Entry level engineering Jobs in El Cajon, CA

L3Harris is dedicated to recruiting and developing high-performing talent who are passionate about what they do. Our employees are unified in a shared dedication to our customers’ mission and quest for professional growth. L3Harris provides an inclusive, engaging environment designed to empower employees and promote work-life success. Fundamental to our culture is an unwavering focus on values, dedication to our communities, and commitment to excellence in everything we do.

L3Harris is the Trusted Disruptor in defense tech. With customers’ mission-critical needs always in mind, our employees deliver end-to-end technology solutions connecting the space, air, land, sea and cyber domains in the interest of national security.

Job Title: Specialist, Software Engineering

Job Code: 35669

Job Location: San Diego, CA

Job Schedule: 9/80- employees work 9 out of 14 days- totaling 80 hours worked- and have every other Friday off

Job Description:

At L3Harris, our software engineers solve meaningful problems that directly impact missions across the globe. We foster a culture of innovation and value individuals from diverse backgrounds who challenge assumptions, introduce new ideas, and push the boundaries of what’s possible. Our teams work across the full engineering lifecycle—from concept and architecture through deployment, sustainment, and evolution of real operational systems.

We’re expanding to meet growing demand in space and airborne technologies, and we’re looking for versatile software engineers who thrive on curiosity, enjoy tackling complex technical challenges, and can contribute across cloud, application-level, and embedded environments.

Join a dynamic engineering team building next‑generation systems supporting space superiority, command and control, geospatial missions, and other advanced domains. In this role, you will work within an agile environment using mature engineering practices and modern tooling to design, develop, integrate, test, and sustain software for mission-critical systems.

Essential Functions:

• Analyze system and software requirements, develop use cases, and translate them into architecture, design, and implementation tasks
• Design, implement, integrate, and test software components across cloud, application, and embedded environments
• Diagnose, troubleshoot, and resolve software defects or system issues, including support for deployed operational systems
• Collaborate with customers and cross‑functional engineering teams to clarify requirements, support operations, and identify technical improvements
• Produce and maintain technical documentation, participate in design/code reviews, and contribute to continuous improvement of engineering processes
• Travel up to 10%

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree and minimum 4 years of prior relevant experience. Graduate Degree and a minimum of 2 years of prior related experience. In lieu of a degree, minimum of 8 years of prior related experience.
• Secret security clearance

Preferred Additional Skills:

• Proficient knowledge of job area. May have practical knowledge of project management. Bachelor’s Degree and minimum 4 years of prior relevant experience. Graduate Degree and a minimum of 2 years of prior related experience. In lieu of a degree, minimum of 8 years of prior related experience.
• Proficiency with C++ and Java, including modern language features and standard libraries
• Experience with low‑level development such as memory management, bit‑level data manipulation, and hardware‑adjacent software
• Strong understanding of multi-threaded programming, concurrency models, and synchronization techniques
• Experience applying object‑oriented design principles, software patterns, and modular architecture
• Solid knowledge of the full software engineering lifecycle, including configuration management, CI/CD, and issue tracking
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision while contributing effectively to a team environment
• Experience with unit-testing frameworks, stress/performance testing, and integration or acceptance test activities
• Familiarity with Linux, Windows, and real-time operating systems such as FreeRTOS
• Experience developing software for space, aerospace, or defense systems
• Active TS/SCI clearance

L3Harris Technologies is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. L3Harris is committed to treating all employees and applicants for employment with respect and dignity and maintaining a workplace that is free from unlawful discrimination. All applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding or other related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, disability, genetic information, citizenship status, characteristic or membership in any other group protected by federal, state or local laws. L3Harris maintains a drug-free workplace and performs pre-employment substance abuse testing and background checks, where permitted by law.

Please be aware many of our positions require the ability to obtain a security clearance. Security clearances may only be granted to U.S. citizens. In addition, applicants who accept a conditional offer of employment may be subject to government security investigation(s) and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information.

By submitting your resume for this position, you understand and agree that L3Harris Technologies may share your resume, as well as any other related personal information or documentation you provide, with its subsidiaries and affiliated companies for the purpose of considering you for other available positions.

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