About the Team:

Information processing and sense-making systems are the lifeblood of national security efforts, facilitating an understanding of the global situation, strategic planning, and tactical execution. The reliability, accessibility, and sophistication of these systems can determine the outcomes of conflicts before they begin. STR’s Analytics and Command & Control (AC2) Division focuses on developing actionable, advanced technology solutions to provide asymmetric advantages within the information domain.

The Mission Applications (MA) Group within the AC2 Division specializes in ensuring the technology that STR creates produces outsized mission impact. Staff within the MA group have a deep understanding of missions and technology needs for national security with skills targeting transition of technology to operational use, including product management, UX Product implementation,software integration & mission engineering, platform engineering, DevOps, and program management. MA staff combine with other science and engineering staff from the various STR research and development groups to form dedicated product teams focused on accelerating the operational transition of cutting-edge software technologies.

The Role:

As a Mission Engineer (Full Stack) in the Mission Applications Group, you will develop and deploy software essential for a specific, real-world objective or "mission" in partnership with our customers. You have: 1) expertise in developing and deploying software solutions in complex and high-security environments, 2) deep domain knowledge in the complex missions executed across the Department of Defense, and 3) expertise in modern frameworks, building full stack applications, and integrating APIs for deployment in high-security environments.

You will work as a leader of software teams to design, develop, and maintain software systems deployed in operational use. You have experience managing customer relationships while simultaneously leading engineering teams to ensure the delivered product meets the highest standards of quality, reliability, and performance. 

What you will do:

Build Prototype Capabilities: Break down use cases and user-defined problems, build an MVP, and rapidly evolve a solution into a cohesive application
Develop and Enhance Features: Create high-performance, visually appealing frontend solutions that handle complex use cases effectively. Ensure the product is fast, smooth, and intuitive to use, even under heavy load
System Integration: Leading cross functional engineering teams to design, build, and deploy a cohesive system. Integrate independent capabilities into existing solutions
Customer Collaboration: Working closely with end-users and customers, who are typically military or Government operators, to understand their requirements and translate them into software features. You are experienced in product discovery best practices
Deployment and Field Testing: Traveling to integration sites to deploy, test, and triage software in secure operational environments. On average, travel to customer sites should not exceed one week per month

Who You Are:

Active Secret Security Clearance with the ability to obtain Top Secret level with SCI Eligibility
BS in Computer Science or related technical field with at least 7 years of work experience. Equivalent experience will be considered
Experience deploying software for DoD or IC missions
A passion for crafting user-centric interfaces and a keen eye for design details
Demonstrated strong knowledge of modern technologies such as React, TypeScript, and Python
Knowledge of performance-focused tools and techniques for rendering large datasets and building responsive, smooth interfaces
A demonstrated ability to adopt new languages, libraries, and technologies
Organized, detail-oriented, and with an ability to work both independently and collaboratively
Demonstrated experience as an effective communicator to both technical and non-technical audiences

Even Better:

Advanced Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related technical field
Prior US Military Service with experience in joint planning, large force battle monitoring, and fluidity with large force debrief best practices
Located in San Diego, CA, Denver, CO, Arlington, VA, or Boston, MA, or willing to relocate

Pay Information
Full-Time Salary Range: $175,000 - $240,000

The salary range listed is based on external market data. Offers are based on factors, such as but not limited to, the candidate’s experience, education, training, key skills/critical skills, security clearances, and prevailing market and business conditions.

STR is a growing technology company with locations near Boston, MA, Arlington, VA, near Dayton, OH, Melbourne, FL, Carlsbad, CA, Atlanta, GA, and Denver, CO. We specialize in advanced research and development for defense, intelligence, and national security in: cyber; next generation sensors, radar, sonar, communications, and electronic warfare; and artificial intelligence algorithms and analytics to make sense of the complexity that is exploding around us.

STR is committed to creating a collaborative learning environment that supports deep technical understanding and recognizes the contributions and achievements of all team members. Our work is challenging, and we go home at night knowing that we pushed the envelope of technology and made the world safer.

STR is not just any company. Our people, culture, and attitude along with their unique set of skills, experiences, and perspectives put us on a trajectory to change the world. We can't do it alone, though - we need fellow trailblazers. If you are one, join our team and help to keep our society safe! Visit us at www.str.us for more info.

STR is an equal opportunity employer. We are fully dedicated to hiring the most qualified candidate regardless of race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

If you need a reasonable accommodation for any portion of the employment process, email us at [email protected] and provide your contact info.

Pursuant to applicable federal law and regulations, positions at STR require employees to obtain national security clearances and satisfy the requirements for compliance with export control and other applicable laws.

