About The Role:

Innovative Defense Technologies (IDT), a leading defense technology company, is seeking a Tactical System Engineer to be part of our Warfare Systems team and based out of our Mount Laurel, NJ office.

The Tactical System Engineer will be part of a multi-discipline team focused on the DOW’s initiatives in support of tactical capability development for Navy surface and unmanned (UxVs) platforms and will be directly responsible for the architecting and refactoring of mission critical legacy weapons system software into a modern software technology stack where the target end state will ensure the highest impact to the US Navy by enabling a microservices based tactical platform within both a cloud-native and tactical-edge deployment model.

Warfare Systems’ project domains include real-time automated test and analysis, virtual computing environments, Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Machine Learning (ML) based data analytics, cybersecurity, as well as backfit and forward-fit tactical solutions.

The Engineer will be fiercely accountable for the delivery of well-architected and production-ready solutions that exceed the Fleet’s requirements.

Clearance & Location Requirements:

All applicants must be able to obtain/maintain an active Secret U.S. Security Clearance.
This is an on-site position. Requiring at least 4 days in office, based out of our Mount Laurel, NJ office.

What You Will Do:

Design, implement, and test complex software in C, C++, Python, JavaScript, and Java within various development environments.
Analyze legacy monolithic software programs, recompiling them, and incrementally apply refactoring to modernize the software using the “brownfield” and “greenfield” methodologies.
Technical assessment and deconstruction of Navy tactical system code for Surface Navy Combat systems.
Explore and prototype next-generation solutions using artificial intelligence/machine learning, distributed processing, and modeling.
Interact with customers to elicit requirements and document agreements.
Present to organization leadership on project cost, schedule, and technical progress.
Software architecture development including hardware and software interfaces between software components.
Assist in developing user, functional, and technical requirements for tactical systems.
Participate and provide feedback for design & code/peer reviews.
Integrate individual software components into complex software environments.
Support test and integration activities at IDT labs and government Land Based Test Sites (LBTS).

Who You Are (Required):

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, System Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent full-time professional experience.
5+ years of full-time professional experience
Ability to travel up to 10% of the time, as needed
Experience with combat system design and software, ideally AEGIS, or Ship Self Defense System (SSDS)
Familiarity and experience with developing tactical systems software on DOD programs.
Experience with C, C++, Python, and/or Java programming languages
Adept with developing in Linux OS environments, including shell scripting.
Ability to decompose and document requirements and specifications.
Understanding of distributed systems, algorithms, data structures and software design patterns, especially the Strangler Pattern
Experience with Agile software development processes
Proficiency working within a Git CM environment
Comfortable with DevSecOps best practices
Ability to convert vague customer requirements into a refined vision.
Ability to identify and describe algorithmic complexity.
Ability to work on-site with potential hybrid flexibility.

What Makes You Stand Out:

Extensive experience with combat system design and software, ideally AEGIS, or Ship Self Defense System (SSDS)
Experience utilizing Make build system, Maven, and Ant scripting
Experience with X-Windows
Familiar with Model Based System Engineering (MBSE) methodologies
Experience with Jenkins, Jira, and the Atlassian tool suite
Familiarity with foundational networking concepts such as routing, switching, identity services, intrusion detection, and firewall
Familiarity deploying virtual machines in VMWare vSphere environments including networking configuration
Familiarity designing complex software development environments including submodules, remote dependencies, and mixed-code deployments
Familiarity deploying virtual machines and/or containers into Azure cloud environments including networking configuration
Solid analytical abilities, coupled with a strong sense of ownership, urgency, and drive
Problem-solving skills with the ability to navigate ambiguous situations
Excellence in oral, written, and technical communication with peers and non-technical cohorts
Initiative, creativity, reliability, teamwork
Strong organization and planning skills
Attention to detail while ability to see and understand the big picture

If you see yourself reflected in this role and are excited about the impact you could make, we encourage you to apply! If you know someone who may be a great fit, please feel free to share this opportunity with your network.

Pay Range*: $114,000 - $184,000 or $135,000 - $231,000
*Pursuant to New Jersey Senate Bill 2310 IDT is required to disclose the “pay scale” or “pay range” associated with a job posting. Notably, however, this amount may not be reflective of actual compensation that may be earned as pay is dependent on a candidate’s experience, skills, and education. The posted range does not include bonuses, commissions, tips, or other benefits. Click here for additional information about Senate Bill 2310. IDT is often looking to place multiple candidates at various levels. Therefore, more than one pay range has been included, commensurate with experience.

