Junior Android Developer, ATAK

NGS builds modern geospatial and C5

ISR software for the U.S. Department of Defense and other federal customers. We've been at this since 2009, supporting programs across the U.S. military and the intelligence community. We're headquartered in the Charleston, SC area and we hold a GSA Multiple Award Schedule contract.

We leverage open-source technology and deep mission expertise to deliver secure, scalable systems that solve real problems for warfighters and government agencies. Our flagship platform, Core Spatial, is built on Geo Server, PostGIS, GDAL, MapStore2, and CesiumJS. We're serious about open source and stay engaged with the projects we build on.

We are a small, focused team with a strong track record of delivering complex solutions under real constraints. Our customers rely on us to cut through the noise, move fast, and deliver results that work. More on who we are, the team, and what we do for government customers.

We're hiring a Junior Android Developer to work on ATAK plugins for a medical common operating picture. The users are military medical teams, and the job is getting them the right picture of patients, resources, and the operating environment on the device they already carry.

The work is Java and Kotlin on Android, inside the ATAK plugin framework. You'll write plugin code, handle Cursor on Target messaging, work with map overlays and geospatial data, and learn what it takes to make software hold up when the network doesn't. Disconnected and degraded comms are the normal case here, not the edge case.

You do not need ATAK experience to apply.

You'll be part of a distributed team working alongside a large prime contractor, in their tracker and on their release schedule.

• Develop and maintain ATAK plugins in Java and Kotlin, with guidance from senior developers
• Build operator-facing Android UI that works for users under stress, with gloves on, in bad light
• Write, test, and debug code supporting CoT messaging and TAK Server integration
• Work with map layers, overlays, and geospatial data inside ATAK
• Take part in sprint planning, code reviews, and joint debugging with the partner engineering team
• Follow secure coding practices and support DoD security and configuration requirements

• One to three years of professional Android development experience in Java and/or Kotlin
• Git and modern CI/CD workflows
• RESTful web service integration
• Some experience with Python, Go, or another modern OOP language
• Comfortable working in a Linux environment on an agile team
• Willingness to learn ATAK and the broader TAK ecosystem quickly
• U.S. citizenship, and the ability to obtain and maintain a Secret clearance

• Any exposure to ATAK plugin development or the broader TAK ecosystem (TAK Server, CoT messaging, WinTAK, iTAK)
• Familiarity with geospatial data and GIS concepts (coordinate systems, map services, MIL-STD-2525 symbology)
• Experience building for disconnected, intermittent, and limited (DIL) environments
• Familiarity with SQL and No
  
  SQL
• Static analysis, unit testing, and continuous integration practice
• AWS or RHEL-based development environments
• An active Secret or Top Secret clearance
• Prior DoD experience, or military service, especially as a medic, corpsman, or in a C4I role

• A real seat, not a training program. Within your first weeks you are writing code that gets fielded and used by people taking care of wounded service members. See our case studies and capabilities.
• Someone to learn from. You work directly with our senior ATAK developer and the rest of our engineering staff. We are a small business, so you are in the room from day one instead of waiting your turn.
• A specialty that is hard to come by. ATAK and tactical mobile development is a narrow field with far more demand than supply. A couple of years of it puts you somewhere very few Android developers can go.
• Flexibility. We support remote work and flexible schedules. We care about results and reliability more than hours.

• Flexible health insurance. Choose from a range of options that fit your situation.
• Life and short-term disability coverage.
• 401(k) retirement plan with competitive options.
• Four weeks of paid time off, moving to five weeks with tenure.

More about working here on our careers page.