Defence tech startups hiring software and engineering people

31 defence tech startups are hiring software, data and engineering people right now: 252 open roles in 8 countries. Startups hire across borders more often than the prime contractors, and their roles ask for a security check less often.

Rebuilt 24 Oct 2026
startups hiring
31
open technical roles
252
open to any nationality
33%

Defence tech startups hiring

StartupWhereStageOpen roles
HadrianUnited StatesScale-up47
StriveworksUnited StatesGrowth27
HermeusUnited StatesScale-up27
KelaIsrael, United StatesGrowth16
Beacon AIUnited States15
Scout AIUnited StatesEarly stage11
RoguebeamUnited StatesEarly stage11
AmcaUnited States10
TeamraftUnited StatesEarly stage9
ObviantUnited StatesGrowth8
LumbraUnited StatesGrowth7
LodestarUnited States, United Kingdom6
SkyralUnited KingdomEarly stage6
Mind FoundryUnited KingdomGrowth6
SalesPatriotUnited States, PolandEarly stage5
ZeroMarkUnited StatesEarly stage5
Chariot DefenseUnited StatesGrowth5
SimplesenseUnited StatesGrowth4
OmnisentGermanyEarly stage4
Navi AIUnited StatesGrowth3
9 MothersUnited States3
IntelicNetherlands, UkraineEarly stage3
enVentionUnited StatesEarly stage3
Modern IntelligenceUnited StatesGrowth2
NidusUnited States2
Project QGermanyEarly stage2
PythoUnited StatesSeed1
CDDSSwitzerlandEarly stage1
TraysarUnited StatesEarly stage1
ArcfieldUnited States1
Manifold IndustriesUnited States1

Newest roles at defence tech startups

Scout AI

scoutco.ai
scoutco.ai • HQ: Sunnyvale, United States • Defense AI • Foundation Models • 51-200 employees • Startup • Trust A • Hiring 26, 3 new
HQ: Sunnyvale, United States • Defense AI • Foundation Models • 51-200 employees • Startup • Trust A • Hiring 26, 3 new
Scout AI is a defense technology company developing Fury, a robotic foundation model for defense. Its vision-language-action models take camera data and text prompts to let human operators command fleets of robots in natural language. The company is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States.
No named decision-maker yet.
Careers mailbox is known
Verified live · 2 hours ago 1 day ago Hiring now · 90%

AI Engineer Intern - Fury Team (Summer 2027)

$90k – $130k per year • Intern • In office (Sunnyvale, United States) • Bachelor's Degree • Internship • Intern
Python
AI/ML
Reinforcement Learning
JAX
Multimodal AI
Synthetic Data
Vision-Language-Action
Embodied AI
TensorFlow
PyTorch
Machine Learning
AI Agents
Robotics
Reinforcement Learning
+4
Apply

Striveworks

striveworks.com
striveworks.com • HQ: Austin, United States • Edge AI • Computer Vision • Defense AI • MLOps • 51-200 employees • Est. 2018 • Startup • Trust A • Hiring 31, 2 new
HQ: Austin, United States • Edge AI • Computer Vision • Defense AI • MLOps • 51-200 employees • Est. 2018 • Startup • Trust A • Hiring 31, 2 new
Striveworks is an artificial intelligence and machine learning operations company headquartered in Austin, Texas, and founded in 2018. The company provides an enterprise AIOps platform that enables organizations to build, deploy, and maintain machine learning models for applications such as computer vision and situational awareness. It primarily serves the United States government and defense agencies, offering solutions for edge deployment and automated target recognition in complex operational environments.
Paul Brinkley · Executive Officer · decision-maker
Anthony Manganiello · Executive Officer, Director · decision-maker
Peter Hamilton · Executive Officer · decision-maker
Eric Korman · Executive Officer · decision-maker
Careers mailbox is known
Verified live · 2 hours ago 2 days ago Likely open · 63%

Senior Software Engineer (Secret Clearance Eligible)

