Software Engineer, Mission Autonomy (C++/Python)

Location: Huntington Beach, California, United States; on-site

Salary: $130,000–$160,000 per year, plus equity

Company

hirify.global is a defense technology startup developing next-generation autonomous defense platforms and decentralized defense systems.

What you will do

• Design, implement, test, and deploy mission-autonomy software in modern C++.
• Develop mission planning, task sequencing, behavior orchestration, state management, decision-making, and contingency-management capabilities.
• Integrate mission software with flight controls, navigation, perception, payloads, communications, ground-control systems, and operator interfaces.
• Build simulation scenarios, software-in-the-loop and hardware-in-the-loop tests, mission replays, and automated regression tests.
• Analyze telemetry, logs, flight data, and test results to improve autonomous behavior and fault recovery.
• Collaborate with flight software, GNC, perception, systems engineering, ground-control, flight-test, and hardware teams during ground and flight testing.

Requirements

• Strong software-engineering skills in modern C++ and Python, with production development experience on Linux.
• Experience developing production software for autonomous systems, robotics, aerospace platforms, or defense systems.
• Hands-on experience with mission-autonomy capabilities such as task planning, behavior trees, state machines, hierarchical planning, or contingency management.
• At least three years of professional experience developing software for autonomous vehicles, UAVs, robotics, aerospace, or defense systems.
• Experience taking software from prototype through integration, testing, and deployment on real hardware.
• Must be authorized to work in the United States; the role may involve U.S. export-controlled technology under EAR and ITAR regulations.

Nice to have

• Experience with autonomous aerial vehicles, multi-agent systems, collaborative autonomy, distributed task allocation, or swarm coordination.
• Experience with degraded communications, fault detection, graceful degradation, abort logic, recovery behaviors, or safety-critical state management.
• Experience with embedded Linux, edge computers, simulation, Monte Carlo testing, automated mission evaluation, ground-control software, or flight testing.
• Experience with Rust for systems programming, embedded software, or safety- and performance-critical applications.

Culture & Benefits

• Competitive salary with performance-based incentives and equity participation.
• Health, dental, and vision insurance, retirement savings, and paid time off.
• Funding for continuing education, training, and professional development.
• Work in a rapidly growing defense technology startup focused on national security and autonomous platforms.