Principal Software Engineer

Worker Type
:
Regular

Principal Software Engineer  will develop software to control advanced robotic platforms from AV and industry leaders such as Boston Dynamics, Red Cat, FLIR, Skydio, Qineti

Q, Parrot, and more. You’ll play a key role in developing Kinesis, our flagship software ecosystem that enables users to collaboratively control a diverse set of robots.

This role is ideal for engineers who take ownership, enjoy working hands‑on with hardware, and bring structure and clarity to complex systems. You’ll be trusted to move quickly, make sound decisions, and continuously improve our product and execution.

• Software development in support of AV’s vision‑based navigation, autonomy, cooperative behaviors, and mission systems technology roadmap.

• Drive technical direction and architectural decisions across the Kinesis ecosystem.

• Design, implement, and integrate systems in C++ and Kotlin.

• Develop cross‑platform applications for Android, Linux, and Windows to control robotic platforms.

• Design SDK interfaces for internal and external integration with AV systems.

• Serve as a technical lead for customer programs.

• Perform hands‑on field testing with robots to validate new features.

• Deliver work on time according to agreed completion dates and project schedule & budget.

• Support and derive algorithm design from detailed software requirements.

• Work closely with multiple teams of software developers reusing developed software to support different programs.

• Operate in a continuous learning environment and provide guidance and mentoring to less experienced engineers.

• Work on significant and unique issues where analysis of situations or data requires an evaluation of intangibles.

• Act independently to determine methods and procedures on new or special assignments.

• Occasional travel for customer or testing events.

• Other duties as assigned.

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Math, or Physics is required or equivalent combination of education, training, and experience with 12+ years of relevant experience.

• Strong fluency in modern C++, maintainable software architecture, and modular system design.

• Experience evaluating product design tradeoffs and translating them into clear system requirements.

• Hands‑on knowledge of CMake or similar build systems.

• Experience developing software for mechatronic or hardware‑integrated systems.

• Knowledge of computer networking topologies, protocols, and principles.

• Familiarity with safety critical software concepts such as determinism and real‑time systems.

• Self‑directed engineer who takes ownership and brings structure to complex systems.

• Ability to engage directly with technical and non‑technical customers.

• Ability to leverage AI tooling to improve engineering productivity and code quality.

• Experience tasking and mentoring small engineering teams.

• Ability to obtain a US DoD Secret clearance if required.

• Willingness to travel locally (Occasionally).

• Advanced degree is preferred.

• Experience with UAS, drones, robotics, autonomous vehicles, or other embedded systems.

• Experience with CI/CD pipelines (Gitlab or similar).

• Android/Linux application development experience.

• Experience with Docker.

• Experience with FastDDS, gRPC, MQTT, or similar networking protocols.

• Experience designing and delivering APIs and SDKs to third‑party developers.

• Demonstrates leadership skills and sound judgment in selecting methods and techniques for obtaining solutions.

• Demonstrates effective listening, questioning, clarifying and summarizing skills to effectively communicate in one‑on‑one and small group settings.

• Demonstrates understanding of system design that one is working on and understands the role that assigned tasks play in the system.

• Able to excel in a fast‑paced, deadline‑driven environment, where small teams share a broad variety of duties.

• Displays strong initiative and drive to accomplish goals and meet company objectives.

• Takes ownership and responsibility for current and past work products.

• Is committed to learning from mistakes and driven to improve and enhance performance of…