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Senior Instrument Engineer Jobs in Virginia (NOW HIRING)

Peraton

Senior AI/ML Software Engineer

Herndon, VA

$146K - $234K/yr

Responsibilities Peraton Labs is seeking a Senior AI/ML Software Engineer to join the Labs Agentic ... Instrument agent pipelines with OpenTelemetry tracing, provenance audit trails, and observability ...

Peraton

Senior AI/ML Software Engineer

Reston, VA · On-site

$146K - $234K/yr

Responsibilities Peraton Labs is seeking a Senior AI/ML Software Engineer to join the Labs Agentic ... Instrument agent pipelines with OpenTelemetry tracing, provenance audit trails, and observability ...

Peraton

Senior AI/ML Software Engineer

Herndon, VA · On-site

$146K - $234K/yr

Responsibilities Peraton Labs is seeking a Senior AI/ML Software Engineer to join the Labs Agentic ... Instrument agent pipelines with OpenTelemetry tracing, provenance audit trails, and observability ...

Peraton

Senior AI/ML Software Engineer

Herndon, VA

$146K - $234K/yr

Responsibilities Peraton Labs is seeking a Senior AI/ML Software Engineer to join the Labs Agentic ... Instrument agent pipelines with OpenTelemetry tracing, provenance audit trails, and observability ...

Peraton

Senior AI/ML Software Engineer

Reston, VA

$146K - $234K/yr

Responsibilities Peraton Labs is seeking a Senior AI/ML Software Engineer to join the Labs Agentic ... Instrument agent pipelines with OpenTelemetry tracing, provenance audit trails, and observability ...

Peraton

Senior AI/ML Software Engineer

Herndon, VA

$146K - $234K/yr

Responsibilities Peraton Labs is seeking a Senior AI/ML Software Engineer to join the Labs Agentic ... Instrument agent pipelines with OpenTelemetry tracing, provenance audit trails, and observability ...

Remitly

Senior AI Native Software Engineer

Arlington, VA · On-site

$180K - $225K/yr

As a Senior AI Native Software Engineer, you direct AI agents to build products and solutions ... Instrument solutions to track usage and outcomes, iterating based on what you learn * Evaluate AI ...

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All JobsSenior Instrument Engineer JobsSenior Instrument Engineer Jobs in Virginia

Senior Instrument Engineer information

See Virginia salary details

$78.3K

$115.8K

$163.6K

How much do senior instrument engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Jul 5, 2026, the average yearly pay for senior instrument engineer in Virginia is $115,837.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $93,200.00 and $135,800.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are some common challenges faced by Senior Instrument Engineers when working on multidisciplinary projects?

Senior Instrument Engineers often encounter challenges coordinating with other engineering disciplines, such as process, electrical, and mechanical teams, to ensure instrumentation specifications align with overall project requirements. Integrating new instrumentation technologies into existing systems while maintaining compliance with safety and industry standards can also be demanding. Effective communication, strong project management skills, and adaptability are essential to successfully navigate these complexities and ensure project deliverables are met on time and within budget.

What does a Senior Instrument Engineer do?

A Senior Instrument Engineer is responsible for designing, specifying, installing, and maintaining instrumentation and control systems used in industrial processes. They ensure that these systems function efficiently, safely, and reliably to monitor and control variables such as pressure, temperature, and flow. Senior Instrument Engineers often lead projects, troubleshoot complex issues, and provide technical guidance to junior engineers. They also collaborate with other engineering disciplines to optimize process performance and comply with industry standards.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Senior Instrument Engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Senior Instrument Engineer, you typically need a degree in engineering (often electrical, instrumentation, or control engineering) and extensive experience with instrumentation design, installation, and maintenance. Proficiency with industry-standard tools such as PLCs, DCS, CAD software, and familiarity with relevant codes and certifications like ISA or IEC are essential. Strong problem-solving, project management, and communication skills help coordinate teams and interface with other engineering disciplines. These skills and qualities ensure the safe, efficient, and reliable operation of complex industrial processes.

What is the difference between Senior Instrument Engineer vs Instrument Technician?

AspectSenior Instrument EngineerInstrument Technician
CredentialsBachelor's degree in Engineering, certifications like CSE or ISATechnical diploma or associate degree, specialized training
Work EnvironmentDesign, project management, troubleshooting in industrial plantsInstallation, maintenance, calibration on-site
Industry UsageEngineering firms, oil & gas, manufacturingRefineries, power plants, process industries

While both roles involve instrumentation, the Senior Instrument Engineer focuses on design, planning, and troubleshooting at a higher level, often overseeing projects. The Instrument Technician handles hands-on installation, maintenance, and calibration tasks. Both roles are essential in industrial settings but differ in responsibilities and required qualifications.

