Application Software Engineer (Staff / Senior Staff)

This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, who manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for an Application Software Engineer (Staff / Senior Staff) based in United States.

This role serves as a senior technical authority shaping the architecture and evolution of mission-critical operator software across multiple unmanned aerial systems. You will define technical direction for application frameworks, mission system interfaces, visualization platforms, and operator-facing experiences. The position combines deep software engineering expertise with systems architecture, real-time data processing, and complex system integration. You will lead cross-functional initiatives spanning avionics, autonomy, guidance and navigation, testing, and operator experience. The role also provides significant influence over long-term technical roadmaps, engineering standards, and architectural investments. This is an opportunity to mentor senior engineers and contribute to highly complex, safety-critical aerospace software from a remote U.S.-based environment.

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Accountabilities:

• Define and guide application software architecture across multiple UAS platforms, ensuring modularity, maintainability, scalability, and long-term technical sustainability.
• Lead cross-functional technical initiatives spanning avionics, autonomy, guidance, navigation and control, test engineering, and operator experience.
• Establish system design decisions covering application frameworks, interfaces, API standards, data pipelines, and operator-facing mission software.
• Review, approve, and guide high-impact technical proposals, engineering change requests, and cross-program software integrations.
• Lead the resolution of complex system-level issues involving multiple subsystems, distributed data flows, performance constraints, and safety considerations.
• Drive long-term technical roadmap planning in collaboration with technical leadership, influencing feature priorities, capability evolution, and architectural investments.
• Serve as a senior escalation point for complex debugging, telemetry diagnostics, mission software failures, and issues identified during flight operations.
• Mentor senior and staff-level engineers, strengthening technical judgment, architectural thinking, knowledge sharing, and leadership capabilities.
• Represent software engineering in customer meetings, major design reviews, executive briefings, and cross-site technical alignment discussions.
• Advocate for operator-centered design principles that prioritize mission effectiveness, reliability, usability, and intuitive workflows.
• Establish and contribute to enterprise standards covering software documentation, testing rigor, integration methodologies, and system validation.
• Support the long-term evolution of application frameworks and mission software across multiple programs and platforms.
• Collaborate with engineering and program leadership to identify technical risks and develop durable, scalable solutions.
• Contribute to engineering culture-building and continuous improvement across development practices, architecture, and technical standards.

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field.
• 10–15 years of professional software engineering experience.
• Proven track record as a senior technical leader for large-scale, multi-program software systems.
• Significant experience defining architecture and long-term technical evolution for mission-critical applications.
• Experience integrating application software with avionics, autonomy, GNC, ground control, or related aerospace systems.
• Demonstrated ability to mentor senior-level engineers and lead complex initiatives across multiple technical disciplines.
• Expert-level proficiency in C++, C#, Python, or other core programming languages used in aerospace application development.
• Deep experience with UI and visualization frameworks such as Qt, WPF, WinUI, or similar technologies.
• Strong expertise in real-time data handling, multithreaded processing, networked systems, and distributed communication frameworks such as DDS, ZeroMQ, MAVLink, ROS2, or STANAG-4586.
• Extensive experience designing modular architectures, interface standards, APIs, and enterprise-level software frameworks.
• Strong understanding of system-level constraints involving avionics, autonomy, mission planning, and operator workflows.
• High proficiency with DevOps practices, CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, configuration management, and version control.
• Exceptional systems thinking and architectural leadership, with the ability to anticipate technical challenges and develop long-term solutions.
• Strong ability to influence technical leaders, executives, and broader program direction.
• Excellent cross-functional communication skills and the ability to operate effectively in complex, multi-team environments.
• Strong capabilities in mentoring, knowledge transfer, and engineering culture development.
• Demonstrated awareness of operational requirements and empathy for operator needs and mission use cases.
• A Master's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Robotics, Human-Computer Interaction, or a related field is preferred.
• Experience guiding multi-year, multi-platform software evolution is preferred.
• Experience supporting flight operations, ground system integration, SIL/HIL workflows, or mission operations is a plus.
• Experience in aerospace, defense, or other safety-critical environments with regulatory or certification constraints is preferred.
• Experience with mapping engines, advanced geospatial visualization, 3D rendering, or sensor-fusion interfaces is a plus.
• Experience designing extensible plugin architectures for long-term system growth is advantageous.
• Experience with large-scale performance optimization, telemetry analysis frameworks, or reliability engineering is preferred.
• Ability to influence engineering alignment across multiple sites and contribute to enterprise-level technical direction.

Benefits:

• $130,000–$200,000 annual salary.
• Remote work within the United States, with preference for candidates in the Eastern Time Zone.
• Matching 401(k) plan.
• Paid time off and paid holidays.
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• Group short-term and long-term disability coverage.
• HSA and FSA options.
• Critical care and accident care plans.
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP).
• Opportunity to influence the architecture and long-term evolution of mission-critical UAS software.
• Senior-level technical leadership and mentorship opportunities across complex aerospace programs.

Additional Requirements:

• The position may involve access to information subject to International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and/or Export Administration Regulations (EAR).
• Applicants may be required to provide documentation verifying U.S. person status where required for compliance with applicable export-control regulations.
• The role may involve occasional travel by air or automobile and may require working in environments that combine standard office and production settings.
• Occasional use of personal protective equipment, such as safety glasses, safety shoes, and shop coats, may be required in production environments.

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How Jobgether works:

We use an AI-powered matching process to ensure your application is reviewed quickly, objectively, and fairly against the role's core requirements. Our system identifies the top-fitting candidates, and this shortlist is then shared directly with the hiring company. The final decision and next steps (interviews, assessments) are managed by their internal team.

We appreciate your interest and wish you the best!

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