Staff Engineer I

Purpose of the position:

Linde Special Projects in New Providence, NJ is seeking a skilled Software Engineer to support and advance specialized, mission-critical hardware systems focused on gas handling and metrology. This role blends software development and process control of hardware components with hands-on system support, requiring a strong understanding of physical systems, electronics, instrumentation, and data acquisition.

The ideal candidate will minimize downtime and ensure the reliability of existing systems while designing and implementing software for next-generation hardware platforms. This position requires a DOD security clearance; US citizenship is required.

Principal responsibilities will include:

Laboratory & Technical Leadership

• Maintain, monitor, and troubleshoot software systems that control and interface with gas handling and radioactive measurement equipment; help ensure reliable operation and minimal downtime of existing systems

• Integrate sensors, detectors, and instrumentation with software platforms for real-time monitoring and analysis

• Collaborate with engineers and scientists to define system requirements and translate them into robust software solutions

• Optimize hardware systems for performance, reliability, and safety

• Implement data processing pipelines for measurement analysis, calibration, and reporting

• Support system upgrades, testing, and validation, including documentation and compliance

• Participate in debugging hardware and software issues in a laboratory environment

Research & Innovation

• Develop and successfully deploy software for new hardware systems, including control logic, data acquisition, and user interfaces

• Lead or contribute to research projects from concept through implementation and validation.

Communication

• Interface with key stakeholders, including department technical staff, management, and US government technical staff.

• Prepare clear, data-driven technical reports and presentations and present project updates and technical recommendations to our sponsor and collaborators.

Collaboration

• Work closely with internal and external scientists, engineers, and technicians on multidisciplinary research projects.

• Support troubleshooting and root-cause investigations for instrumentation or process issues.

Key interfaces

• Department technical staff (Engineers/Scientists/Technicians)

• Department management

• US Government Technical staff

Key competencies

• Safety-first mentality

• Intellectual curiosity and innovation mindset

• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities

• Ability to work independently and as a part of a team in a lab-based, hands-on environment

• Excellent communication skills; clear and confident presenter

• Attention to detail, especially in safety-critical systems

• Decisiveness & Task execution

Required Qualifications

• Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Applied Physics or a closely related field

• Strong programming experience used in hardware development such as C/C++, Assembly, PLC programming; experience with high-level languages such as python, etc.

• Experience interfacing software with hardware systems (e.g., DAQ systems, embedded systems, industrial controls, etc.)

• Familiarity with signal processing, instrumentation, or measurement systems

• Familiarity with Windows and Linux operating systems

• Familiarity with relational databases (SQL, etc.)

• Understanding of gas flow systems, vacuum systems, and radiation detection principles

• Ability to rapidly troubleshoot, maintain, repair, and improve complex systems

• Ability to obtain and maintain a DOD secret level security clearance (This requires US citizenship).

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with legacy programming languages such as Visual Basic 6.0, Delphi/Pascal, FORTRAN

• Experience with radioactive counting systems, detectors (e.g., scintillation counters, Geiger-Müller counting), or spectroscopy

• Knowledge of communication protocols (e.g., TCP/IP, serial, Modbus)

• Familiarity with laboratory or industrial safety standards