Director of Software Engineering in Los Angeles County (California)

Director of Software Engineering

Los Angeles County, CA

Full-time | On-site | Relocation assistance provided

Why Join Us

My client is a high‑growth aerospace company building next‑gen autonomous aerial systems for mission‑critical applications! The team has been quickly scaling over the past year and is now looking to bring on a Director of Software to guide both the software and the team.

This is for a true technical leader who can own architecture, guide engineering decisions, and build a high‑performing team from the ground up.

What You'll Do

• Own the architecture of a complex, hardware‑integrated software stack (real‑time + distributed systems).
• Lead and scale a growing software team.
• Build hiring plans, identify skill gaps, and allocate resources across programs.
• Run design reviews and set engineering standards without needing to be in the code daily.
• Establish development processes that support both rapid iteration and long‑term system reliability.
• Partner closely with hardware, systems, and program teams to deliver production‑ready software.

Ideal Background

• Strong software architecture experience across complex, real‑time or distributed systems.
• 5+ years leading and scaling software engineering teams in fast‑moving environments.
• Experience building teams, identifying gaps, and driving hiring plans as the organization grows.
• Comfortable leading managers, handling performance, and shaping team structure.
• Background in embedded systems, robotics, autonomous systems, mechatronics, or similar hardware‑integrated environments.
• Able to operate at both a system level (architecture, design decisions) and org level (team, process, execution).
• Experience working on mission‑critical systems, ideally in regulated environments.
• Familiarity with edge compute platforms or robotics software stacks.
• Background in autonomy, perception, or large‑scale deployments (robotics, AV, UAS, etc.) is a plus.

ITAR Clause

To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), applicants must be U.S. lawful permanent resident (Green Card holder), legally admitted as refugee, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State and/or the U.S. Department of Commerce, as applicable.