Software Development Engineer Intern Jobs in Chantilly, VA

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.

• 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