Senior Systems Software Engineer

Senior Systems Software EngineerLocation: Austin, TX (Hybrid on-site, with travel); Travel: ~20% typical; up to ~50% during field exercises and partner/military deployments; Clearance: U.S. Citizen with the ability to obtain a security clearanceAbout NODANODA is a veteran-owned, venture-backed technology company transforming how unmanned systems collaborate in complex, mission-critical environments. As NODA scales across products, partners, and deployment environments, keeping the system coherent in practice — not just on paper — is what separates a platform that works in the field from one that only works in a demo.Our Systems Software Engineers are the people who can stand at the seam between subsystems — software, networking, RF, and hardware — and make sense of what's actually happening when something breaks in degraded, contested, or denied conditions. You won't be the deepest RF, networking, or hardware specialist in the room, but you'll be able to hold your own in that conversation, pinpoint where in the stack a problem actually lives, and write the software — or pick up a multimeter — needed to prove it.The RoleAs a Systems Software Engineer, you will work across NODA's cross-system infrastructure — the messaging fabric, gateway, and runtime built on real-time messaging frameworks (DDS, ROS/ROS2, and similar) that coordinate fleets of heterogeneous unmanned systems in real time — debugging and resolving issues that don't respect team boundaries. You'll pinpoint performance and integration issues end to end, write software stacks under a systems architect's supervision where the work falls outside Core Engineering's product ownership, and work directly with networking, RF, and hardware subject matter experts when an issue requires investigation below the software layer. You'll also support the System Health function — characterizing performance baselines, analyzing crashes to root cause, and producing the verification evidence the organization relies on for release decisions.Key ResponsibilitiesDebug and resolve cross-system issues spanning software, real-time messaging, networking, RF, and hardware — owning the investigation even when the root cause sits outside your primary depthPinpoint performance and latency issues in cross-system infrastructure (messaging fabric, gateway, runtime) supporting multi-agent coordination, and drive them to resolutionWrite and maintain software stacks under a systems architect's supervision, for work outside Core Engineering sub-teams' product ownershipInvestigate and characterize system behavior under degraded, intermittent, or contested link conditionsPerform hands-on hardware diagnostics using basic bench tools (multimeter, oscilloscope) to isolate issues at the hardware/software boundaryHold credible technical conversations with networking, RF, and hardware SMEs — translate their findings into system-level constraints and software fixesContribute to System Health: performance baselining, system-level verification, crash analysis to root cause, and KPI/dashboard evidence used for release go/no-go decisions, with a focus on driving measurable improvements in latency, reliability, and uptimeIdentify and mitigate cross-system risks impacting mission effectiveness, including in live exercises or deploymentsSupport integration tooling, CI/CD for cross-system components, and automated regression in SIL/HIL environmentsMaintain Interface Control Documents and integration contracts between major platform components, and translate field/operational requirements into system constraints Core Engineering and architects can build againstBuild observability into cross-system components (logging, tracing, metrics) to make the next debugging pass fasterRequired Qualifications5+ years of professional software engineering experience, including significant time debugging distributed, real-time, or multi-service systems in productionStrong proficiency in C++ and/or Python, with the ability to write production-quality software with architect-level supervision on system designExperience with real-time or low-latency messaging/middleware (e.g., DDS, ROS/ROS2, ZeroMQ, MQTT, gRPC) in distributed or multi-agent contextsSolid working knowledge of networking fundamentals (TCP/IP, multicast, basic routing) sufficient to debug connectivity/performance issues and converse credibly with networking engineersWorking familiarity — conversational depth plus basic debugging, not specialist design work — with RF/wireless concepts (link quality, interference, basic link budget reasoning)Comfortable using basic hardware bench tools (multimeter, oscilloscope) to debug at the hardware/software boundaryDemonstrated ability to debug across layers — application, network, RF, and hardware-adjacent — and to know when to pull in a specialist versus solve it directlyExperience with Linux systems and command-line debugging toolingU.S. Citizenship with the ability to obtain a security clearancePreferred QualificationsExperience operating or debugging systems in contested/denied conditions (jamming, intermittent links, degraded bandwidth)Experience with Linux-based or real-time systems in resource-constrained, embedded, or edge environments (embedded Linux, bare-metal, RTOS)Familiarity with containerization for edge deployment (Docker/K8s) and observability tooling (OpenTelemetry, Jaeger, or similar)Experience with simulation, HIL/SIL pipelines, or sim-to-field validation workflowsFamiliarity with security considerations in tactical comms or cross-domain solutionsPrior work in defense, aerospace, or other mission-critical/regulated environmentsExperience authoring ICDs, requirements traceability, or MBSE artifactsExposure to tactical radios, MANET, or mesh networking in a support/integration capacitySkills & AttributesComfortable being the generalist in the room — credible across software, network, RF, and hardware conversations without needing to be the deepest expert in any oneStrong ownership instinct; debugs to root cause rather than handing off at the first sign of unfamiliar territoryResults-oriented — thinks in terms of measurable system KPIs (latency, reliability, uptime), not just task completionClear written communicator — translates field/debugging findings into structured specs, crash reports, and feedback Core Engineering can act onOperates well under a systems architect's supervision on unfamiliar scope, without needing constant directionBenefits & PerksOur culture fosters collaboration, respect, and trust, empowering passionate people to do their best work. We offer a competitive salary, comprehensive benefits, and opportunities for career growth. In addition to an opportunity to take part in an innovative, collaborative and fast-growing business with a highly motivated and skilled team, we also take pride in taking care of our employees. Here are just a few ways that we show our appreciation:We offer comprehensive medical, dental, and visions plans401(k) Retirement Savings Plan to invest in your long-term retirement goals + Company matchEquity grants for new hiresUnlimited PTO11 Paid holidaysExtremely generous company holiday calendar, including a holiday hiatus in November, & December.Generous Parental LeaveMilitary Leave for annual training or service requirementsFSADCFSAHSAProfessional Development OpportunitiesAccess to One MedicalMental Health Resources: We provide free mental health resources 24/7 including therapy and more. Additional work-life services, such as free legal and financial support, are available to you as well.Growth Path at NODAL5 — Systems Software Engineer: Owns individual debugging and integration tasks within cross-system infrastructure; writes software under architect supervision; builds working fluency in networking, RF, and hardware-level debugging.L6 — Senior Systems Software Engineer: Owns end-to-end resolution of cross-system performance, latency, and integration issues with minimal supervision; contributes independently to System Health baselining and crash analysis; represents Systems Engineering in cross-team design sessions.