Human-Machine Teaming & Autonomy Software Engineer

Riverside Overview

Riverside Research is an independent National Security Nonprofit dedicated to research and development in the national interest. We provide high-end technical services, research and development, and prototype solutions to some of the country's most challenging technical problems.

All Riverside Research opportunities require U.S. Citizenship.

Position Overview

Join a multidisciplinary research team developing software tools and analysis capabilities for human-machine teaming and human-autonomy interaction in high-stakes, dynamic environments such as military operations. In this role, you will contribute to the design and implementation of software that supports the study, modeling, and evaluation of how humans and autonomous or AI-enabled systems coordinate, communicate, and perform together as a team.

You will support efforts to build tools that structure, process, and analyze data related to human-autonomy interaction - including behavioral, communication, and performance data - using programming, applied statistics, and software engineering best practices. You'll work closely with cognitive scientists, human factors researchers, and engineers to translate research questions about trust, workload, coordination, and shared situational awareness into working software and analysis pipelines.

The position requires strong programming skills and a genuine interest in human-machine teaming, human-autonomy interaction, and cognitive science. You'll implement and test code that supports research-grade experiments and turns them into reproducible, scalable tools. You may also assist in human subjects research activities, including experiment setup, data collection support, and coordination with research staff.

This is an applied research and development role ideal for early-career professionals who want to work at the intersection of software engineering, autonomy, and human cognition. The ideal candidate is motivated to build tools that help humans and autonomous systems work together more effectively in real-world, dynamic settings. You'll have the opportunity to grow expertise in human-autonomy teaming, adaptive systems, and cognitive science-informed software design.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain software supporting human-machine teaming and human-autonomy interaction research and prototype systems.
• Assist with human subjects research activities, including experiment setup, protocol support, and coordination of data collection sessions.
• Implement and refine data processing and analysis pipelines in support of behavioral, performance, and interaction research.
• Collaborate with cognitive scientists and human factors researchers to translate research questions into implementable technical solutions.
• Contribute to the development of interfaces, simulations, or tools that support studying human-autonomy coordination and trust.
• Maintain organized, well-documented codebases to support reproducibility and collaboration across the research team.
• Support experimental design and protocol development, particularly around data integrity and human subject compliance.
• Summarize and present technical findings and code outputs in internal meetings to support scientific interpretation and reporting.
• Stay current with relevant tools, techniques, and literature in human-autonomy teaming, human factors, and cognitive science.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• Typically requires no previous professional experience, however, Bachelor's degree is preferred.
• Proficiency in a modern programming language (e.g., Python, C++, C#, or Java), with demonstrated experience writing clean, maintainable, well-documented code.
• Genuine interest in human-machine teaming, human-autonomy interaction, or cognitive science, demonstrated through coursework, research, projects, or prior work.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to follow protocols, especially where human subject data or safety-relevant systems are involved.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a fast-paced, multidisciplinary research environment, taking direction while contributing technical insight.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills, especially for documenting code, processes, and preliminary findings.
• U.S. citizenship and ability to obtain a clearance in the future.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in a relevant field (e.g., Computer Science, Cognitive Science, Psychology, Neuroscience, Human Factors, or a related discipline).
• Experience with human subject research, including IRB protocols, consent processes, or hands-on data collection in lab or field environments.
• Familiarity with concepts in human-autonomy teaming, trust in automation, shared situational awareness, or adaptive/autonomous systems.
• Coursework or research experience in cognitive science or neuroscience, including topics such as decision-making, workload, attention, or team cognition.
• Exposure to experiment design or behavioral research tools (e.g., PsychoPy, LabStreamingLayer) or physiological/biosignal tools (e.g., BioPac, iMotions, OpenBCI) is a plus.
• Experience working with simulation environments, robotics, or autonomous systems platforms is a plus.

Additional Notes

• This is a junior-level position ideal for someone with a strong foundation in software engineering who is eager to gain experience in human-autonomy teaming and cognitive science-informed research.

Global Comp

$58,000 - $110,000 This represents the typical compensation range for this position based on experience, location and other factors.

Closing Statement

Riverside Research Institute is a not-for-profit, technology-oriented defense company, where service to our customers and support of our staff is our overall mission. Riverside is an affirmative action-equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws regarding recruitment and hiring. Riverside offers comprehensive compensation and benefit packages to our employees.
Riverside bases its employment decisions solely on technical experience, qualifications and other job-related criteria related to our organizational purpose as a not-for-profit company, and without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, physical or mental disability, veteran's status or any other status legally protected by applicable federal, state, and local law.