Skip to main content

Guidance and Control Engineer

Penn State University

State College, PAFull-time$92–175K/yrPosted 2mo agoStill listed today

Most applications go out cold — see where you stand first. No sign-up to start.

You apply on the employer's site, with no Olive account needed.

Watch jobs like this.

Don't just apply. Show up ready.

Olive works from this exact posting.

At a glance

Compensation
$92–175K/yr
Location
State College, PA
Schedule
Full-time
Work Authorization
US work authorization required

Olive lists jobs from US employers, including remote roles you can work from the United States.

Requirements

Credentials this posting asks for.

Security clearance, requiredBachelor's degree, required

Job overview

The Guidance and Control Technologies Division seeks entry-level engineers to research, develop, analyze, implement, and test capabilities for autonomous undersea systems. Engineers join design teams developing guidance and control systems for current and future systems. The role is fully on-site in State College, Pennsylvania. Applicants must be U.S. citizens and eligible to obtain a government security clearance; the posting lists a salary range of $92,100 to $174,708.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

Written Communication, requiredOral Communication, requiredInterpersonal Communication, requiredMATLAB, nice to havePython, nice to haveC++, nice to haveObject-Oriented Software Design, nice to haveVehicle Autonomy, nice to haveObject Tracking and Classification, nice to haveMachine Learning, nice to haveIntelligent Control, nice to haveFuzzy Logic, nice to have

Qualifications

Bachelor's in Listed Fields, requiredBachelor's in Engineering or Science, required2+ Years Relevant Experience, nice to haveGovernment Security Clearance Eligibility, requiredU.S. Citizenship, required

Benefits

Medical Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
401(k) Match
Paid Time Off
Tuition Assistance

Full job description

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:

  • CURRENT PENN STATE EMPLOYEE (faculty, staff, technical service, or student), please login to Workday to complete the internal application process. Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.

  • CURRENT PENN STATE STUDENT (not employed previously at the university) and seeking employment with Penn State, please login to Workday to complete the student application process. Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.

  • If you are NOT a current employee or student, please click “Apply” and complete the application process for external applicants.

Approval of remote and hybrid work is not guaranteed regardless of work location. For additional information on remote work at Penn State, see Notice to Out of State Applicants.

​

POSITION SPECIFICS​ The Guidance and Control Technologies Division in the Undersea Systems Office (USO) of the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL) is seeking entry level Engineers to research, develop, analyze, implement, and test new capabilities for autonomous undersea systems. You will be part of one or more design teams whose primary function is to develop guidance and control systems for current and future autonomous undersea systems.

You will:

  • Design algorithms for vehicle guidance and control in an undersea environment, including signal processing, detection, classification, tracking, and autonomous decision-making

  • Analyze multi-sensor data to evaluate system performance

  • Design, implement, integrate, and test software to demonstrate guidance and control algorithms

  • Collaborate and communicate with a team of peers

  • Document work through reports and presentations

Additional responsibilities for higher-level position include:

  • Investigate and evaluate applicability of theories and practices to the development of guidance and control systems

  • Lead specific tasks within the project scope

Required skills/experience include:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Applied Mathematics, Physics, or Data Science

  • Strong written, oral, and interpersonal communication skills

Preferred skills/experience include:

  • One of more of the following: MATLAB, Python, C++

  • Object-oriented software design

  • Vehicle autonomy

  • Object tracking and classification

  • Machine learning

  • Intelligent control and fuzzy logic

You working location will be full on-site located in State College, PA

MINIMUM EDUCATION, WORK EXPERIENCE & REQUIRED CERTIFICATIONS If filled as R&D Engineer - Software (ARL) - Intermediate Professional, this position requires: Bachelor's Degree - Engineering or Science 2+ years of relevant experience Required Certifications: None If filled as R&D Engineer - Software (ARL) - Professional, this position requires: Bachelor's Degree - Engineering or Science No prior relevant work experience required Required Certifications: None

ARL’s purpose is to research and develop innovative solutions to challenging scientific, engineering, and technology problems in support of the Navy, the Department of Defense (DoD), and the Intel Community (IC).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION on ARL, visit our web site at www.arl.psu.edu.

BACKGROUND CHECKS/CLEARANCES Employment with the University will require successful completion of background check(s) in accordance with University policies.

Notice regarding employment at the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL): Employees must be eligible to obtain a government security clearance, participate in the ARL drug testing program, and comply with electronic and physical monitoring requirements applicable to federal contractors. ARL operates in a secure information environment involving Unclassified, Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), and Classified information. Personal electronic devices brought onsite must be registered and may be restricted from certain areas. You must be a U.S. citizen to apply. SALARY & BENEFITS The salary range for this position, including all possible grades, is $92,100.00 - $174,708.00. Salary Structure - Information on Penn State's salary structure

Penn State provides a competitive benefits package for full-time employees designed to support both personal and professional well-being. In addition to comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, employees enjoy robust retirement plans and substantial paid time off which includes holidays, vacation and sick time. One of the standout benefits is the generous 75% tuition discount, available to employees as well as eligible spouses and children. For more detailed information, please visit our Benefits Page.

CAMPUS SECURITY CRIME STATISTICS Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act and the Pennsylvania Act of 1988, Penn State publishes a combined Annual Security and Annual Fire Safety Report (ASR). The ASR includes crime statistics and institutional policies concerning campus security, such as those concerning alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault, and other matters. The ASR is available for review here.

EEO IS THE LAW Penn State is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. If you are unable to use our online application process due to an impairment or disability, please contact 814-865-1473.

Federal Contractors Labor Law Poster PA State Labor Law Poster Penn State Policies Copyright Information Hotlines

How this job compares

Set against the 41,554 open Software Engineer jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 10, 2026.

Pay
  • This posting$92–175K/yr
  • Pennsylvania median$111–205K/yr548 salary ranges
  • US median$135–219K/yr33,110 salary ranges

This range's midpoint, $133K, is 15% below the Pennsylvania median midpoint ($158K) — in the middle half of Software Engineer salary ranges in Pennsylvania.

Openings
Olive Jobs lists 798 open Software Engineer jobs in Pennsylvania and 41,554 across the US. 8% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Hiring the most in Pennsylvania
Experience
This posting asks for at least 2 years of experience — less than three in four Software Engineer postings that state a minimum ask for (median 5 years, across 34,072 postings).
Education
This posting asks for a bachelor's degree; 13,032 of the 41,554 open Software Engineer jobs (31%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 10, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.

Prepare for this role

You've read the whole posting — now see how you match it.