Lead Software Engineer (AI)

Location: Hybrid in San Carlos, California, with 3+ days per week onsite; all work must be performed in the United States.

Salary: $185,000–$260,000 base salary per year, plus equity and bonus opportunities.

Company

hirify.global builds an AI platform and mission-critical aviation systems that make flying safer, more efficient, and more capable.

What you will do

• Design, build, and deploy robotic and embedded software for advanced pilot assistance systems.
• Own autonomy features and subsystems from concept through production deployment, emphasizing reliability and performance.
• Write, review, and maintain Python and C++ code across autonomy, systems, and embedded components.
• Integrate software with hardware, sensors, perception systems, and data ingestion pipelines.
• Optimize edge compute workloads, including CPU/GPU usage, latency, safety mechanisms, and fail-safes.
• Lead testing and validation, contribute to technical direction, and mentor engineers through design and code reviews.

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience designing and deploying robotic software or embedded systems in production.
• Strong C++ and/or Python skills with systems-level or embedded programming experience.
• Experience building real-time or interactive systems that support time-sensitive user decisions.
• Familiarity with autonomy systems, including planning, decision-making, perception, or sensor pipelines.
• Hands-on experience with embedded or edge compute platforms and hardware/software debugging.
• Must be a U.S. Person and be able to perform all work in the United States.

Nice to have

• Experience with safety-critical or mission-critical systems in aviation or robotics.
• Familiarity with ROS or DDS.
• Experience with human-in-the-loop operations, simulation environments, or real-time control systems.
• Background in advanced mobility, autonomy, or robotics.

Culture & Benefits

• Healthcare coverage includes 100% of employee medical premiums and 25% of dependent premiums.
• Three weeks of paid time off and 13+ paid company holidays.
• 401(k) plan offered, with no current employer match.
• Small, focused teams work without heavy processes, owning projects and shipping quickly.

Hiring process

• Hiring level may range from L5 to L6 based on experience, background, and interview assessment.