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Dragonfly Foundation Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Product Engineer II

Arvada, CO · On-site

$132K - $158K/yr

From designing the blower for NASA's Dragonfly mission to Saturn's moon Titan to engineering ... This position also requires a strong foundation in design engineering, including the ability to ...

Dragonfly Foundation information

See salary details

$21K

$62.6K

$170.5K

How much do dragonfly foundation jobs pay per year?

As of Jun 21, 2026, the average yearly pay for dragonfly foundation in the United States is $62,609.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $34,000.00 and $72,500.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is the difference between Dragonfly Foundation vs Child Life Specialist?

AspectDragonfly FoundationChild Life Specialist
CredentialsVaries; often requires counseling, social work, or healthcare backgroundCertified Child Life Specialist (CCLS), requiring a bachelor's or master's in child life, child development, or related field, plus certification
Work EnvironmentHospitals, clinics, community programs supporting children with serious illnessesHospitals, pediatric units, hospices, and healthcare settings focusing on emotional support for children
Employer & IndustryNonprofit organizations, healthcare providers, community servicesHospitals, healthcare systems, pediatric care facilities

While both roles focus on supporting children's emotional well-being, the Dragonfly Foundation primarily operates as a nonprofit providing holistic support, whereas Child Life Specialists are certified professionals working directly within healthcare settings to prepare and support children during medical experiences.

What types of roles and daily responsibilities can I expect when working at the Dragonfly Foundation?

At the Dragonfly Foundation, team members typically engage in a variety of responsibilities centered around supporting children with cancer and their families. Daily tasks may include organizing patient and family events, coordinating with hospital partners, managing donations, and providing emotional support resources. Collaboration is key, as staff regularly work alongside volunteers, healthcare professionals, and community partners to deliver impactful programs. The work environment is compassionate and mission-driven, offering opportunities for both personal and professional growth within a supportive team.

What is the Dragonfly Foundation and what does it do?

The Dragonfly Foundation is a nonprofit organization that supports pediatric cancer patients and their families. It provides emotional, relational, and practical support during and after treatment, helping families cope with the challenges of cancer. The foundation offers programs, events, and resources to improve quality of life, foster community, and alleviate stress for young patients and their loved ones.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a staff member at The Dragonfly Foundation, and why are they important?

To excel as a staff member at The Dragonfly Foundation, you generally need a background in nonprofit management, fundraising, and program coordination, often supported by a relevant degree or experience in social work or healthcare. Familiarity with donor management systems, social media platforms, and event planning tools is typically required. Outstanding empathy, communication, and organizational skills help in building relationships with patients, families, and stakeholders. These abilities are critical to effectively support the foundation's mission of aiding pediatric cancer patients and their families, ensuring both operational success and compassionate service.
What cities are hiring for Dragonfly Foundation jobs? Cities with the most Dragonfly Foundation job openings:
What job categories do people searching Dragonfly Foundation jobs look for? The top searched job categories for Dragonfly Foundation jobs are:
Infographic showing various Dragonfly Foundation job openings in the United States as of June 2026, with employment types broken down into 6% As Needed, and 94% Part Time. Highlights an 93% Physical, 2% Hybrid, and 5% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $62,609 per year, or $30.1 per hour.
Software Development Engineer in Test

Software Development Engineer in Test

Research Innovations

Alexandria, VA

$53.50 - $69/hr

Full-time

Medical, Retirement, PTO

Posted 3 days ago


Job description

Position Title: Software Development Engineer in Test 

Location: Alexandria, VA

Clearance Requirement:US Citizenship is required/Must be clearable

Travel: Less than 25%

Employment type: Full Time

Research Innovations, Inc. (RII) is breaking through the big, slow status quo with transformative technology that fundamentally improves the world. We build advanced software solutions for government and military missions, applying agile development and user-centered design to solve complex, mission-critical problems.

Dragonfly is RII's next-generation electromagnetic spectrum operations platform, combining advanced sensor integration, GPU-accelerated signal processing, artificial intelligence, and autonomous spectrum operations to deliver real-time spectrum awareness, passive target detection, electronic warfare support, and mission-focused analytics across man-portable, vehicle-mounted, maritime, and airborne environments.

We are seeking a Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET) to ensure the quality, reliability, and operational readiness of Dragonfly's software across its full mission capability set. In this role, you will design and execute test strategies spanning controlled lab environments and live outdoor RF collection scenarios, validating everything from core signal processing pipelines and direction finding accuracy to partner system integrations and the browser-based tactical UI. You will work closely with software engineers, systems integrators, and program teams to define acceptance criteria, build automated test frameworks, and drive defects to resolution. The ideal candidate brings a strong software testing foundation combined with a genuine interest in RF systems, electronic warfare, or defense technologies, and thrives in a hands-on environment where the lab is just as likely to be a parking lot with an antenna as it is a bench in an office.

WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING

Automated Test Development & Validation

  • Design, develop, and maintain automated test frameworks supporting Dragonfly's microservices-based software architecture, browser-based tactical user interface, RF signal processing pipelines, and REST/GraphQL APIs.

  • Develop and maintain comprehensive test plans, test procedures, test cases, and requirements traceability matrices aligned with system-level requirements, customer objectives, and mission use cases.

  • Collaborate with software, hardware, and systems engineering teams to define acceptance criteria, identify defects early in the development lifecycle, and support quality assurance activities within CI/CD pipelines.

  • Maintain automated regression test suites to ensure software stability, performance, and repeatability across product releases.

System Integration & Hardware-in-the-Loop Testing

  • Perform hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing across the complete Dragonfly platform, including processing units, direction-finding antennas, software-defined radios, and associated peripherals.

  • Validate subsystem and end-to-end system integrations, ensuring interoperability between Dragonfly, external partner systems, and command-and-control (C2) platforms.

  • Verify system functionality, data flow integrity, and operational performance across integrated hardware and software environments.

  • Support verification activities for new hardware configurations, software releases, and system enhancements prior to operational deployment.

RF Performance & Mission Capability Verification

  • Execute structured laboratory testing of RF detection, direction finding, geolocation, EMCON monitoring, and spectrum awareness capabilities against documented requirements and performance specifications.

  • Validate GPU-accelerated digital signal processing functions, including multi-channel direction finding, signal correlation, emitter characterization, and machine learning-based antenna calibration algorithms.

  • Verify wide-band survey operations, signal classification, direction finding accuracy, and real-time signal processing performance across representative operational scenarios.

  • Conduct RF performance assessments to ensure mission systems meet accuracy, responsiveness, and operational effectiveness requirements.

Field Testing & Operational Evaluation

  • Plan and execute outdoor field testing activities involving live RF signal collection and operational system employment.

  • Evaluate system performance under realistic environmental conditions, validating signal detection, geolocation accuracy, direction finding performance, and spectrum monitoring capabilities.

  • Document environmental variables, test configurations, and operational conditions to ensure repeatable and defensible test results.

  • Support customer demonstrations, operational assessments, and field validation events as required.

Test Documentation & Continuous Improvement

  • Document test results, anomalies, defect reports, regression outcomes, and corrective actions with clear reproduction steps and supporting technical evidence.

  • Maintain detailed testing records, quality documentation, and verification artifacts supporting system acceptance and product readiness reviews.

  • Analyze test results and performance trends to identify reliability issues, software defects, integration risks, and opportunities for system improvement.

  • Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives by refining test methodologies, expanding automation coverage, and improving overall product quality and mission readiness.

WHAT YOU HAVE DONE
  • 3+ years of SDET or software QA engineering experience, ideally within defense, RF, or embedded systems domains

  • Developed and maintained automated test suites using Python, Rust, or similar languages against REST or GraphQL APIs

  • Written and executed test plans covering both functional and integration testing for complex, multi-component systems

  • Performed field or outdoor hardware/software validation testing, with comfort operating in varied environments including vehicle-mounted or field-deployed configurations

  • Worked with Linux-based systems (RHEL/Rocky or equivalent) and have familiarity with Docker containerized environments

  • Tested or operated software-defined radio (SDR) systems or spectrum analysis tools

  • Used defect tracking and test management tools (Jira, Gitlab) to manage test coverage and report quality metrics

  • Collaborated within Agile/Scrum development teams alongside engineers, product owners, and program managers

EVEN BETTER
  • Hands-on experience with RF signal collection, spectrum analysis, or electronic warfare / SIGINT systems
  • Familiarity with direction finding concepts, geolocation techniques (LOB, TDOA), or signal characterization workflows
  • Experience testing AI/ML inference pipelines or GPU-accelerated compute (NVIDIA CUDA)
  • Background testing military or government systems against MIL-STD compliance requirements (MIL-STD-810, MIL-STD-461, etc.)
  • Exposure to JICD 4.2, ISA, or similar defense data standards and interoperability testing
  • Experience with performance and stress testing of real-time data processing systems
  • Active DoD security clearance (Secret or above)
  • Prior work with unmanned systems (UAS), vehicle-mounted sensor platforms, or field-deployed tactical equipment
#LI-TC1

At RII, we believe that diversity in our workforce is critical to our success. We strive to hire great people from a wide variety of backgrounds, not just because it's the right thing to do, but because it makes us stronger. We work to help your intellectual passions and creativity thrive. It's one of our core values: Let your geek flag fly.
 
We also offer all employees comprehensive benefits including: flexible work schedules, health insurance coverage, paid time off, 401k with a company match, paid parental leave, access to wellness programs and much more. You get this all from day one, and all paid for by RII.
 
It's all part of another of our core values: Stay human. It's why our comfortable and colorful offices such as our headquarters, include a community game room, pantry, massage chair, and an escape room, among other amenities. It's why we have community ambassadors and regular community events.
 
Research Innovations Incorporated is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.
We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.
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