Software Engineer, Real-Time Systems

About the Role

Swarm Aero is redefining air power by building the largest swarming UAV and the most versatile swarming aircraft network globally. The company is rapidly developing a Command & Control system for mobilizing swarms of thousands of heterogeneous autonomous assets.

Key Responsibilities

• Build and ship features in the C2 system that directs swarms of heterogeneous aircraft.
• Work on systems that maintain state and responsiveness during communication degradation or loss.
• Contribute across the stack, focusing on challenging problems.
• Prototype new methods for representing and controlling vehicle telemetry, sensor data, and scheduling.
• Manage features end-to-end, from problem statement through design, implementation, and deployment.
• Ship features frequently, supported by robust CI/CD, QA, and DevSecOps.

Requirements & Tech Stack

• Degree in Computer Science, a related technical field, or equivalent demonstrated depth.
• Strong fundamentals in data structures, algorithms, concurrency, networking, and systems.
• Demonstrated experience building complex personal projects (e.g., a renderer, emulator, game, compiler, multiplayer server, robotics project, significant open-source contribution).
• Comfort working across multiple layers of the stack.
• Willingness to tackle problems with unknown solutions and to iterate publicly.
• Eligibility to obtain and maintain a U.S. Secret security clearance. Active Secret clearance is preferred but not required.

What Sets You Apart

• Competitive programming background (ICPC, IOI, Codeforces, USACO, Putnam).
• Experience in game development, game jams, engine work, or simulation.
• Experience with performance-sensitive work: profiling, frame budgets, memory pressure, running on constrained hardware.
• Real-time or distributed systems experience: multiplayer netcode, streaming, pub/sub, robotics middleware.
• Graphics experience: WebGL, OpenGL, Vulkan, shaders.
• Working fluency in Go, C++, or Rust.
• Familiarity with video streaming protocols or geospatial applications.

Why This Role

• Be among the first engineers shaping the future of commanding autonomous systems at scale.
• Work on definition-defining, real-time problems with significant architectural impact.
• Build the future of human-swarm interaction.

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 complex problems.