At ARA we are driven by a passion for developing innovative solutions to challenging problems of national importance. Our culture rewards autonomy and initiative and we foster a stable environment where personal and professional growth are prioritized.

For this position we are looking for highly skilled software engineers to join our augmented reality team. ARA’s ARC4 augmented reality technology is used by the US Army and others to improve the situational awareness of our soldiers on the battlefield. ARC4 provides accurate, timely information so that teams can make the right decisions and operate with enhanced safety and speed. It is not an overstatement to say that this capability will save lives, by improving coordination, decisiveness, and communication.

Specifically, we need engineers and scientists who have the ability or interest to design and implement defense-grade augmented reality software. The software you develop will be fielded on a wide range of Army systems, including night vision goggles, ground vehicles, and far target locators.

Our technology:

• C++17 application software built for Windows, Linux, and Android (heavy use of Android NDK) using Qt, OpenGL, Eigen, libUSB, and ZMQ
• Kotlin application software built for Windows and Android using JavaFX
• Microcontroller software built in Rust and C
• Embedded web server software built with Node.js and React
• CI build and package management system built with Jenkins, CMake, Gradle, and Conan

Our team’s interests:

• Low-latency inter-device communication and high-performance inter-process data sharing. We write software that moves inertial sensor data and video data between embedded systems as fast as possible.
• Extensible software. We write applications for customers who want to build their own add-ons and plug-ins, so we think about APIs, data protocols and how to hot-load 3rd-party code.
• Safe concurrency. Knowing patterns for working with concurrent code safely is critically important for our applications.
• Cross-platform code. Our customers use many different platforms, so we know the difference between compiling with GCC vs Clang vs MSVC and when to utilize the JVM or web technology.
• Our code runs on devices that people work with and wear in heterogeneous processing hardware under unique resource constraints. This also means we employ multiple strategies to test our code from automated unit testing to device emulation and field testing.
• Putting math to work. Our products are often born from research projects which means learning and applying advanced math is how we deliver for our customers.

Entry-level Augmented Reality Software Engineer Requirements:

• Due to the nature of work, qualified candidates must be U.S. Citizens
• A Bachelor’s degree in a STEM field with 0-2 years of experience
• A strong understanding of either C++17, Kotlin, or Rust
• Some experience in at least one of our technologies or interests
• A strong desire to learn another of our other technologies or interests

About Us:

Applied Research Associates, Inc. (aka ARA) is an employee-owned international research and engineering company known for providing technically superior solutions to complex and challenging problems in the physical sciences. We were founded in Albuquerque, NM in 1979 as the disco era was, thankfully, closing out and the personal computer era was beginning. We employ over 1,400 professionals and continue to grow. ARA offices throughout the U.S. and Canada provide a broad range of technical expertise in defense, civil, and health technologies, computer software and simulation, systems analysis, environmental technologies, and testing and measurement. Around ARA you are equally likely to hear a conversation about Kubernetes clusters as you are a debate on merits of a reverse polish notation (RPN) calculator!

While this is all of the Year One and Beyond stuff, Day One is highly impressive too. These are things like our competitive salary (DOE), Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) & 401(k) with matching program, benefits package which includes medical, dental vision, flex spending, telehealth services, company-paid life & disability insurance including paid maternity disability leave through our company-paid short-term disability benefit, domestic partner coverage, dependent care flex spending, daycare discounts, pet insurance, relocation opportunities, floating holidays, tuition reimbursement, professional development as well as flexible schedules with remote/work from home options. ARA also prides ourselves on having a challenging culture where innovation & experimentation are the norm. At ARA, employees are our greatest assets, so we give our employees the tools, training, and opportunities to take active roles as owners. The motto, “Engineering and Science for Fun and Profit” sums up the ARA experience. The company realizes employee ownership spawns greater creativity and initiative along with higher performance and customer satisfaction levels.

ARA is passionate about inclusion and diversity in our workplace. In 2018 40% of our new employees voluntarily self-identified as protected veterans. (Source-AAP EOY 2018 Veterans Data Collection Report). We are also very proud of our Women’s Initiative Network (WIN) whose purpose is to motivate, support, and encourage professional career development for women to maximize career and professional accomplishments. Additionally, the Southeast Division looks not only for the right skills, but also for a cultural fit. We seek colleagues who will contribute to the unique culture that makes ARA such a great place to work. Some of the social impact aspects we have implemented at our division include monthly get-togethers, team outings to local baseball games in the summer, board game lunches, holiday party, corn hole tournaments, chili cook-offs and so on. For additional information and an opportunity to join this unique workplace, please apply at careers.ara.com.