Senior Autonomy Engineer - Defense

Applied Intuition Applied Intuition · Robotics · Ann Arbor, MI · Government

Senior Software Engineer to architect the Acuity Scene System, focusing on game engine technology and large-scale simulation for multi-agent environments in defense. Requires expertise in C++, Entity Component Systems, and 3D/4D spatial systems.

What you'd actually do

  1. Design and implement core high-performance architectures, including Entity Component System frameworks, spatial indexing, and 4D object management for large-scale multi-agent simulations.
  2. Drive architectural decisions and design seamless APIs that enable cross-domain integration for air, ground, and maritime autonomy stacks.
  3. Act as a strong, social collaborator who proactively engages with other teams about technology. You must be willing to take on essential integration work for the Scene libraries while providing technical leadership and mentorship across the organization.
  4. Optimize systems for massive scalability using modern agentic coding tools and AI-assisted workflows to maintain high code quality at speed.

Skills

Required

  • 5 - 7+ years of professional software engineering experience with demonstrated expertise in complex systems
  • Expert-level C++ programming skills with deep knowledge of modern C++ (C++20 or later), including template metaprogramming, move semantics, and performance optimization
  • Proven experience with Entity Component System architectures or similar data-oriented design patterns
  • Strong background in 3D/4D spatial systems, including coordinate transformations, spatial data structures, and geometric algorithms
  • Deep understanding of software architecture and design patterns, particularly for high-performance, real-time systems
  • Strong proficiency in Python and shell scripting for tooling and automation
  • Experience with agentic coding tools (Cursor, Claude Code, GitHub Copilot) and AI-assisted development workflows

Nice to have

  • Expertise with the Linux/Docker/C++ toolchains (including build systems like Nix and Bazel) and cross-compilation.
  • Experience with temporal reasoning systems and 4D scene representation (space + time)
  • Background in game development, simulation, or virtual environments
  • Knowledge of physics engines and collision detection systems
  • Understanding of autonomous systems or robotics software architectures

What the JD emphasized

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