About the company

STR provides R&D, software development, and integration services for national security agencies, including DARPA and the Department of Defense, under large multi-year IDIQ contracts. Its main platforms are Analytics & Command and Control (C2) for AI-driven data insights, Cybersecurity with digital models and twins of embedded systems, and Sensors using software-defined RF/acoustic hardware for next-generation radar, electronics warfare, and sonar across space, air, land, maritime, and undersea domains. The company differentiates itself as an employee-owned contractor with deep expertise in signal processing, estimation, control, and defense-domain integration, having secured over $1.3 billion in federal funding. Its goal is to deliver practical, deployable technologies that enhance national security, joint all-domain operations, and situational awareness, while also exploring applicable commercial uses such as automated medical imaging.

Company Size

1,001-5,000

Company Stage

N/A

Total Funding

$283M

Headquarters

Woburn, Massachusetts

Founded

2010

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

August 2026 Space Force gave STR a share of $615 million SB-AMTI awards.
March 2026 Air Force awarded STR up to $146.4 million for SB-AMTI.
May 2026 ONR awarded STR $23.3 million for mission-planning algorithms and resource management.

What critics are saying

STR depends heavily on Space Force SB-AMTI; 2028 architecture decisions will narrow winners fast.
OTA contracts hide program details, making recompetes, margins, and follow-on work unpredictable.
If SpaceX and Rocket Lab own the satellite stack, STR risks becoming a niche subcontractor.

What makes STR unique

Employee-owned STR keeps deep engineering talent aligned with long defense program cycles.
STR specializes in signal processing, sensor fusion, and command-and-control for contested environments.
September 2026 LeVanta ANTX demo showed STR bridging air, surface, subsea, and seabed systems.

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Benefits

Flexible Work Hours

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

1 year growth

2 year growth

Built In

Sep 15th, 2026

Top defense companies in the Washington, D.C. Area.

Top defense companies in the Washington, D.C. Area. * Lockheed Martin * Northrop Grumman * General Dynamics * Boeing * BAE Systems, Inc. * Vantor Shield AI develops autonomous aircraft using its Hivemind AI pilot, which can fly tactical missions without GPS or human remote control. Its Arlington facility gives the company a base for developing self-piloting vertical-takeoff aircraft, like the V-BAT, while demonstrating those systems directly to closeby armed forces command leads. BAE Systems, Inc. supplies the U.S. military with electronic warfare systems, naval guns and armored vehicles, most notably the M109A7 self-propelled howitzer and Bradley Fighting Vehicle. Operating out of Falls Church, Virginia, the company manages programs that bring British and American defense technologies together in support of allied forces. Ursa Major builds high-performance rocket propulsion systems, including 3D-printed liquid engines and solid rocket motors for hypersonic systems, space mobility and launch vehicles. The Colorado-based firm works with Pentagon procurement leaders to address critical missile and rocket supply chain shortages from its regional D.C. office. STR has received $80 million in DARPA research awards to develop algorithms that process radar, electronic warfare and commercial satellite signals in active combat zones. From its Ballston tech corridor campus, the company translates these signal-processing math models into software-defined RF sensors for uncrewed aircraft and acoustic deception systems that can mimic or disrupt underwater sounds for swarming undersea vehicles. General Dynamics builds nuclear-powered attack submarines for the U.S. Navy and heavy armored vehicles for the Army as a major supplier of America's maritime and ground combat systems. The Virginia-based company coordinates multibillion-dollar shipbuilding construction programs alongside IT modernization contracts for federal agencies. MORSE Corp builds custom software architecture and mission algorithms that solve complex navigation, situational awareness and decision-making challenges within military hardware. Its Arlington campus engineers work directly with the Department of Defense to turn advanced AI prototypes into deployable, field-ready systems. From its defense, space and security division, Boeing produces military platforms that support everything from combat to mobility, including the F/A-18 Super Hornet, Apache attack helicopter and KC-46 aerial refueler. With its global base now moved to Arlington, Virginia, Boeing's leadership is also close to Pentagon procurement officials and defense policymakers. True Anomaly develops hardware and software for space operations, including its Jackal autonomous orbital vehicles and Mosaic command-and-control software. Founded by former Space Force officers, the company uses its Washington, D.C. presence to advance space domain awareness and protect assets in orbit. Vannevar Labs has surpassed $80 million in annual contract value by building intelligence software that decrypts and synthesizes foreign-language open-source data for military commanders. Based in Washington, D.C., its engineers work alongside intelligence agencies to rapidly develop threat-detection tools. Lockheed Martin has delivered more than 1,000 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters to operational fleets around the world while developing hypersonic weapons and theater missile systems for the U.S. military and its allies. From its headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland, its executive suite works directly with Pentagon procurement officials to oversee the company's multibillion-dollar defense and space combat programs. Vantor builds a spatial intelligence platform that combines satellite data with live sensor streams from the ground, air and space to form a digital replica of Earth. Its technology translates geospatial data into real-time insights to help clients understand physical environments. The business supports defense, government and commercial operations. Vantor maintains office locations in Herndon, Chantilly and Arlington, Virginia. Northrop Grumman builds the B-21 Raider, the nation's next-generation strategic bomber, and is the sole provider of modern nuclear ICBM infrastructure. Based in Falls Church, Virginia, the company also develops stealth technology, national security satellites and systems for tracking deep-space threats.

