Defense Product Software Engineer

About the role

We are looking for bright engineers interested in designing elegant solutions to difficult problems for our defense customers. In this role, you will predominantly support our defense business units, focusing on the Axion and Acuity product lines.

Our software engineers work across our suite of products, tackling difficult full-stack, infrastructure, robotics, and computer vision problems. At Applied Intuition, we encourage engineers to take ownership over technical and product decisions, interact closely with defense stakeholders to collect feedback, and contribute to a mission-driven team culture.

At Applied Intuition, you will:

• Develop and scale Axion and/or Acuity products to support mission-critical defense autonomy workflows.
• Work across our entire stack to build new features for off-road navigation, sensor fusion, and mission planning.
• Have an unparalleled opportunity to work with domain experts across a variety of fields: robotics engineers, computer vision specialists, and defense industry veterans.
• Collaborate directly with the warfighter and allies to understand operational requirements and deploy software to the edge.
• Carve out your own area of expertise and influence the product roadmap for our defense business unit.

We're looking for someone who has:

• 2+ years of experience shipping complex, high-reliability software.
• Demonstrated ability to be a self-starter and can quickly become comfortable with new technical tools.
• Designed efficient and effective solutions to a wide range of engineering challenges (e.g., real-time systems, data pipelines, or complex UI/UX).
• Proven ability to take initiative in a fast-paced environment.

Travel Requirements

Occasional travel required (approx. 10–20%) for demonstrations, integration, or customer engagement

Security Clearance

• Must be a U.S. Citizen
• Must be eligible for a U.S. SECRET clearance with Special Access Program (SAP) eligibility

Nice to have:

• Working knowledge of frontend, API layer, containerization, or cluster orchestration frameworks (such as React, GraphQL, Docker, or Kubernetes).
• Experience with robotics middlewares (such as ROS/ROS2) or military-specific standards (e.g., JAUS, UCS).
• Experience modeling physical problems, sensor simulation, or working with geospatial data.
• Prior experience working on Department of Defense projects or in a regulated environment.

Compensation at Applied Intuition for eligible roles includes base salary, equity, and benefits. Base salary is a single component of the total compensation package, which may also include equity in the form of options and/or restricted stock units, comprehensive health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance coverage, 401k retirement benefits with employer match, learning and wellness stipends, and paid time off. Note that benefits are subject to change and may vary based on jurisdiction of employment.

Applied Intuition pay ranges reflect the minimum and maximum intended target base salary for new hire salaries for the position. The actual base salary offered to a successful candidate will additionally be influenced by a variety of factors including experience, credentials & certifications, educational attainment, skill level requirements, interview performance, and the level and scope of the position.

Please reference the job posting subtitle for where this position will be located. For pay transparency purposes, the base salary range for this full-time position in the location listed is: $125,000 to $190,000 USD annually.