Principal Software Engineer

Job Description Worker Type

Regular

As a Principal Software Engineer r at AV, you'll develop software to control advanced robotic platforms from AV and industry leaders including Boston Dynamics, Red Cat, FLIR, Skydio, QinetiQ, 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.
• Delivers work on time according to agreed completion dates and project schedule & budget.
• Supports and derives algorithm design from detailed software requirements.
• Works closely with multiple teams of software developers reusing developed software to support different programs.
• Operates in a continuous learning environment and provides guidance and mentoring to less experienced engineers.
• Works on significant and unique issues where analysis of situations or data requires an evaluation of intangibles.
• Acts 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…