Defense Product Software Engineer (C++)

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. Learn more at applied.co.

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.

About the role

We are looking for bright engineers interested in designing elegant solutions to difficult problems for our defense customers. In this role, you will predominantly support our defense business units, focusing on the Axion and Acuity product lines.

Our software engineers work across our suite of products, tackling difficult full-stack, infrastructure, robotics, and computer vision problems. At Applied Intuition, we encourage engineers to take ownership over technical and product decisions, interact closely with defense stakeholders to collect feedback, and contribute to a mission-driven team culture.

At Applied Intuition, you will:

• Develop and scale Axion and/or Acuity products to support mission-critical defense autonomy workflows.

• Work across our entire stack to build new features for off-road navigation, sensor fusion, and mission planning.

• Have an unparalleled opportunity to work with domain experts across a variety of fields: robotics engineers, computer vision specialists, and defense industry veterans.

• Collaborate directly with the warfighter and allies to understand operational requirements and deploy software to the edge.

• Carve out your own area of expertise and influence the product roadmap for our defense business unit.

We're looking for someone who has:

• 2+ years of experience shipping complex, high-reliability software.

• Demonstrated ability to be a self-starter and can quickly become comfortable with new technical tools.

• Designed efficient and effective solutions to a wide range of engineering challenges (e.g., real-time systems, data pipelines, or complex UI/UX).

• Proven ability to take initiative in a fast-paced environment.

Travel Requirements

• Occasional travel required (approx. 10–20%) for demonstrations, integration, or customer engagement

Security Clearance

• Must be a U.S. Citizen

• Must be eligible for a U.S. SECRET clearance with Special Access Program (SAP) eligibility

Nice to have:

• Working knowledge of frontend, API layer, containerization, or cluster orchestration frameworks (such as React, GraphQL, Docker, or Kubernetes).

• Experience with robotics middlewares (such as ROS/ROS2) or military-specific standards (e.g., JAUS, UCS).

• Experience modeling physical problems, sensor simulation, or working with geospatial data.

• Prior experience working on Department of Defense projects or in a regulated environment.

Compensation at Applied Intuition for eligible roles includes base salary, equity, and benefits. Base salary is a single component of the total compensation package, which may also include equity in the form of options and/or restricted stock units, comprehensive health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance coverage, 401k retirement benefits with employer match, learning and wellness stipends, and paid time off. Note that benefits are subject to change and may vary based on jurisdiction of employment.

Applied Intuition pay ranges reflect the minimum and maximum intended target base salary for new hire salaries for the position. The actual base salary offered to a successful candidate will additionally be influenced by a variety of factors including experience, credentials & certifications, educational attainment, skill level requirements, interview performance, and the level and scope of the position.

Please reference the job posting subtitle for where this position will be located. For pay transparency purposes, the base salary range for this full-time position in the location listed is: $125,000 to $190,000 USD annually.

Don’t meet every single requirement? If you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Applied Intuition is an equal opportunity employer and federal contractor or subcontractor. Consequently, the parties agree that, as applicable, they will abide by the requirements of 41 CFR 60-1.4(a), 41 CFR 60-300.5(a) and 41 CFR 60-741.5(a) and that these laws are incorporated herein by reference. These regulations prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities, and prohibit discrimination against all individuals based on their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin. These regulations require that covered prime contractors and subcontractors take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status or disability. The parties also agree that, as applicable, they will abide by the requirements of Executive Order 13496 (29 CFR Part 471, Appendix A to Subpart A), relating to the notice of employee rights under federal labor laws.