Lead Software Engineer - Physical AI (Defense)

About the role

Applied Intuition is redefining vehicle intelligence across commercial and defense sectors. As a Lead Engineer, your responsibilities will look similar to those of a startup CTO: you'll work in small teams and own end-to-end execution of high stakes projects. You'll be the technical bridge between Applied Intuition's novel vehicle intelligence platforms and our customers' real-world operational environments.

This role demands both technical depth and operational excellence. You'll primarily work with defense and government customers, integrating our tools, Vehicle OS, and autonomy stacks with DOD platforms in challenging operational environments. The unique advantage: you'll leverage our robust commercial technology and rapidly evolving product suite to deliver capabilities that would take traditional defense contractors years to develop. You'll tackle problems spanning core software engineering, system deployment, hardware integration, and everything in between to ensure mission success.

At Applied Intuition, you will:

• Work directly with defense and government customers to deploy, integrate, and operationalize Applied Intuition's vehicle intelligence products in military and government environments—from defense contractors to forward operating bases
• Tackle a broad range of technical challenges, including software engineering, operating system configuration, system deployment, and hardware integration
• Bridge customer-built systems and Applied’s solutions to deliver tangible value
• Design and implement scalable, consistent approaches for customer engagement and project execution
• Develop architectural solutions that improve consistency and scalability across projects
• Collaborate with internal engineering, product, and customer teams to ensure successful outcomes
• Take ownership of technical outcomes and drive projects to completion, adapting to changing requirements and priorities

We're looking for someone who has:

• 3 + years professional software engineering experience 
• Strong engineering background, preferred in fields such as Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering
• Strong coder with demonstrated proficiency in programming languages such as C++, Python
• Broad technical experience across software engineering, operating systems, and some hardware
• Experience supporting integration and deployment of complex systems
• Exceptional problem-solving skills and a proven ability to thrive and innovate independently within highly ambiguous and rapidly evolving operational environments
• Excellent communication skills and focus on solving customer problems 

Nice to have:

• Prior experience working with government customers, defense contractors, or in military environments
• Familiarity with system architecture and designing scalable solutions
• Experience in defense, automotive, robotics, or adjacent industries

Security Requirements:

• Must be a U.S. Citizen
• Must hold or be eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance

For more information about U.S. security clearances: click here.