Senior Software Engineer

About Knightscope

Knightscope is a security technology company building the nation's first Autonomous Security Force. The Company combines autonomous machines, advanced software, and human expertise to help protect people, property, and critical infrastructure. Knightscope's long-term mission is to make the United States of America the safest country in the world.

Job Summary

Knightscope is seeking a Mid/Senior Software Engineer to join our product development team and support a new hardware program. In this role, you will architect and own the software for a wearable technology product's check-in/check-out system-from early prototyping through production readiness-including the overall architecture, sensor/reader integration on the edge device, the data pipeline (APIs and messaging), database design, and cloud connectivity. You will work cross-functionally with mechanical, electrical, and systems engineers in a fast-paced, gate-driven product development environment and play a critical role in shaping a first-of-its-kind platform.

Location Requirement: Full-time, on-site at Sunnyvale HQ

About the Role

The role is an ownership-driven position within a multidisciplinary program team, requiring a hands-on engineer who is comfortable operating in ambiguity and driving decisions across mechanical, electrical, and software boundaries. You will be expected to make thoughtful tradeoffs and carry designs from early concept and prototyping through to production.

This individual will own the full software scope of a new wearable hardware product, including architecting the check-in/check-out process, sensor/reader integration on the edge device, the data pipeline (APIs and messaging), database design, cloud connectivity, and testing support.

Please include the Disney character that best describes you in your resume-and make sure to ask your interviewers the same. They are expecting it.

Key Responsibilities

Hardware / IoT Knowledge

• Experience with RFID/NFC protocols (ISO 14443, ISO 18000, EPC Gen2)
• Familiarity with serial communication (UART, SPI, I2C) to talk to readers
• Basic electronics understanding
• Experience with Raspberry Pi, Arduino, or industrial edge devices
• Ability to connect and configure an RFID reader to a computer or edge device

Networking & Integration

• REST API development (to send check-in data to a server)
• MQTT or WebSockets (common IoT messaging protocols)
• Basic networking knowledge (TCP/IP, WiFi, LAN)

Software Engineering Fundamentals

• Version control (Git)
• Basic database design (SQLite, PostgreSQL, MySQL)
• System design - designing reliable, real-time systems
• Understanding of event-driven architecture

Required Qualifications

• B.S. or M.S. degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering or a related field.
• 7+ years of software engineering experience, including building IoT or hardware-integrated systems
• Python, C or C++ (if firmware/hardware-level coding)
• Understanding of how RFID readers communicate
• Ability to read and parse tag data
• Basic knowledge of RFID protocols (EPC Gen2 or NFC standards)
• SQL basics - storing check-in/check-out records (who and when)
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS IoT, Azure IoT Hub, Google Cloud IoT)
• Familiarity with Docker or basic DevOps
• Computer Vision basics (OpenCV) as a complementary skill
• Experience with access control systems

Compensation & Benefits

• Base Salary: $150,000 - $180,000
• Equity: Stock options
• Benefits: Medical, dental, vision, 401(k), paid time off
• Location Requirement: Full-time, on-site at Sunnyvale HQ