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Augmented Reality Systems Engineer

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 augmented reality technology is used by the US Army and others to improve the situational awareness of our Soldiers on the battlefield. This technology 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 to perform a wide range of technical activities related to development, integration, and testing of augmented reality software and systems. The technology you develop will be fielded on a wide range of Army systems, including night vision goggles, ground vehicles, and far target locators.

The augmented reality systems engineer will serve as a generalist, contributing in a wide range of different technical areas and learning new skills and technologies as needed. We are looking for candidates with energy, enthusiasm, and a strong entrepreneurial spirit. Above all, we value passion, a desire to learn, and strong teamwork skills.

Our technology:
  • Custom mechanical designs created in SolidWorks, fabricated by machining, 3D printing, and injection molding
  • Custom electronics including multiple heterogeneous processors, high density / high layer count PCBs, and a wide range of interfaces (USB, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, DisplayPort, SPI, I2C, UART, etc.)
  • RTL design using VHDL and Verilog
  • C++17, Kotlin, and Java application software built for Windows, Linux, and Android
  • Microcontroller software built in Rust and C
  • CI build and package management system built with Jenkins, CMake, Gradle, and Conan

Our team’s interests:
  • Hardware / software integration. Our multi-disciplinary team creates, manages, and uses the interfaces between disparate hardware and software components. Being able to read, understand, and implement ICDs is important
  • Customer-centric design. We listen to our customers and tailor our approach to their expectations. Solid people skills and the ability to communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical collaborators and customers is essential
  • Agile development. Our projects are dynamic and fast-paced. Systems engineers must be able to see the big picture and keep the functional teams aligned to a common goal. An ability to strategically anticipate and mitigate project technical risk is highly valuable
  • 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
  • Hands-on engineering. We prototype, test, and debug our own designs. The ability to work with common machine and electronics bench tools is critical, as is an affinity for hands-on hardware-level debugging
  • System field testing. We run our technology through its paces, and support user evaluations across the country. This experience is critical for understanding how to best solve our customers’ problems and to recognize and fix bugs as early and efficiently as possible

Augmented Reality Systems Engineer Required Experience and Skills:
  • Due to the nature of work, qualified candidates must be U.S. Citizens
  • A Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, along with 5-7 years of experience OR 11-13 years of equivalent practical experience
  • A solid understanding of hardware/software interfaces and integration
  • Prior experience working with and/or leading high performing multi-disciplinary teams
  • Experience performing hands-on system-level debugging of complex integrated hardware/software systems
  • Passion, drive, and an enthusiasm for learning new skills and technologies
  • The ability to work with government customers and military end-users to distill operational needs into program requirements

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.