2026 Graduate - Software Engineer - Strategic Deterrence

Are you passionate about applying software engineering solutions to challenging problems with a collaborative group of dedicated professionals?

Do you want to contribute to critical technologies that are vital to maintaining our national security?

If you are graduating with a degree in computer science and want to work in Strategic Deterrence, we'd love to have you join our team!

We are seeking a Software Engineer to help us create and implement custom software solutions to enable data processing and analysis of data that is vital to the design and operation of weapon systems for our nation. We're currently modernizing our existing suite of software while growing into adjacent projects to bring our software talent to bear on new challenges facing our sponsors. We perform the full software engineering lifecycle across a number of different efforts for a variety of sponsoring organizations.

As a member of our team you will...

• Design, develop and implement new software, build solutions in existing software, and modernize legacy software, working across the entire software development process.
• Participate in reviews of software design, implementation, documentation, and thorough testing to ensure software products are of high quality.
• Prepare for and deploy software to production, both within APL and at our sponsor sites, ensuring high quality deployments.
• Work closely with other developers, systems engineers, end users (data processors and analysts), and sponsors to understand system needs and develop overall solutions that will meet these needs.

You meet our minimum qualifications for the job if you have...

• A Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or other related technical discipline.
• Experience using a modern web development stack.
• Experience developing in high order languages such as C#, Python, Java, or JavaScript.
• Strong knowledge of programming fundamentals (computer science, algorithms, database design, data structures).
• Strong debugging and investigating skills.
• Strong communication skills, both verbal and written.
• A desire to continually learn and explore new technologies with an eye to applying those modern technologies in order to develop innovative new solutions.
• An interest in demonstrating your individual capabilities, as well as collaborating closely with a team.
• Are able to obtain a Secret level security clearance by your start date and can ultimately obtain a Top Secret level clearance. If selected, you will be subject to a government security clearance investigation and must meet the requirements for access to classified information. Eligibility requirements include U.S. citizenship.

You'll go above and beyond our minimum requirements if you have...

• A Master's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems or other related technical discipline.
• Experience developing software using Microsoft technologies (e.g. ASP.NET, ASP.NETCore, C#, Entity Framework).
• Experience designing and integrating software with relational databases (e.g. MicrosoftSQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Oracle) and NoSQL databases (e.g., Mongo DB, neo4J).
• Experience with software project and configuration management tools to perform issue tracking, automated unit testing, continuous integration / DevOps (such as GitLab,TeamCity, Jenkins), and version control tools (e.g., Git).
• Experience in agile and scrum software development principles.
• Experience with data reduction and data analysis.
• Experience with developing for multi-tier software architectures capable of operating at different scales and security levels.
• Hold an active Top Secret security clearance.

Why Work at APL?

The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) brings world-class expertise to our nation's most critical defense, security, space and science challenges. While we are dedicated to solving complex challenges and pioneering new technologies, what makes us truly outstanding is our culture. We offer a vibrant, welcoming atmosphere where you can bring your authentic self to work, continue to grow, and build strong connections with inspiring teammates.

At APL, we celebrate our differences of perspectives and encourage creativity and bold, new ideas. Our employees enjoy generous benefits, including a robust education assistance program, unparalleled retirement contributions, and a healthy work/life balance. APL's campus is located in the Baltimore-Washington metro area. Learn more about our career opportunities at http://www.jhuapl.edu/careers.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, creed, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, occupation, marital or familial status, political opinion, personal appearance, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. APL is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals of all abilities, including those with disabilities. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate in any part of the hiring process, please contact Accommodations@jhuapl.edu.

The referenced pay range is based on JHU APL's good faith belief at the time of posting. Actual compensation may vary based on factors such as geographic location, work experience, market conditions, education/training and skill level with consideration for internal parity. For salaried employees scheduled to work less than 40 hours per week, annual salary will be prorated based on the number of hours worked. APL may offer bonuses or other forms of compensation per internal policy and/or contractual designation. Additional compensation may be provided in the form of a sign-on bonus, relocation benefits, locality allowance or discretionary payments for exceptional performance. APL provides eligible staff with a comprehensive benefits package including retirement plans, paid time off, medical, dental, vision, life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability, flexible spending accounts, education assistance, and training and development. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.