Staff Software Engineer, Real-Time Systems

Swarm Aero
United States
Remote

Who this role is best for

Strong fit for experienced backend engineers who design distributed systems and operate in aerospace or defense domains, with a preference for candidates who have built real-time infrastructure and can work remotely in a high-stakes, mission-critical environment.

Best fit for

  • Experienced backend engineers with a background in real-time distributed systems and aerospace/defense domains
    — “building the systems that keep the largest drone swarm on the planet coordinated in real time”
  • Candidates who have operated systems under degraded or intermittent connectivity conditions
    — “operating systems under degraded or intermittent connectivity”
  • Individuals who have shaped mission-critical backend architectures from scratch with no existing playbook
    — “ingest, process, and distribute dense vehicle telemetry, sensor data, scheduling, crew resources, and data link management, much of it with no existing playbook to follow”

Things to consider

  • Security clearance eligibility is a mandatory requirement for this role
    — “Must be eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. Secret security clearance”
  • U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent residency is required due to ITAR regulations
    — “applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations”

How to stand out

  • Highlight experience with high-throughput, event-driven systems in your resume and interview stories
    — “real-time distributed systems, high-throughput telemetry pipelines”
  • Emphasize your ability to own features end to end, from design to deployment
    — “Own backend features end to end, from design through deployment”
  • Showcase your track record with systems that prioritize reliability and scalability
    — “Strong instincts for reliability, performance, and scalability”
  • Demonstrate your ability to work on novel problems with no existing playbook
    — “much of it with no existing playbook to follow”
Pace · Fast PacedCollaboration · HighAutonomy · MediumDecision Impact · Team

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

What success looks like

  • successful deployment of real-time systems
  • high system reliability and performance
Typical background
backend software engineeringdistributed systems

Skills & requirements

Required

Distributed SystemsReal-time SystemsAgile MethodologiesCybersecurity

Preferred

Geospatial DataEvent-driven Systems

Stack & domain

Real-time SystemsDistributed SystemsTelemetry PipelinesApisDatabase ManagementCI/CDQADevSecOpsGeospatial DataMessaging And Streaming ProtocolsProblem-solvingTeamworkCommunicationLeadershipCollaborationInnovationSoftware EngineeringAutonomous Systems

About the role

Original posting from Swarm Aero via Ashby

Swarm Aero is redefining air power, building the largest swarming UAV and the most versatile swarming aircraft network in the world. The company is moving quickly to launch the first aircraft designed specifically for swarming, as well as the Command & Control software to mobilize swarms of thousands of heterogeneous autonomous assets and empower human operators to achieve superhuman results.

The team has created and exited multiple startups, negotiated defense deals worth billions of dollars, and designed and built 30+ novel aircraft, with aerospace experience from Scaled Composites, Airbus, Archer Aviation, Blue Origin, and Boom Supersonic.

Most backend roles ask you to wire up an API and move records in and out of a database. This one asks you to build the systems that keep the largest drone swarm on the planet coordinated in real time.

You'll help architect the backend for Legion's Command & Control platform: the systems that let a single operator plan, direct, and execute missions across a networked swarm of heterogeneous aircraft, in real time, over intermittent comms, at a scale nobody else in the industry is attempting. This isn't CRUD. It's real-time distributed systems, high-throughput telemetry pipelines, and infrastructure for a problem space that barely has prior art.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

  • Help architect the backend for a C2 system directing swarms of heterogeneous aircraft
  • Build distributed, collaborative real-time infrastructure for controlling large numbers of aircraft simultaneously, even when comms drop
  • Design and build the services that ingest, process, and distribute dense vehicle telemetry, sensor data, scheduling, crew resources, and data link management, much of it with no existing playbook to follow
  • Own backend features end to end, from design through deployment
  • Ship early, ship often, backed by strong CI/CD, QA, and DevSecOps

WHAT YOU'VE DONE

  • Degree in Computer Science or equivalent experience
  • 6+ years building complex backend systems with real distributed systems depth
  • Strong instincts for reliability, performance, and scalability, and the tools to back them up
  • Built and operated production backend services and APIs at scale

WHAT SETS YOU APART

  • Experience with real-time and event-driven distributed systems
  • A track record with performance-sensitive, high-throughput application development
  • Familiarity with messaging and streaming protocols
  • Experience operating systems under degraded or intermittent connectivity
  • Experience with geospatial data or applications
  • Must be eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. Secret security clearance. Active Secret clearance preferred but not required.

WHY THIS ROLE

You'll be one of the earliest engineers shaping how humans command autonomous systems at scale, work that's currently being defined in real time, by a small team, with your fingerprints on the architecture. If you want to build the future of human-swarm interaction rather than maintain someone else's, this is that seat.

ITAR requirement

To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

Swarm Aero is an equal opportunity employer. We value diverse backgrounds and experiences and make employment decisions without regard to race, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, or disability.

What We Offer

  • Meaningful equity in a high-growth defense technology company
  • Competitive base salary commensurate with experience
  • Medical, dental, vision, and 401k
  • PTO and paid sick leave
  • Monthly wellness stipend
  • Daily catered lunch (office)
  • Paid parental leave
  • Direct impact on a critical national security mission
  • A world-class team of engineers and operators solving genuinely hard problems

Source: Swarm Aero careers (Ashby)

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