SBIR.gov

Sep 13th, 2026

Awards | SBIR

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The Defence Blog

Sep 2nd, 2026

LeVanta Tech shows off its unusual HALIA drone at sea test.

LeVanta Tech shows off its unusual HALIA drone at sea test. Sep 3, 2026 Modified date: Sep 3, 2026 Key Points * LeVanta Tech demonstrated its unusually shaped HALIA float-and-fly drone with partner STR at ANTX Coastal Trident. * HALIA can land on the open ocean, float for weeks, then relaunch at speeds LeVanta Tech has reported above 100 knots. LeVanta Tech said it demonstrated its HALIA unmanned system at ANTX Coastal Trident last month, showing how the platform can link air, surface, subsea and seabed assets over long distances. Photos of HALIA show an unusual design. The drone sits low in the water with a dark, angular hull riding hull-down, mostly submerged. Two cylindrical engine pods sit side by side on top of the fuselage, feeding what appear to be ducted fans, while swept white wings and twin tail fins jut out near the back, just clear of the waterline. A small sensor mast pokes up from one wing root. Little about the shape resembles a conventional aircraft or boat. HALIA is a "float-and-fly" drone: it flies to a location, lands directly on the open ocean, and can sit there for weeks in a low-power floating mode before relaunching to reposition or leave the area, according to LeVanta Tech, which profiled the company in September 2025. The company said HALIA does not require a dedicated ship or fixed infrastructure to operate, since it can move between the air and water on its own. - ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW - At Coastal Trident, LeVanta Tech worked with STR, a defense technology firm with undersea systems and sensor work based near Boston, to demonstrate a communications architecture connecting air, surface, subsea and seabed systems. STR provided what the companies called a "rapidly repositionable" command-and-control air-water gateway, using what the companies described as high technology readiness level components to deliver over-the-horizon, real-time command-and-control links to subsea and seabed systems. ANTX Coastal Trident is an annual exercise run by the Naval Surface Warfare Center Port Hueneme Division at the Port of Hueneme, California, bringing together Navy, other government agencies, academia and industry to test maritime and port security technology in an operational setting. LeVanta Tech, founded in 2023, started out building real-time maritime monitoring tools for the offshore wind industry before shifting to a defense-first focus. The company's leadership includes CEO Kelly Echols, an engineer and patent attorney by background; Chief Aviation Officer Jon Smith, a former P-3C Orion instructor pilot and Navy unmanned aircraft test project manager; and CTO Johnny Doo, who has more than 40 years in aircraft and hovercraft development, according to Defense Tech Signals. The company was one of six finalists selected from 260 applicants for the 2024 Gulf Blue Navigator accelerator. A demonstration that year drew interest from the Air Force, which led to a $1.8 million Direct-to-Phase II Small Business Innovation Research award. The Air Force Research Laboratory followed with a Phase II SBIR contract worth $1.76 million running through December 2026, covering a project titled "Floating and Loitering Ocean Advanced Technology Sensing," according to federal contract records cited by Defense Tech Signals. LeVanta Tech has also raised more than $1.1 million in early funding, including an $800,000 credit investment from Leonid Capital Partners in April 2025. LeVanta Tech is developing HALIA in two configurations: a battery-electric version for tactical missions and a hybrid-electric version built for longer range. Both are designed to scale into larger platforms, the company has said. HALIA uses variable buoyancy combined with a hovercraft-assisted launch and recovery system, intended to let it take off and land in rough seas. Its top speed has been reported at more than 100 knots (185 km/h), with loiter times of weeks in its powered-down floating mode. The platform carries a modular payload bay that LeVanta Tech says can support intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance sensors, electronic warfare packages, kinetic payloads and communications equipment, feeding into wider command-and-control networks. The distinctive hull shape and twin engine pods are part of what LeVanta Tech describes as a design built specifically for surviving repeated transitions between air and water, rather than adapted from an existing aircraft or boat. Readers who wish to follow its weekly coverage can subscribe to the Weekly Defense Roundup. If you wish to report a grammatical or factual error in this article, please let Iniaes LLC. know by using the online form. Executive Editor Support The Defence Blog

Time

Aug 4th, 2026

Space Force awards $615M to Rocket Lab and STR for tracking tech.

