Senior Software Engineer, Autonomous Systems (C2/Backend/Service)
Quick overview
Job description
About the Role
Join a customer-facing product engineering team building command-and-control and autonomy software for robotic and autonomous systems. You will develop cloud and edge services that connect sensors, platforms, and AI-enabled decision-making for operational missions.
What You'll Do
Design, build, and optimize software for mission-critical autonomous systems.
Develop services that process data from diverse sensors for real-time state estimation and threat detection.
Build AI- and LLM-enabled systems that assess situations and support rapid operational decisions.
Integrate sensors, effectors, and autonomous platforms, including systems operating individually or in groups.
Engineer reliable, scalable, and fail-safe software for high-stakes environments.
Work with robotics, hardware, sensing, and systems engineering teams to deliver integrated solutions.
What We're Looking For
Four to ten years of backend or service-layer software engineering experience, with recent hands-on individual contributor work.
Experience building and owning backend services such as APIs, microservices, or middleware, and real-time data or messaging integrations across live services.
Proficiency in one or more of Rust, Python, C++, or Java, and a degree in computer science or a related technical field.
Practical experience in autonomy, robotics, drones, autonomous vehicles, or factory automation, beyond algorithm, simulation, or ML research alone.
Experience shipping software in a fast-paced, prototype-to-field environment.
Experience integrating LLM systems or AI agents and building toolchains is helpful.
US work authorization without sponsorship and eligibility to obtain a security clearance are required.
Compensation & Benefits
Base salary: $145,000 to $275,000 USD annually. Visa sponsorship is not available.
Location
Hybrid in Palo Alto, California.