Entry Level Java Software Engineer Jobs in Kennewick, WA

INTERA Incorporated is seeking an entry-level Software Engineer / Software Quality Assurance Specialist position to join us in our Richland, Washington office in support of our work at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Hanford Site. This is an excellent opportunity to be mentored by industry experts to learn and grow in providing software solutions for environmental applications and enabling our organization to maintain compliance with stringent software quality assurance and quality control requirements. As a member of our talented Quality Assurance team, your work will be a valuable contribution to the innovative solutions needed at the Hanford Site, one of the largest environmental cleanup projects in the world.

We’re looking for someone who takes initiative, loves problem-solving, and thrives in a collaborative environment. You’ll have the opportunity to work with exceptional multi-disciplinary teams of geologists, hydrogeologists, geochemists, engineers, software engineers, quality assurance specialists, and GIS analysts – all while gaining valuable experience contributing to projects that have a lasting real-world impact. If you have a strong foundation in software engineering or computer science and are eager to learn and grow, we encourage you to apply.

Our purpose is Innovation and stewardship for a sustainable tomorrow. Join INTERA and help us make a difference today.

Responsibilities

The primary responsibility of this position is to work as a part of our quality assurance team to attain and maintain compliance with software quality assurance (SQA) requirements for software used to perform such calculations to support environmental decisions. Additional responsibilities include providing programming and database support for environmental services, such as support for web-based delivery of interactive regulatory environmental monitoring reports through rapid development in a variety of languages (primarily Python and C#). Key specific responsibilities include:

• Assisting the QA Manager, SQA Team Lead, and Responsible Manager in quality assurance operations
• Creating and maintaining quality documentation specific to the software used at INTERA’s Richland office
• Reviewing and testing commercially available and/or custom-developed software, writing reports per SQA procedures, maintaining software configuration control, data analysis, and review
• Performing internal auditing for adherence to SQA procedures governed by the Federal contract
• Assist in developing custom-developed scripts under the guidance of the programming team
• Facilitating and processing site-specific training materials for current and future employees of INTERA’s Richland office
• Creating, reviewing, and maintaining quality documentation of custom-developed scripts used for pre-and post-processing numerical modeling operations
• Manipulate large and disjointed data sets gathered from a variety of sources; common platforms include ArcGIS, MS Access, Oracle/PLSQL, and MS Excel
• Support the development of software maintenance and quality assurance documentation
• Follow directions and adhere to quality assurance procedures in accomplishing work

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with 2+ years of experience in the field of software engineering, computer science, data science, or a related field
• Demonstrated proficiency in at least one high-level programming language (Python and/or the .NET framework are strongly preferred)
• Aptitude for acquiring new programming skills, languages, and technologies
• Experience developing application software in a structured environment (with a focus on maintainability); experience developing databases for environmental data is highly desired
• U.S. citizenship is required due to federal contract requirements

Preferred Qualifications

• Understanding of and experience writing in modern, common programming languages such as Python
• Experience with SQA documentation with a preference for experience working under federal contracts
• Linux terminal experience beyond basic file and directory manipulation
• Experience with high-performance computing systems

About INTERA & Our Benefits

INTERA is a Top Workplaces USA 2025 Award Winner!

INTERA’s Richland Office is a Best Places to Work in the Mid-Columbia 2025 Winner!

Founded in 1974, INTERA has grown into an international geoscience and engineering consulting firm that helps clients make informed business decisions, mitigate risk, and drive optimal outcomes in a multitude of industries. Building and sustaining a strong company culture is at the heart of INTERA’s practice of good stewardship. We strive to foster an environment where people love the work that they do and the place that they work because we believe that our employees are our most valuable asset. As an employee-owned company, we are committed to investing in our people’s needs for security, health, and well-being with:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance that includes a free health plan option for employee-only coverage
• Paid parental leave – up to 12 weeks for birthing and non-birthing parents
• Group term life and accidental death and dismemberment insurance, short-term and long-term coverage – paid 100% by the company
• Paid holiday, vacation, and sick time
• Opportunities for stock ownership
• Performance-based bonuses and award programs for technical paper publication and employee referrals
• Career coaching instead of performance evaluations
• Tuition reimbursement, financial assistance for professional licensure and registration, and one paid membership to a professional society
• Pet insurance, and more

These are some of the reasons why many of our employees have spent 10 to 25 years at INTERA. We love what we do, and it shows.