Software Engineering Lead - Guidance Test Equipment

Basic Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Software Engineering, or related Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics field, plus a minimum of 5 years of relevant experience; or Master's degree, plus 3 years relevant experience.

 

CLEARANCE REQUIREMENTS:Department of Defense Secret security clearance is obtainable within a reasonable amount of time after hire. Applicants selected will be subject to a U.S. Government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information. Due to the nature of work performed within our facilities, U.S. citizenship is required.

Responsibilities for this Position

ROLE AND POSITION OBJECTIVES:

 

The Guidance Program is looking for a Software Engineering Lead to help shape the next generation of test equipment supporting the Trident II D5LE2 Missile Guidance System. In this role, you will lead a small, highly capable cross-functional team developing the software, tools, automation, and integration capabilities used to test one of the most complex strategic guidance systems in the world.

 

This is a hands-on technical leadership role for someone who enjoys solving hard engineering problems, improving how teams build and deliver software, and working at the intersection of embedded systems, test equipment, hardware integration, and mission-critical defense technology. You will partner closely with systems, hardware, test, and program leadership to modernize software practices, strengthen integration workflows, and deliver reliable capabilities that directly support Guidance System development and verification.

 

You’ll have the opportunity to influence technical direction, mentor engineers, introduce better development practices, and help the team move faster with confidence. If you enjoy leading from the front, building practical software solutions, and bringing modern software engineering discipline into complex engineering environments, this role offers meaningful technical challenge and high mission impact.

 

What You’ll Do

• Lead a small technical team of software and cross-discipline engineers supporting Guidance Test Equipment development
• Drive software design, development, integration, test, and deployment for mission-critical test capabilities
• Partner with systems, hardware, and test engineers to build software that interfaces with complex lab and engineering environments
• Improve development workflows through CI/CD, automation, containerization, configuration management, and disciplined release practices
• Support embedded software, middleware, networking, data acquisition, analysis, and test automation efforts
• Provide technical direction, mentoring, planning support, and execution oversight for team deliverables
• Collaborate with engineering and program leadership to manage priorities, resolve technical challenges, and align execution with program needs
• Apply systems engineering awareness to requirements, interfaces, integration, verification, and test planning

What We’re Looking For

We encourage you to apply if you have experience in any of the following areas:

• Technical leadership of a small engineering team, ideally 5+ individual contributors
• Software development in C, C++, Python, or similar languages
• Embedded software, test equipment software, automation, or hardware/software integration
• CI/CD pipelines, automated builds, automated testing, or deployment workflows
• Docker, Podman, or other containerization technologies
• Networking, middleware, interfaces, or distributed software systems
• MATLAB, engineering analysis tools, or modeling environments
• Lab equipment such as oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, data acquisition systems, or other test instrumentation
• Systems engineering concepts such as requirements flowdown, interface definition, integration, verification, and validation
• Communication with engineering teams, program leadership, and multiple levels of management

What Will Help You Stand Out

• A passion for modernizing engineering workflows and improving how software is built, tested, and delivered
• Comfort working in complex, highly regulated, mission-critical environments
• Ability to bridge software, systems, hardware, and test disciplines
• A practical mindset for solving integration challenges in real engineering lab environments
• Curiosity about emerging tools and a willingness to introduce better ways of working

AI-Enabled Engineering

We are also looking for engineers who are ready to use AI responsibly to improve productivity, quality, and technical insight. Preferred experience includes:

• Ability to leverage generative AI tools to accelerate software development, integration, test, documentation, and engineering analysis
• Comfort working with enterprise AI platforms and multiple AI models while following established guidelines for handling CUI and proprietary data
• Willingness to stay current with evolving AI capabilities and adopt new AI-enabled workflows that improve engineering productivity and quality

Why This Role Matters

The software developed by this team enables the test and verification of critical Guidance System capabilities. Your work will help strengthen the tools, automation, and engineering infrastructure behind one of the nation’s most important strategic defense programs. This is a role for someone who wants their software leadership to have visible impact, technical depth, and mission relevance.

Our Commitment to You:

• An exciting career path with opportunities for continuous learning and development. 
• Research oriented work, alongside award winning teams developing practical solutions for our nation’s security
• Flexible schedules with every other Friday off work, if desired (9/80 schedule)
• Competitive benefits, including 401k matching, flex time off, paid parental leave, healthcare benefits, health & wellness programs, employee resource and social groups, and more
• See more at gdmissionsystems.com/careers/why-work-for-us/benefits

 

Workplace Options:This position is Fully On-site or FlexWhile on-site, you will be a part of the Pittsfield, MA Guidance Team.

Salary Note

This estimate represents the typical salary range for this position based on experience and other factors (geographic location, etc.). Actual pay may vary. This job posting will remain open until the position is filled.

Combined Salary Range

USD $112,924.00 - USD $125,275.00 /Yr.

Company Overview

General Dynamics Mission Systems (GDMS) engineers a diverse portfolio of high technology solutions, products and services that enable customers to successfully execute missions across all domains of operation. With a global team of 12,000+ top professionals, we partner with the best in industry to expand the bounds of innovation in the defense and scientific arenas. Given the nature of our work and who we are, we value trust, honesty, alignment and transparency. We offer highly competitive benefits and pride ourselves in being a great place to work with a shared sense of purpose. You will also enjoy a flexible work environment where contributions are recognized and rewarded. If who we are and what we do resonates with you, we invite you to join our high-performance team!

Equal Opportunity Employer / Individuals with Disabilities / Protected Veterans