Please understand that any job offer that requires approval of an export license will be conditional on AeroVironment’s determination that it will be able to obtain an export license in a time frame consistent with AeroVironment’s business requirements. A “U.S. person” according to the ITAR definition is a U.S. citizen, U.S. lawful permanent resident (green card holder), or protected individual such as a refugee or asylee. See 22 CFR § 120.15. Some positions will require current U.S. Citizenship due to contract requirements. Benefits:  AV offers an excellent benefits package including medical, dental vision, 401K with company matching, a 9/80 work schedule and a paid holiday shutdown.  For more information about our company benefit offerings please visit:  http://www.avinc.com/myavbenefits. We also encourage you to review our company website at http://www.avinc.com to learn more about us. Principals only need apply.  NO agencies please. 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. Qualified applicants will receive fair and impartial consideration without regard to race, sex, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, genetic data, sexual orientation, gender identity or other legally protected status. ITAR U.S. Citizenship is required. Secret or Top Secret clearance, or the ability obtain a clearance is desired.