Applied Intuition
Drone Stack - Software Engineer
About this role
Applied Intuition seeks a Robotic Software Engineer to design and integrate autonomy systems for defense and commercial UAVs, working across hardware-software integration, embedded platforms, and live flight testing. This role involves deploying autonomy algorithms, collaborating with cross-functional teams, and supporting customer demonstrations in a fast-paced, physically-grounded environment.
What you'll do
- Integrate and deploy autonomy software onto embedded Linux platforms, sensors, and autopilot systems (Pixhawk/ArduPilot/PX4)
- Develop and troubleshoot complex hardware-software integration issues to ensure reliability and performance
- Support SIL, HIL, and live flight testing of autonomy systems on Group 1-5 unmanned aerial vehicles
- Implement service-oriented architecture and inter-process messaging systems for autonomous UAS platforms
- Collaborate with DoD experts and OEM vendors to integrate autonomy onto third-party UAS hardware
- Conduct system-level validation, setup, and testing across multiple integration environments
What they're looking for
- C++ programming (modern standards preferred)
- Pixhawk autopilot integration (ArduPilot/PX4)
- Communication protocols (UART, SPI, I2C, Ethernet, RS232/422/485)
- Linux-based operating systems and Docker containerization
- Git, Visual Studio Code, GitLab version control
- SIL/HIL simulation and real-time edge computing systems
- Robotics hardware integration and sensor interfacing
- Safety-critical systems and embedded systems design
Benefits
- Work on cutting-edge autonomous systems for defense and commercial industries
- Collaborate with DoD warfighters and top-20 global automakers
- Flexible in-office arrangement (primarily 5 days/week with occasional remote options)
- Opportunities for live UAV flight testing and field demonstrations
- Career growth within a $15B Silicon Valley company with global offices
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Applied Intuition
Applied Intuition builds autonomous vehicle and defense systems software, including motion planning algorithms, simulation infrastructure, and autonomy integration platforms for aerial and ground platforms. The company is hiring for security engineers, robotics/autonomy software engineers, hardware-in-the-loop specialists, and IT operations professionals to support its growing physical AI operations.
- Website
- appliedintuition.com
Likely interview questions
- Describe your experience integrating autonomy software with Pixhawk autopilots—what challenges did you encounter and how did you resolve them?
- Walk us through a complex hardware-software integration project you led, including your approach to troubleshooting and validation across SIL/HIL environments.