Space Force awards $615M to Rocket Lab and STR for tracking tech. The U.S. Space Force awarded contracts totaling $615 million to Rocket Lab, Systems & Technology Research, and an unidentified firm to develop satellite tracking technologies for the Space-Based Airborne Moving Target Indicator program. The initiative aims to provide persistent space-based surveillance over contested areas globally. Space Force awards $615 million for orbital tracking technologies. The U.S. Space Force distributed a $615 million package among three defense contractors to develop advanced technologies for a satellite network intended to track aircraft and missile threats from orbit. While the military branch withheld the exact financial breakdown for operational-security reasons, Rocket Lab claimed the largest disclosed portion with a $397 million agreement. Under that agreement, Rocket Lab will build, launch, and operate multiple next-generation Flatellite spacecraft. These flat satellite designs are optimized for large constellations and equipped with space-based sensors alongside low-latency, high-bandwidth communication links. The firm-fixed-price contracts form part of the Space-Based Airborne Moving Target Indicator program, known as SB-AMTI, which seeks to give the military persistent tracking over regions where surveillance aircraft face operational risks. Discover more Company Earnings Business news analysis Expanding the vendor base and alternative sensing approaches. The latest awards follow a massive $4.16 billion agreement awarded to SpaceX to build the initial AMTI constellation designed to detect and maintain custody of fighter aircraft, bombers, cruise missiles, and potential hypersonic weapons. Whereas the SpaceX pact establishes the operational baseline, the newer agreements focus on alternative sensing technologies and expanding supplier diversity. "The core focus of this second task order is diversifying our capabilities and ensuring we don't rely on a single technical solution. With these new partnerships, we are exploring unique innovations and technologies and fundamentally different ways to accomplish the airborne moving target indication mission." Col. Ryan Frazier, acting Space Force portfolio acquisition executive for Space-Based Sensing and Targeting Systems & Technology Research, a Virginia-based defense technology firm commonly known as STR, joined the effort alongside Rocket Lab and an unnamed third contractor. The agency noted that the broader architectural design will combine space-based sensors, communications links, and ground processing to produce updated tracks detailing a target's location, speed, and direction. Operational goals and launch logistics. Rocket Lab announced it will launch its Flatellites on the company's upcoming Neutron rocket and operate them from secure facilities. The company brings an end-to-end vertical integration model to the initiative, handling everything from satellite design and manufacturing to launch and on-orbit operations. The defense initiative responds directly to the vulnerabilities of traditional aerial platforms. Large surveillance aircraft provide wide-area radar coverage, but their proximity to conflict zones is increasingly constrained by long-range missiles and sophisticated air defenses. Moving these sensing missions into space creates a resilient layer of protection, projecting an initial capability on orbit by 2028. Discover more Business & Industrial Managing technical hurdles and future milestones. Despite the rapid contract awards, military officials emphasize that the 2028 architecture marks only a first step toward global space-based targeting. Program leaders point to significant technical hurdles involving data processing limits and orchestration challenges. Furthermore, managing a vast fleet of sensors requires sophisticated ground processing algorithms and orchestration software. More on this July 29, 2026 In "Business" Rocket Lab to Launch Japanese Tech Satellite, Continuing Record-Breaking YearTable of ContentsRocket Lab to Launch Japanese Tech Satellite, Continuing Record-Breaking YearExpanding Partnership with JAXARAISE-4: A Platform for InnovationA Year of Unprecedented Success Rocket Lab is poised to launch a cutting-edge technology demonstration satellite for Japan tonight, December 6th, marking a... December 6, 2025 The U.S. Space Force is once again shifting a national security payload to SpaceX, this time reassigning the GPS III SV10 satellite to a Falcon 9 rocket launch slated for late April. The move comes after continued delays and an ongoing investigation into an anomaly experienced during the inaugural launch... March 22, 2026 Former software engineer turned tech reporter. Explores AI, cybersecurity, gadgets and start-up culture.

Military & Aerospace Electronics

Sep 8th, 2025

STR moves forward on DARPA AIR job to develop artificial intelligence (AI) for swarming uncrewed aircraft

STR moves forward on DARPA AIR job to develop artificial intelligence (AI) for swarming uncrewed aircraft.

STR

Lead Mission Engineer - Full Stack

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