Senior Software Engineer - Autonomous Systems

Job Title

Senior Software Engineer

Job Description

Our client is looking for an experienced Senior Software Engineer to join an innovative, high-impact team focused on developing advanced autonomous systems for complex operational environments. This is a senior role applying cutting-edge technology—including AI, advanced sensors, and robotics—to solve difficult, real-world technical challenges. Our client is seeking self-starters with an entrepreneurial mindset who thrive in fast-paced, experimental development. This role offers high autonomy for solving novel and technically challenging problems. You will be integral to the development of integrated autonomous platforms. Your work will center on building intelligent decision-making systems that interface diverse real-time data streams with physical response mechanisms.

They are seeking individuals with a technical specialization in one of two key areas:

• Systems & Integration Specialist: Focus on low-level system software, high-performance computing, hardware/software interfaces, and reliability in mission-critical systems.
• Autonomous Intelligence Specialist: Focus on building and leveraging advanced decision-making systems, multi-step agent workflows, and integrating sophisticated AI models for autonomy.

Core Responsibilities:

• Design, implement, and optimize software for high-reliability autonomous systems using modern development methodologies.
• Develop robust algorithms to process data from heterogeneous sensors (including radar, optical, and RF modalities) for real-time state estimation and complex event detection.
• Engineer AI-driven systems capable of rapid assessment and autonomous decision-making in dynamic environments.
• Develop and maintain integrations with a wide range of external devices, sensors, and autonomous effectors/platforms.
• Contribute significantly to system architecture, focusing on design patterns, scalability, and fault tolerance.
• Mentor and provide technical leadership to other engineers on the team.

Required Technical Experience:

• 5+ years of professional software development experience.
• 2+ years of experience contributing to the system design or architecture (e.g., reliability, scaling, design patterns) of new and existing systems.
• 2+ years of experience in a leadership capacity (e.g., mentor, tech lead, or leading an engineering team).
• Strong proficiency in at least one of the following: Rust, Python, or Java. Proficiency in Rust or C/C++ is preferred.
• Bachelor's degree or higher in Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, or a related quantitative field.
• Comfortable with fast-paced, experimental development.

Preferred Skills:

• Proven experience in software development for autonomous systems, embedded platforms, robotics, or complex sensor integration.
• Experience with advanced AI concepts: agent-based systems, multi-step workflows, swarm behaviors, or sensor processing (CV, RF, radar, audio).
• Demonstrated ability to deploy and maintain robust, high-performance production systems.
• Entrepreneurial spirit and experience driving projects forward independently.
• Experience in optimizing for low-latency performance and managing system complexity under operational constraints.

Compensation & Work Policy:

• Salary Range: $145,000 - $275,000 USD
• Work Policy: Hybrid model based in Seattle, WA