Staff Engineer, Software, GCS - C++ (R5189)

Job description

Job responsibilities

• Develop & Field GCS/C2 Software — Design, develop, and optimize high-performance, responsive GCS software and C2 applications, focusing on map-centric mission planning, real-time command & control, video streaming, and…
• Technical Leadership — Own technical direction for major GCS features and systems; architect UI/UX layouts, design robust client/server interfaces, and lead technical decision-making within your project area.
• Collaboration Across Teams — Act as a primary technical interface with the Autonomy Capabilities team, Perception team, flight operations, and external partners (platform integrators, C2 providers, and vehicle…
• Mentorship & Growth — Mentor mid-level engineers on the team; partner with managers on onboarding, leveling, and growth planning. Formally onboard senior new hires.
• Design, UX, & Documentation — Drive design reviews, UI/UX prototyping, and ICD definition; champion rigorous coding standards, unit/integration testing, and developer/operator documentation to close process gaps that…
• Pre-deployment Preparation — Own the build, configuration, and validation process for mission-ready ground stations;
• On-site Test & Mission Support — Travel to test sites and support live mission operations (flight tests, range exercises, on-water trials, integration events), working closely with operators and pilots to gather…
• Hardware/Software Debugging — Diagnose and resolve integration issues across complex GCS/C2 stacks, radio links, payload controls, and telemetry streams — including UI responsiveness bottlenecks, memory leaks, and…

Job requirements

• BS/MS in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.
• Typically requires a minimum of 7 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree; or 6 years and a Master’s degree; or 4 years with a PhD; or equivalent work experience.
• Strong proficiency in C++, with experience developing complex, multi-threaded, or latency-sensitive desktop applications.
• Experience building responsive user interfaces using Qt/QML (or similar modern UI frameworks).
• Hands-on experience customizing, extending, or building with QGroundControl (QGC) or similar open-source/proprietary ground station software.
• Experience full-stack or building backend in C/C++, Python, TypeScript, or Go, including service orchestration, command/status interfaces, and data pipelines between UI, ground services, and vehicle-side components.
• Deep familiarity with networked and distributed systems, including UDP/TCP transport, custom binary protocols, reliable messaging, pub-sub/IPC middleware, and serialization/IDL tooling.
• Experience using AI-assisted development tools to accelerate software design, implementation, debugging, testing, and code review while maintaining strong engineering judgment, validation discipline, and ownership of…