Lead Software Engineer; Defense Tech

About Applied Intuition

Applied Intuition, Inc. is powering the future of physical AI. Founded in 2017 and now valued at $15 billion, the Silicon Valley company is creating the digital infrastructure needed to bring intelligence to every moving machine on the planet. Applied Intuition services the automotive, defense, trucking, construction, mining and agriculture industries in three core areas: tools and infrastructure, operating systems, and autonomy.

Eighteen of the top 20 global automakers, as well as the United States military and its allies, trust the company’s solutions to deliver physical intelligence. Applied Intuition is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, with offices in Washington, D.C.;
San Diego;
Ft. Walton Beach, Florida;
Ann Arbor, Michigan;
London;
Stuttgart;
Munich;
Stockholm;
Bangalore;
Seoul; and Tokyo.

We are an in-office company, and our expectation is that employees primarily work from their Applied Intuition office 5 days a week. However, we also recognize the importance of flexibility and trust our employees to manage their schedules responsibly. This may include occasional remote work, starting the day with morning meetings from home before heading to the office, or leaving earlier when needed to accommodate family commitments.

Applied Intuition is redefining vehicle intelligence across commercial and defense sectors. As a Lead Software Engineer, your responsibilities will look similar to those of a startup CTO: you'll work in small teams and own end-to-end execution of high stakes projects. You'll be the technical bridge between Applied Intuition's novel vehicle intelligence platforms and our customers' real‑world operational environments.

This role demands both technical depth and operational excellence. You'll primarily work with defense and government customers, integrating our tools, Vehicle OS, and autonomy stacks with DOD platforms in challenging operational environments. The unique advantage: you'll leverage our robust commercial technology and rapidly evolving product suite to deliver capabilities that would take traditional defense contractors years to develop. You'll tackle problems spanning core software engineering, system deployment, hardware integration, and everything in between to ensure mission success.

This role is perfect for someone who thrives in dynamic environments, enjoys ownership, is passionate about defense technology and is eager to make a significant impact on national security.

• Work directly with defense and government customers to deploy, integrate, and operationalize Applied Intuition's vehicle intelligence products in military and government environments—from defense contractors to forward operating bases
• Tackle a broad range of technical challenges, including software engineering, operating system configuration, system deployment, and hardware integration
• Bridge customer‑built systems and Applied’s solutions to deliver tangible value
• Design and implement scalable, consistent approaches for customer engagement and project execution
• Develop architectural solutions that improve consistency and scalability across projects
• Collaborate with internal engineering, product, and customer teams to ensure successful outcomes
• Take ownership of technical outcomes and drive projects to completion, adapting to changing requirements and priorities

• 5+ years professional software engineering experience
• Strong engineering background, preferred in fields such as Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering
• Strong coder with demonstrated proficiency in programming languages such as C++, Python
• Broad technical experience across software engineering, operating systems, and some hardware
• Experience supporting integration and deployment of complex systems
• Exceptional problem‑solving skills and a proven ability to thrive and innovate independently within highly ambiguous and rapidly evolving operational environments
• Excellent communication skills and focus on solving customer problems

• Must be a U.S. Citizen
• Must hold or be eligible for a U.S. Secret…