What are the most commonly searched types of Instrument Engineer jobs in Virginia? The most popular types of Instrument Engineer jobs in Virginia are:
What cities in Virginia are hiring for Senior Instrument Engineer jobs? Cities in Virginia with the most Senior Instrument Engineer job openings:
Senior Instrument Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Senior Instrument Engineer job openings in Virginia as of June 2026, with employment types broken down into 94% Full Time, 2% Part Time, and 4% Contract. Highlights an 94% Physical, 1% Hybrid, and 5% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $115,837 per year, or $55.7 per hour.

Senior Embedded Linux Engineer

Quartermaster AI Inc

Arlington, VA • On-site

$142K - $187K/yr

Other

Posted 2 days ago

Job description

About Us
Quartermaster is building the world's most comprehensive maritime intelligence platform. Our SmartMast™ system transforms commercial and civilian vessels into a persistent, distributed sensing network-combining HD video, AI, radar, RF sensing, and AIS to deliver real-time maritime domain awareness at global scale. With 600+ sensors deployed across 25+ countries and more than 400,000 vessels identified outside of AIS, we are setting a new standard for what ocean surveillance and safety can look like. We are a mission-driven, high-velocity team building dual-use technology for defense agencies, coast guards, and commercial maritime operators.
Job Description
The SmartMast™ is a sophisticated, vessel-mounted edge computing platform running a dense software stack on NVIDIA Jetson hardware in maritime environments: salt air, vibration, intermittent connectivity, and real operational pressure. We need a Senior Embedded Linux / Platform Software Engineer who can own the software that runs at the tip of our spear. You will build and maintain the embedded Linux platform that integrates HD cameras, radar, SDR, AIS receivers, GPS, and thermal sensors into a unified, AI-capable sensing system. You will work at the intersection of hardware bringup, ROS2-based sensor middleware, edge inference pipelines, and the cloud connectivity layer that gets data from the vessel to our analysts in near real time. This is complex, meaningful work, and it ships to sea.
Key Responsibilities
  • Develop, maintain, and improve the embedded Linux software stack running on Jetson Orin NX and AAEON edge compute hardware aboard SmartMast units.
  • Build and integrate ROS2 nodes and packages for multi-sensor orchestration, including EO cameras (Axis), radar, SDR, AIS, GPS, and thermal imagers.
  • Design and maintain OTA software and firmware update pipelines (AWS IoT Jobs or Mender-based) that reliably deploy to a globally distributed fleet.
  • Develop sensor driver integrations and calibration routines; ensure co-collection timing and synchronization across heterogeneous sensor modalities.
  • Optimize AI inference pipelines running on-device (Jetson TensorRT, CUDA), balancing detection quality against power and thermal constraints.
  • Build and maintain the secure connectivity layer between SmartMast units and the cloud: Starlink backhaul, Peplink networking, local mesh between units.
  • Design for reliability in denied, degraded, and intermittent connectivity environments-buffering, store-and-forward, graceful reconnection.
  • Instrument the edge stack with observability tooling; triage and resolve field-reported issues from units deployed at sea.
  • Collaborate with the Hardware, Cloud Platform, and AI/ML teams to define clear interfaces across the full system stack.
Qualifications
  • 5+ years of embedded Linux or platform software engineering experience on production systems, not just prototype work.
  • Strong command of C++ and Python; deep familiarity with Linux internals (kernel drivers, systemd, networking stack, file systems).
  • Hands-on experience with the Yocto Project build framework for creating custom embedded Linux distributions, layers, and recipes.
  • Hands-on experience with ROS or ROS2 for sensor integration and inter-process communication on robotic or autonomous systems.
  • Experience with NVIDIA Jetson platforms (Nano, Xavier, Orin) or comparable edge AI hardware; familiarity with TensorRT and CUDA inference optimization.
  • Solid networking fundamentals: TCP/IP, VLAN configuration, firewall policy (iptables/nftables), and experience with Peplink or similar industrial routers.
  • Experience building or operating OTA update systems for embedded fleets; understanding of rollback, A/B partitioning, and safe deployment practices.
  • Ability to read hardware schematics and collaborate closely with electrical/hardware engineers during bringup and integration.
  • Strong debugging skills across hardware-software boundaries: serial consoles, logic analyzers, packet captures, and field log analysis.
Bonus Points:
  • Experience with SDR platforms (USRP, RTL-SDR, or similar) and RF signal processing pipelines.
  • Background in maritime, defense, or other field-deployed, environmentally hardened systems.
  • Familiarity with AIS protocol decoding, radar data formats, or NMEA message handling.
  • Experience with mesh networking protocols (802.11s, BATMAN, or custom implementations) for inter-unit communication.
  • Security experience: secure boot, device attestation, certificate management for field-deployed IoT devices.
Work Environment
  • Distributed team environment working asynchronously.
  • Start-up atmosphere with autonomy given to engineers
  • In office and flexible hours
  • Open to remote

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