About the Role
About the Role
The Senior Backend Engineer will design and implement cloud-and-edge middleware for drone systems, ensuring real-time data and messaging between various components. This role requires hands-on experience in building scalable microservices and a strong background in real-time systems.
Responsibilities
- Design and ship the cloud-and-edge middleware connecting four systems: onboard drone software, the 3D operator UI, the physics/simulation engine, and the LLM/agent layer.
- Real-time data and messaging — streaming and pub/sub relaying data between many external services.
- Scalable, reliable, fail-safe microservices where a crash is not an acceptable outcome.
- Service registration and discovery across distributed deployments — knowing what is running where.
- Ships to real field hardware as well as cloud (Docker, Kubernetes, edge).
- Prototype-to-field loop with customers in the room; mature services hand off to a core team, so you are repeatedly building foundations.
Who You Are
- 4–10 years backend/service-layer engineering, currently hands-on (IC or player-coach of a small team).
- Built and owned middleware, APIs or microservices that joined multiple systems together.
- Real-time data and messaging systems in production (Kafka, NATS, gRPC, pub/sub, streaming).
- Microservices at genuine scale FANG class consumer infrastructure.
- Strong in a modern backend or systems language — Rust, Python, C++ or Java.
- Shipped in a fast prototype-to-field environment (startup or startup-like).
Bonus Points
- Autonomous systems, AV, robotics or real-time systems background a plus — LLM/agent tooling a plus, but not what this role is about.
Compensation
$145K–$275K + Equity
Benefits
- Equity options.
- Hybrid work environment with travel to deployment sites.
Requirements
Backend Engineering Experience
4–10 years of hands-on backend/service-layer engineering experience.
Middleware and APIs
Experience in building and owning middleware, APIs, or microservices that connect multiple systems.
Real-Time Messaging Systems
Proficiency in real-time data and messaging systems in production, such as Kafka, NATS, and gRPC.
Microservices at Scale
Experience with microservices in large-scale consumer infrastructure.
Modern Backend Language
Strong skills in a modern backend or systems language, preferably Rust.
Nice to Have
Experience in autonomous systems, AV, robotics, or real-time systems.
Familiarity with LLM/agent tooling is a plus.
Benefits
Equity Options
Employees are offered equity options.
Hybrid Work Environment
The role offers a hybrid work environment with travel to deployment sites.