Command & Control Software Engineer (Swarm Aero)

About Swarm Aero

Swarm Aero is redefining air power by building the largest swarming UAV and the most versatile swarming aircraft network in the world. The company is pioneering the first aircraft designed specifically for swarming, along with the Command & Control software to mobilize swarms of thousands of heterogeneous autonomous assets. The team has extensive aerospace experience from industry leaders like Scaled Composites, Airbus, Archer Aviation, Blue Origin, and Boom Supersonic.

The Legion's Command & Control platform enables a single operator to plan, direct, and execute missions across a networked swarm of heterogeneous aircraft in real time, even over intermittent communications. This involves handling distributed state under unreliable networks, managing dense telemetry, and creating interfaces for a problem space with minimal prior art.

What You’ll Do

• Build and deploy features in the C2 system that direct swarms of heterogeneous aircraft.

• Develop systems capable of maintaining state and responsiveness even when communications degrade or drop entirely.

• Work across multiple layers of the stack, following the problem rather than adhering strictly to a job description.

• Prototype new methods for representing and controlling vehicle telemetry, sensor data, and scheduling.

• Take features from initial problem statements through design, implementation, and deployment end-to-end.

• Ship features frequently, supported by robust CI/CD, QA, and DevSecOps practices.

What We’re Looking For

• A degree in Computer Science or a related technical field, or equivalent self-taught expertise.

• Strong proficiency in data structures, algorithms, concurrency, networking, and systems design.

• Evidence of building complex projects such as a renderer, emulator, game, compiler, multiplayer server, robotics project, or significant open-source contributions.

• Comfort working across multiple layers of the software stack without being confined to a single layer.

• Willingness to tackle problems where the solution is not immediately known and to iterate openly.

What Sets You Apart

• Background in competitive programming (e.g., ICPC, IOI, Codeforces, USACO, Putnam).

• Experience in game development, game jams, engine work, or simulations.

• Performance-sensitive work including profiling, frame budgets, memory pressure, and constrained hardware optimization.

• Experience with real-time or distributed systems, such as multiplayer netcode, streaming, pub/sub, or robotics middleware.

• Graphics expertise in WebGL, OpenGL, Vulkan, or shader development.

• Fluency in Go, C++, or Rust.

• Familiarity with video streaming protocols or geospatial applications.

Why This Role

You will be one of the first engineers to shape how humans command autonomous systems at scale. This role involves defining the architecture of human-swarm interaction in real time, with a small team and a direct impact on the future of this technology.

ITAR Requirement

Applicants must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

What We Offer

• Meaningful equity in a high-growth defense technology company.

• Competitive base salary commensurate with experience.

• Comprehensive benefits including medical, dental, vision, and 401k.

• Paid time off and sick leave.

• Monthly wellness stipend.

• Daily catered lunch.

• Paid parental leave.

• Direct impact on a critical national security mission.

• Opportunity to work with a world-class team solving challenging problems.