Senior Autonomy Engineer - Defense

Senior Software Engineer

Applied Intuition, Inc. is powering the future of physical AI. Founded in 2017 and now valued at $15 billion, the Silicon Valley company is creating the digital infrastructure needed to bring intelligence to every moving machine on the planet. Applied Intuition services the automotive, defense, trucking, construction, mining and agriculture industries in three core areas: tools and infrastructure, operating systems, and autonomy. Eighteen of the top 20 global automakers, as well as the United States military and its allies, trust the company's solutions to deliver physical intelligence. Applied Intuition is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, with offices in Washington, D.C.; San Diego; Ft. Walton Beach, Florida; Ann Arbor, Michigan; London; Stuttgart; Munich; Stockholm; Bangalore; Seoul; and Tokyo.

We are an in-office company, and our expectation is that employees primarily work from their Applied Intuition office 5 days a week. However, we also recognize the importance of flexibility and trust our employees to manage their schedules responsibly. This may include occasional remote work, starting the day with morning meetings from home before heading to the office, or leaving earlier when needed to accommodate family commitments.

We're seeking a Senior Software Engineer to architect our Acuity Scene System. This role is built at the intersection of game engine technology and large-scale simulation, requiring you to define the foundational 4D abstractions and Entity Component Systems that enable realistic, high-performance representation of multi-agent environments across air, ground, and maritime domains.

At Applied Intuition, you will:

• Architect Scene & Entity Systems: Design and implement core high-performance architectures, including Entity Component System frameworks, spatial indexing, and 4D object management for large-scale multi-agent simulations.
• Lead Technical Strategy & Integration: Drive architectural decisions and design seamless APIs that enable cross-domain integration for air, ground, and maritime autonomy stacks.
• Collaborate & Mentor: Act as a strong, social collaborator who proactively engages with other teams about technology. You must be willing to take on essential integration work for the Scene libraries while providing technical leadership and mentorship across the organization.
• Scale & Innovate: Optimize systems for massive scalability using modern agentic coding tools and AI-assisted workflows to maintain high code quality at speed.

We're looking for someone who has:

• 5 - 7+ years of professional software engineering experience with demonstrated expertise in complex systems
• Expert-level C++ programming skills with deep knowledge of modern C++ (C++20 or later), including template metaprogramming, move semantics, and performance optimization
• Proven experience with Entity Component System architectures or similar data-oriented design patterns
• Strong background in 3D/4D spatial systems, including coordinate transformations, spatial data structures, and geometric algorithms
• Deep understanding of software architecture and design patterns, particularly for high-performance, real-time systems
• Strong proficiency in Python and shell scripting for tooling and automation
• Experience with agentic coding tools (Cursor, Claude Code, GitHub Copilot) and AI-assisted development workflows

Travel Requirements:

• Must be willing to travel as projects require; average travel varies, but can be up to once a month for up to 1 week (~20%)

Security Requirements:

• Must be a U.S. Citizen
• Must hold or be eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance

Nice to have:

• Expertise with the Linux/Docker/C++ toolchains (including build systems like Nix and Bazel) and cross-compilation.
• Experience with temporal reasoning systems and 4D scene representation (space + time)
• Background in game development, simulation, or virtual environments
• Knowledge of physics engines and collision detection systems
• Understanding of autonomous systems or robotics software architectures

Compensation at Applied Intuition for eligible roles includes base salary, equity, and benefits. Base salary is a single component of the total compensation package, which may also include equity in the form of options and/or restricted stock units, comprehensive health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance coverage, 401k retirement benefits with employer match, learning and wellness stipends, and paid time off. Note that benefits are subject to change and may vary based on jurisdiction of employment.

Applied Intuition pay ranges reflect the minimum and maximum intended target base salary for new hire salaries for the position. The actual base salary offered to a successful candidate will additionally be influenced by a variety of factors including experience, credentials & certifications, educational attainment, skill level requirements, interview performance, and the level and scope of the position.

Please reference the job posting subtitle for where this position will be located. For pay transparency purposes, the base salary range for this full-time position in the location listed is: $150,000 to $190,000 USD annually.

Don't meet every single requirement? If you're excited about this role but your past experience doesn't align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Applied Intuition is an equal opportunity employer and federal contractor or subcontractor. Consequently, the parties agree that, as applicable, they will abide by the requirements of 41 CFR 60-1.4(a), 41 CFR 60-300.5(a) and 41 CFR 60-741.5(a) and that these laws are incorporated herein by reference. These regulations prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities, and prohibit discrimination against all individuals based on their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin. These regulations require that covered prime contractors and subcontractors take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status or disability. The parties also agree that, as applicable, they will abide by the requirements of Executive Order 13496 (29 CFR Part 471, Appendix A to Subpart A), relating to the notice of employee rights under federal labor laws.