About the company

IDT provides automated software testing, data analysis, and cybersecurity solutions for DoD mission-critical systems. Its ATRT technology automates the full testing lifecycle—from component tests to system integration and result analysis—allowing rapid updates of large, complex software. The offering emphasizes repeatable, statistically rigorous testing, rapid configuration validation, and on-demand regression tests in response to cyber threats, with solutions tailored to each customer’s system. The goal is to field new software capabilities faster and more affordably by reducing the time and cost spent on software testing.

Company Size

201-500

Company Stage

Grant

Total Funding

$1.6M

Headquarters

Arlington, Virginia

Founded

2006

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

June 2026 Navy IDIQ reached $748.6 million, extending through June 2031.
May 2026 ONR Paladin contract added $96.3 million for AI testing modernization.
Virginia approved a $19 million Arlington expansion creating 210 jobs in 2026.

What critics are saying

Navy concentration is severe: Project Paladin and June 2026 IDIQ dominate revenue.
Sole-source status creates procurement vulnerability if NAVSEA replaces IDT's toolchain.
Defense hiring expansion to 210 jobs raises execution risk before 2027 deliverables.

What makes Innovative Defense Technologies unique

IDT won Navy sole-source ATRT work in May 2026 and June 2026.
IDT embeds automated test engineering into fleet software, not generic consulting.
IDT spans simulation, virtualized tactical systems, and rugged edge compute for operators.

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Headcount

6 month growth

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1 year growth

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2 year growth

11%

SBIR.gov

Sep 13th, 2026

Awards | SBIR

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Innovative Defense Technologies

Aug 6th, 2026

IDT to showcase mission integration, operational validation, and edge capabilities at SMD 2026.

IDT to showcase mission integration, operational validation, and edge capabilities at SMD 2026. Innovative Defense Technologies (IDT) will participate in the 2026 Space & Missile Defense Symposium, August 11-13 at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Attendees can visit Booth 1112 to meet the IDT team and learn how the company helps defense customers move software-driven capability into complex operational environments faster. During the symposium, IDT will demonstrate a tactical analysis environment that allows operators to explore mission scenarios, compare courses of action, and evaluate operational tradeoffs. The environment combines simulation, virtualized tactical systems, mission data, and AI-enabled reasoning to analyze more mission permutations than physical testing alone can support. Users define the objectives, assumptions, priorities, and constraints, while operators retain decision authority. Visitors can also explore an interactive experience highlighting IDT's solutions, demonstrated outcomes, and supporting capabilities across the capability lifecycle from design and integration through testing, deployment, and operational decision-making. The booth will also feature a ruggedized, deployable computing platform designed to host virtualized tactical systems, automated testing, analytics, data, and mission applications closer to the operational environment. The display illustrates how significant computing, memory, and storage capacity can be packaged for demanding workloads at the edge or in constrained environments. Across more than 300 defense projects, IDT has helped reduce integration timelines by 75 percent, decrease testing labor by more than 90 percent, and increase test coverage by 350 percent. The 2026 Space & Missile Defense Symposium will take place August 11-13 at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville. Visit IDT at Booth 1112 to meet the team and see these capabilities in action.

HR TODAY

Apr 16th, 2025

Martha Anderson Promoted to Vice President, Talent Development at Innovative Defense Technologies

Arlington, Virginia, United States, April 2025 - Martha Anderson has been promoted to Vice President, Talent Development at Innovative Defense Technologies (IDT) after more than three years of transformative contributions as Director of Talent Development.

Innovative Defense Technologies

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IDT Proud to Partner with ONR on Slingshot Experimentation Series

In collaboration with commercial partners Royce Geo and Satellogic, IDT will deliver essential software and rapid updates to facilitate robust Research, Development, Testing & Evaluation of satellite remote sensing capabilities in the first phase of the Slingshot series.

ExecutiveBiz

Sep 28th, 2023

Innovative Defense Technologies Receives Potential $90M Contract to Support Navy's Project Overmatch

Innovative Defense Technologies, a software-based warfare capabilities provider, has secured a potential three-year, $89.8 million contract from the U.S. Navy to support a Department of the Navy project focused on advancing naval technology.

Innovative Defense Technologies

Tactical Systems Engineer

About the job

About the company

Get referred to Innovative Defense Technologies

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

What critics are saying

What makes Innovative Defense Technologies unique

Benefits

Growth & Insights and Company News

6 month growth

1 year growth

2 year growth