Senior Software Engineer - Autonomy Interface

Overview

About Overland AI: Founded in 2022 and headquartered in Seattle, Washington, Overland AI is transforming land operations for modern defense. The company leverages over a decade of advanced research in robotics and machine learning, as well as a field-test forward ethos, to deliver combined capabilities for unit commanders. Our OverDrive autonomy stack enables ground vehicles to navigate and operate off-road in any terrain without GPS or direct operator control. Our intuitive OverWatch C2 interface provides commanders with precise coordination capabilities essential for mission success. Overland AI has secured funding from prominent defense tech investors, including 8VC and Point 72, and built trusted partnerships with DARPA, the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, and Special Operations Command. Backed by eight-figure contracts across the Department of Defense, we are strengthening national security by iterating closely with end users engaged in tactical operations.

Role Summary

We are seeking a Senior Software Engineer – Autonomy Interface to design and implement the backend systems supporting a mission-critical command-and-control (C2) platform for autonomous ground vehicles. This role focuses on building robust, asynchronous services which act as the interface between our ground autonomy software and C2 systems. The ideal candidate has deep experience with modern Python backend development, is comfortable with performance-sensitive and concurrent systems, and enjoys working at the intersection of web technologies, real-time communications, and physical AI.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and maintain backend services that support a command-and- control (C2) interface for autonomous ground vehicles.
• Build and extend APIs using FastAPI, with a strong emphasis on correctness, performance, and maintainability.
• Develop and operate WebRTC-based services for real-time video and data streaming.
• Build asynchronous systems to coordinate real-time data flows and concurrent workloads.
• Integrate backend services with a variety of communication protocols and middleware, including event-driven and real-time messaging systems.
• Collaborate closely with frontend engineers and autonomy engineers to define clean interfaces and deliver end-to-end features.
• Participate in field exercises and testing to observe system behavior in real-world operational environments and iterate accordingly.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, or related discipline and 5+ years of relevant experience; OR 7+ years of relevant professional experience
• Experience building and operating production backend systems using Python.

Desired Experience & Qualifications

• MS degree or PhD preferred.
• Deep experience with FastAPI; experience with other Python-based backend frameworks is a plus
• Strong understanding of asyncio and asynchronous programming patterns in Python
• Hands-on experience building or operating WebRTC-based systems, including signaling and real-time media/data pipelines
• Experience with real-time or messaging systems; prior experience with MQTT is strongly preferred.
• Experience with or interest in PyTAK and/or ROS 2 is highly beneficial.
• Some experience with TypeScript or frontend-backend integration is a plus.

Benefits

Overland AI believes in creating a work environment that you look forward to embracing every day.

• The salary range for this position is $200K to $240K annually
• Equity compensation
• Best-in-class healthcare, dental and vision plans.
• Unlimited PTO
• 401k with company match
• Parental leave