CoVarSoftware Engineer
CoVar is hiring a Software Engineer in Durham, United States. Level rates it ; you can apply on CoVar.
Level's read on this job
- On Level's scale, this software engineer role is Builds AI ●●●●: the job is building AI systems.
- The posting mentions PyTorch, scikit-learn and Python among its tools and skills.
- Level classes it as a mid-level role.
- CoVar has 5 other open roles on Level.
AI in this role
Develop and maintain real-time, computationally intensive applications and integrate machine learning algorithms.
Software Engineer
About CoVar
CoVar is a small, mission-driven AI/ML R&D software company based in Durham, NC and McLean, VA. We build advanced software and machine learning systems that help the Department of Defense detect threats in high-stakes environments and enable biomedical researchers to accelerate discoveries that save lives. Our team is composed of curious, passionate engineers who care deeply about using AI to solve real-world problems that matter.
About this position
We are looking for a motivated, detail-oriented Software Engineer who thrives in an environment where reading, understanding, and improving complex codebases is just as important as writing new code. In this role, you will develop and maintain real-time, computationally intensive applications involving data processing, real-time communications, and machine-learning algorithm integration.
You’ll work closely with a team of ML engineers and software developers, contribute to system architecture and performance optimization, and help ensure our tools are robust, efficient, and production ready. You will have the opportunity to work on meaningful, high-impact projects in a close-knit engineering team. If you enjoy building systems end-to-end, optimizing performance, and understanding how software interacts with hardware at a deep level, you’ll fit right in.
Important Note:
This is a software engineering role and not a prompt engineering role. Candidates with strong LLM prompting skills but limited understanding of software engineering fundamentals will not be successful here.
Minimum qualifications
- B.S. in Computer Science or related field, preferably M.S., Ph.D, and/or 3+ years of experience
- Expertise in Python with a minimum of two years of demonstrated hands-on professional development experience and exposure to scientific/computational libraries such as NumPy, SciPy, pandas, scikit-learn, PyTorch, etc.
- Experience developing real-time, computationally-focused applications
- Working knowledge of SQL and experience with one or more of MySQL, PostgreSQL, or SQLite
- Strong fundamental understanding of computing hardware architectures and how they influence software architectural decisions
- Experience with software development processes, including version control, documentation, testing, and code review
- Excellent technical communication skills and a customer-service mindset
- Ability to work in Durham, NC (relocation assistance available)
- Eligibility for US security clearance (US citizenship is required)
Preferred qualifications
- Linux application development
- Experience with embedded systems or deploying AI/ML solutions on edge hardware (highly desirable)
- Familiarity with real-time systems, edge hardware optimization, and performance profiling
- Experience with signal processing, pattern recognition, image processing, and/or machine learning techniques
- Prior Department of Defense project experience
Benefits
- Competitive salary, cash bonus, equity structure, and 401k with employer contributions
- Excellent health care coverage, including dental and vision plans
- Parental leave
- Short-term and long-term disability insurance
- Life insurance
- Flexible work schedule
- Tuition support
- PTO and paid holidays
Visit us: www.covar.com
How we rate this
Software Engineer at CoVar rates 85 out of 100 for how much of the daily work is AI. That makes it Builds AI (AI Level 4 of 4). The level is about AI in the job, not seniority.
Builds AI. The job is building AI systems.
- ●●●● Builds AI80 to 100
- ●●●○ Works on AI60 to 79
- ●●○○ Uses AI40 to 59
- ●○○○ Little AI0 to 39
Levels come from how often the tools, models and workflows of the role are named in the posting itself. Read the description and count the AI tools, models and workflows it names.
Prepare for this job
Built from this posting and from similar jobs on Level.
Skills and AI tools this role asks for
Also common in software engineer jobs at this level
Pay
- Typical software engineer job
- $167k
This posting doesn't list pay. Use the typical software engineer figure when pay comes up. See software engineer jobs
Questions you could be asked
- How do you structure and test a prompt to get consistent output from a language model?
- Tell me about a project where software engineering was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where machine learning was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where performance optimization was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where real time systems was part of your work. What did you do?
Adapt your resume
- List these exact terms on your resume: Prompt engineering, Software Engineering, Machine learning, Performance Optimization, and Real Time Systems. An applicant tracking system matches the wording, not the idea.
- Attach one line of real, concrete experience to at least one of them. A tool named with nothing behind it rarely survives a human read.
- Lead with what you built, trained or shipped. This role is judged on the AI system itself, not the tools around it.
Get your CV reviewed before you apply
Send your CV and the role you want next. Your review arrives by email within 3 days.
Get new software engineer jobs (Builds AI ●●●●) by email
One email a week, each job rated for how much AI is in the work. No recruiter spam, unsubscribe in one click.
Free.
Similar roles
Software Engineering roles that build AI, at other companies.
What kind of AI work fits you?
Answer 12 practical questions in about three minutes. Get a simple profile, the work it points to, and live roles to explore next.
Find my next step