Software Engineer

Who is Recruiting from Scratch: Recruiting from Scratch is a specialized talent firm dedicated to helping companies build exceptional teams. We partner closely with our clients to deeply understand their needs, then connect them with top-tier candidates who are not only highly skilled but also the right fit for the company's culture and vision. Our mission is simple: place the best people in the right roles to drive long-term success for both clients and candidates.Engineer (Autonomous Systems)Location: Phoenix, AZ Company Stage of Funding: Early-Stage / Defense Technology Startup Office Type: Onsite, Full-Time Salary: Competitive (based on experience) Security Clearance: Must be eligible to obtain U.S. Secret clearance 1. Company Description We're representing a defense technology company building autonomous swarm robotics systems designed for complex, real-world environments. Their fleet of small unmanned ground vehicles ("FireAnts") operates both independently and collaboratively to execute mission-critical tasks. The company is focused on delivering scalable, high-performance autonomous systems with real-world deployment constraints. As the platform evolves, robust software systems across embedded, autonomy, and infrastructure layers are critical to success. 2. What You Will Do As a Software Engineer (Autonomous Systems), you will design and build production-grade software that powers autonomous robotic systems operating in demanding environments. You will: Design, implement, and optimize high-performance software systems for autonomous UGV swarms. Develop reliable, scalable systems across the robotics stack, from low-level systems to higher-level coordination. Write efficient and maintainable code in C++, with supporting scripting in Python and Bash. Work closely with cross-functional teams across autonomy, embedded systems, and infrastructure. Debug complex issues in multithreaded and resource-constrained environments. Implement system-level metrics and monitoring to drive performance improvements. Contribute to rapid iteration cycles while maintaining production-level quality and reliability. This role requires balancing speed, performance, and reliability in real-world robotic deployments. 3. Ideal Background The ideal candidate is a strong systems-oriented engineer with experience building software for complex, real-world environments. Bachelor's degree in Robotics, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related field. Strong proficiency in C++. Experience with Python and Bash scripting. Knowledge of Linux internals and system-level configuration. Experience debugging complex, multithreaded systems. Strong problem-solving and communication skills. Ability to work onsite in Phoenix, AZ. Eligibility to obtain and maintain a U.S. Secret security clearance. Comfort working in a fast-paced startup environment. 4. Preferred Master's degree in Computer Science or related field, or equivalent industry experience. Experience with containerization (Docker) in edge or resource-constrained environments. Experience working across robotics-related systems such as networking, MLOps pipelines, or embedded systems. Experience developing and deploying multi-agent autonomous systems in real-world environments. Strong software engineering practices (code reviews, testing, CI/CD, version control). Experience with low-level debugging and performance optimization. Experience building data-intensive systems or performing large-scale data processing. Experience with cross-architecture development (x86 and ARM). 5. Compensation and Benefits Compensation: Competitive salary based on experience. Work Model: Full-time, onsite in Phoenix, AZ. Security: Must be eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. Secret clearance. Impact: Build core software powering autonomous swarm robotics systems used in defense environments. Growth: Opportunity to work across the full robotics stack and shape system architecture from the ground up. Mission Alignment: This role is ideal for engineers motivated by building advanced autonomous systems that support the defense of the United States and its allies. Salary Range: $110,000-$140,000 base.

Created: 2026-04-08