Technical Lead Software Engineer - Autonomy Mission Systems

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 full-time 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. This in-office expectation does not apply to contractor positions

About the role

Applied is seeking a Technical Team Lead with strong foundations in algorithmic optimization, multi-agent systems and all-around leadership skills. You'll lead the team tackling the most complex computational challenges in our real-time decision-making platform, helping set set the technical direction for advanced algorithms that push the boundaries of autonomous coordination and planning.

We're seeking a mission-driven senior technical leader for our Autonomous Behaviors and Agents engineering team, focused on next-generation human-machine teaming and real-time decision-making systems. You'll guide a team of engineers building intelligent agents that plan and execute missions using advanced reasoning, planning, and optimization algorithms, while remaining hands-on where it matters most. Our work spans real-time scenarios, heterogeneous platforms (air, space, land, surface, sub-surface), and software that integrates seamlessly with human operators. If you thrive on owning outcomes in fast-moving, mission-oriented environments and love building autonomy that helps our warfighters, this is your role.

Your leadership will shape our Axion and Acuity family of systems, enabling breakthrough capabilities in human-machine teaming across all domains. If you're passionate about translating cutting-edge algorithms into shipped, mission-critical capability and growing the engineers who build it, then this opportunity might be for you!

At Applied Intuition, you will:

• Drive the technical vision, architecture, and roadmap for the Autonomous Behaviors and Agents team, and direct execution from concept through delivery

• Lead, mentor, and grow a team of engineers, driving design reviews, setting engineering standards, and raising the bar on code quality and algorithmic rigor

• Guide the design and implementation of multi-agent optimization algorithms for distributed decision-making and coordination problems

• Direct development of temporal logic frameworks and constraint-satisfaction algorithms for complex planning scenarios

• Partner with product, program, and customer-facing stakeholders to translate mission needs into technical priorities, scope, and delivery commitments

• Coordinate cross-team integration and de-risk dependencies across the Axion and Acuity system families

We're looking for someone who has:

• MS or PhD in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Robotics, or a related technical field, OR 8+ years of professional experience developing intelligent agents or planning systems

• 8+ years of hands-on experience developing performant modern C++ (we use C++20), with 2+ years leading engineering teams or serving as a technical lead on complex software programs

• A track record of setting technical direction, driving architectural decisions, and delivering complex systems through a team, not just as an individual contributor

• Strong theoretical understanding and practical experience implementing algorithms for constraint satisfaction, scheduling, and optimization problems

• Deep procedural and object-oriented programming experience that employs clean code principles and good OOP design patterns, with the judgment to enforce them pragmatically across a codebase

• Experience developing in Docker and containerized development environments, and using Linux-based operating systems (e.g., RHEL, Ubuntu)

• Understanding of service-oriented architecture and message broker vs. data broker paradigms, and experience making system-level architectural tradeoffs

• Ability to translate complex mathematical concepts into clear technical documentation, and to communicate designs, tradeoffs, and status crisply to both engineers and non-technical stakeholders

• Experience mentoring engineers, running design and code reviews, and building healthy, high-performing team culture

Nice to have:

• Prior work on defense, aerospace, or other safety-critical autonomy programs

• Experience representing engineering in customer or program reviews

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:

• Experience with game theory for multi-agent coordination or negotiation protocols.

• Familiarity with real-time optimization under hardware/edge constraints.

• Background in Battle Management Command and Control (BMC2) or defense applications.

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.

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.

FOR US-BASED ROLES: Applied Intuition is committed to providing an accessible and inclusive application and interview experience to applicants who are disabled veterans and other applicants with disabilities or medical conditions. Reasonable accommodations are available, requesting an accommodation will not affect your candidacy in any way, and you are not required to disclose the nature of your disability or medical condition in order to make a request.
If you require an accommodation please contact people@applied.co. We will work with you!