Reactor Software Engineer I/II

About the role

Antares is engineering mass-producible microreactors designed for deployment across terrestrial, underwater, and space environments. The team seeks engineers to construct the software backbone that governs reactor operations, telemetry ingestion, and hardware-in-the-loop testing ecosystems. This position sits at the critical intersection of physical hardware and digital control logic, demanding solutions that guarantee safe, deterministic, and predictable performance. You will be responsible for translating complex nuclear engineering requirements into robust, maintainable code that operates reliably in extreme conditions. The scope spans the full lifecycle from simulation environments through bench-scale validation to full-reactor deployment.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Architect and implement core software modules for high-frequency data acquisition, deterministic command execution, complex state management, and automated fault detection and response sequences.
• Design unified abstraction layers and interfaces that operate seamlessly across pure software simulations, laboratory bench test stands, and full-scale operational reactor hardware without code modification.
• Define, build, and maintain high-integrity telemetry pipelines that validate, transform, and route sensor data to ensure operators and automated systems receive actionable, verified information in real-time.
• Partner closely with electrical, embedded firmware, and nuclear safety engineering groups to formally document interface control documents, communication schemas, and integration requirements.
• Own the complete end-to-end feature lifecycle, driving technical design reviews, implementation, rigorous unit and integration testing, and comprehensive operational documentation.
• Lead and participate in root-cause analysis investigations during hardware integration campaigns, utilizing logs and telemetry to debug complex hardware-software interaction failures.
• Develop and maintain simulation models and digital twins that accurately replicate reactor physics and control system dynamics for pre-deployment validation.
• Implement configuration management and version control strategies for deployed software artifacts across diverse hardware targets and environmental classifications.
• Construct automated test frameworks capable of executing regression suites against both simulated environments and physical hardware-in-the-loop rigs.
• Define and enforce coding standards, architectural patterns, and review processes that satisfy functional safety and regulatory compliance objectives.
• Optimize data throughput and latency characteristics for command-and-control loops operating under strict real-time constraints.
• Support the generation of safety analysis artifacts, including hazard assessments and failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) documentation, from a software perspective.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a closely related technical discipline.
• For Software Engineer I: Zero to two years of professional experience in relevant software development roles following degree completion.
• For Software Engineer II: Two to five years of professional experience delivering software for complex, regulated, or hardware-integrated systems.
• Demonstrated expertise in modern Python 3 (3.10+), including strict type hinting (mypy/pyright), structured data modeling (Pydantic/dataclasses), and comprehensive testing methodologies (pytest).
• Proven track record developing software that interfaces directly with physical hardware, embedded controllers, DAQ systems, or safety-critical machinery.
• Deep practical understanding of concurrent and asynchronous programming paradigms, including asyncio event loops, threading synchronization primitives, and multiprocessing architectures for CPU-bound tasks.
• Strong ability to design, implement, and verify deterministic finite state machines, complex command sequencing logic, and well-defined system boundaries (APIs/Interfaces).
• Proficiency with Git-based distributed version control workflows, including branching strategies, code review practices, and semantic versioning.
• Experience authoring and maintaining technical specifications, architecture decision records (ADRs), and operational runbooks.
• Eligibility to comply with U.S. Government export control regulations (ITAR), requiring status as a U.S. Person (citizen, lawful permanent resident, refugee, or asylee).

Nice to have

• Hands-on experience implementing communication stacks using protocols such as MQTT, NATS, DDS/RTPS, ZeroMQ, or gRPC for distributed telemetry and command.
• Proficiency in systems programming languages including C, C++ (modern standards), or Rust for performance-critical paths or embedded targets.
• Prior involvement in designing, commissioning, or operating Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) test benches, real-time simulators, or digital twin infrastructures.
• Advanced familiarity with Linux userspace/kernel interactions, container orchestration (Docker/Podman), and modern Python packaging/tooling ecosystems (Poetry, Ruff, pre-commit).
• Professional background in highly regulated or safety-critical sectors such as aerospace flight software, robotics autonomy, automotive ISO 26262, or nuclear instrumentation and control (I&C).

Skills & tools

• Python 3 (Typed, Asyncio, Pydantic, Pytest)
• Data Acquisition (DAQ) Systems (NI, ADLINK, or custom)
• Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) / Real-time Simulation (VeriStand, Simulink Real-Time, or custom)
• State Machine Architecture & Formal Methods
• Distributed Systems & Message-Oriented Middleware
• Git / GitLab / GitHub (Monorepo & Polyrepo workflows)
• Linux (Embedded & Server), Docker, CI/CD (GitLab CI, GitHub Actions)
• Protocol Buffers / FlatBuffers / Cap'n Proto
• Real-time Operating Systems (RTOS) concepts (FreeRTOS, Zephyr, VxWorks)

Practical notes

• This position is subject to U.S. Government International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). Candidates must qualify as U.S. Persons (U.S. Citizens, Lawful Permanent Residents/Green Card holders, Refugees, or Asylees) to access controlled technical data.
• The role is based on-site in Los Angeles, California; relocation assistance may be available for qualified candidates.
• Antares operates as an equal opportunity employer; all qualified applicants receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.
• Compensation package includes a base salary range of $120,000 to $160,000 annually, supplemented by a meaningful equity grant and comprehensive benefits (medical, dental, vision, 401k).
• The engineering culture emphasizes first-principles thinking, rigorous documentation, and a blameless post-mortem process for incident resolution.

META

Company: Antares

Title: Reactor Software Engineer I/II

Listed

location: Los Angeles

Job type: full_time