Optical Engineer Intern Jobs in Michigan (NOW HIRING)

ARKA Group L.P. (“ARKA”) is an advanced technologies company serving the U.S. military, intelligence community, and commercial space industry delivering next-generation solutions to support the national security space enterprise. Built on more than six decades of excellence, ARKA brings modern approaches and a culture of innovation to the challenges of today.

We are looking for software engineer interns to join the team in summer 2026 to apply their capabilities to becoming the next generation of developers turning signal and image processes into usable software. Accepted candidates will become part of our 75+ year history on the cutting edge of the radar and electro-optical fields. Our team has been revolutionizing the space since the earliest days of the Cold War and continues to receive patents and develop revolutionary and exquisite technologies to this day making us critical to U.S. government and commercial space capabilities.

Join the ARKA team to learn how Beyond Begins Here. Discover your next internship and career opportunity now!

Position Overview:

ARKA is seeking an aspiring software engineer for an internship in Ypsilanti, MI. In this role, you will learn about some of the newest remote sensing products used by our government customers that keep our country safe. If this sounds interesting and you have a programming background in Java, C++, Javascript, or a similar language, this might be the job for you!

This internship is onsite at our facility in Ypsilanti, MI. As part of the work you can expect to learn about synthetic aperture radar, cutting edge products, and the technologies that have made us a “go to” partner for our customers for nearly 80 years., The internship(s) will start circa mid-May and candidates will be expected to spend up to 90 days in this internship. This work requires candidates to be a U.S. citizen willing and able to acquire a Top Secret U.S. Government Security Clearance.

Responsibilities:

• Collaborate with the program manager, engineers, and other stakeholders to define software requirements and specifications
• Design and implement efficient, flexible solutions that can scale for mission critical applications
• Work closely with the DevOps team to deploy new features and maintain system stability
• Write robust test suites to ensure code correctness
• Apply software standards and processes to produce high quality, extensible, and maintainable software packages
• Debug, refactor, and reimplement existing software codebases into new systems and on new platforms
• Participate in all aspects of the development lifecycle, including planning, requirements development, software design, implementation and build, documentation, testing, deployment, and maintenance
• Effectively collaborate across a diverse team of engineers, product owners, and scrum masters

Required Qualifications:

• U.S. citizen with a willingness and ability to obtain a Top Secret U.S. Government Security Clearance
• Working toward a degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Physics, Math, or a related field
• Interest in learning remote sensing technologies
• Programming skills in Python, Java, C++, Javascript, or a similar language
• Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills
• Ability to work within a team environment to advance large software development packages by taking on and completing tasks independently
• Ability to work onsite

Preferred Qualifications:

• Programming skills in an additional language
• Familiarity developing in Linux and/or in a cloud environment (AWS preferred)
• Knowledge of or background in radar or electro-optical fields
• Academic experience in digital signal processing
• Scrum/Agile Development knowledge and experience with Jira
• Experience writing software implementing algorithms

Location: Ypsilanti, MI

Ypsilanti is artistic, genuine, and original. A college town and city located on the Huron River in Washtenaw County. Ypsilanti is all about community and making families new to the area feel right at home. From educational opportunities and local museums for all ages, to accessible healthcare and transportation it’s a wonderful location. It’s well known for its historical museums, parks, and historic districts as well as home to Eastern Michigan University. The University of Michigan and Michigan State University also are great institutions! Ann Arbor is close by and has many things, including a bustling university town, culinary hotspot, and a tech hub with a walkable downtown that includes world-class arts and culture. Located in southeast Michigan's Lower Peninsula, Ann Arbor lies at the center of a greater collection of communities in Washtenaw County. With so many thriving communities nearby, Ann Arbor has become a cultural melting pot and urban oasis.

When you choose to join the ARKA Student Program, you will:

• Gain hands-on experience in your chosen field and share your unique ideas and creative problem-solving skills to help us continue our legacy of innovation
• Flourish and seamlessly develop great relationships with co-workers
• Network with students from other universities
• Participate in activities that support our local communities
• Work alongside our talented team, including employees who started as interns or co-ops
• Enjoy companywide employee activities
• Receive competitive compensation and paid holidays

EHS/Environmental Requirements:

This job operates in a professional office environment. While performing the duties of this job, the employee routinely is required to use hands to keyboard, communicate, listen to, and interpret instructions and remain stationary for extended periods of the time. This would require the ability to move around the campus and occasionally move/lift items weighing up to 40 lbs. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.

Applicants are invited to apply for a reasonable accommodation to perform the essential duties of the job. To apply, send a request to staffing@arka.org or contact 203-797-5000 and press 2 for Human Resources.

ITC & Security Clearance Requirements:

This position requires the ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret U.S. Government Security Clearance.

Visa Restrictions:

No visa sponsorship is available for this position.

Pre-employment Screenings:

Employment with any ARKA companies in the U.S. is contingent upon satisfactory completion of several pre-employment requirements to include a credit check, background check, and drug screen.