≈ $144k – $249k per year (Estimated) • Equity • Senior • 6+ years exp • Austin • Remote (United States) • Bachelor's Degree • Secret • Citizenship or vetting required • Senior
Rust
C#
C++
Java
Python
C++
TensorFlow C++
Databases
NATS
RabbitMQ
Apache Kafka
AI/ML
TensorFlow
PyTorch
AI Agents
Frontend
GraphQL
DevOps
gRPC
OpenStack
Rest API
Git
Docker
Kubernetes
CI/CD
Management
Agile
+13
Apply

Hadrian

hadrian.co
hadrian.co • HQ: New York, United States • Contract Manufacturing • Precision Engineering • 501-1000 employees • Est. 2018 • Startup • Trust B • Hiring 148, 23 new
HQ: New York, United States • Contract Manufacturing • Precision Engineering • 501-1000 employees • Est. 2018 • Startup • Trust B • Hiring 148, 23 new
Hadrian is a US advanced manufacturing company using software and automation to produce precision parts for aerospace and defense.
Kirsty Leyland · Executive Officer · decision-maker
Stacy DeWalt · Executive Officer · decision-maker
Travis Franklin · Executive Officer · decision-maker
Patrick Bauer · Executive Officer, Director · decision-maker
No careers mailbox known
Top 25% payVerified live · 1 hour ago Visa sponsor 2 days ago Hiring now · 90%

Weld Engineering Manager, Development

$150k – $210k per year • Lead • 6+ years exp • In office (Los Angeles, United States) • Relocation • Bachelor's Degree • Full-Time • Nationals only • Citizenship or vetting required • Staff
AWS
Apply

Manifold Industries

manifoldindustries.io
manifoldindustries.io • HQ: New York, United States • Decision Intelligence • Defense AI • Likely startup • Hiring 1, 1 new
HQ: New York, United States • Decision Intelligence • Defense AI • Likely startup • Hiring 1, 1 new
Manifold Industries is a software company building AI-based tools for decision-makers in United States national security and defense. Its tools aim to replace work now done by hand with slide decks and spreadsheets, and it hires forward deployed and applied machine learning engineers. The company is headquartered in New York, United States.
No named decision-maker yet.
Careers mailbox is known
Top 25% payVerified live · 2 hours ago 3 days ago Hiring now · 86%

Deployment Strategist

$140k – $180k per year • In office (Honolulu, San Francisco, United States) • Full-Time
Apply
Report

Teamraft

teamraft.com
teamraft.com • HQ: Colorado Springs, United States • Custom Software Development • Defense AI • 51-200 employees • Likely startup • Hiring 25, 6 new
HQ: Colorado Springs, United States • Custom Software Development • Defense AI • 51-200 employees • Likely startup • Hiring 25, 6 new
Raft delivers scalable AI, data integration, and resilience, enhancing mission clarity and operational success.
No named decision-maker yet.
Careers mailbox is known
Verified live · 3 hours ago 4 days ago Hiring now · 94%

Staff Engineer

≈ $163k – $303k per year (Estimated) • Staff+ • 3+ years exp • In office (Arlington, Tacoma, New York, United States, Rome, Italy) • Top Secret • Staff
Scala
Java
Python
JavaScript
Java
Maven
Gradle
Databases
Apache Kafka
Frontend
npm
DevOps
Helm
Istio
Kibana
Loki
Fluent Bit
GitOps
GitLab
Prometheus
Grafana
Ansible
Terraform
Docker
Kubernetes
CI/CD
AWS
Ubuntu
Analytics
ETL/ELT
+17
Apply

9 Mothers

9mothers.com
9mothers.com • HQ: Austin, United States • Robotics • Artificial Intelligence • Defense AI • Drones & UAVs • Startup • Hiring 6, 1 new
HQ: Austin, United States • Robotics • Artificial Intelligence • Defense AI • Drones & UAVs • Startup • Hiring 6, 1 new
Headquartered in Austin, Texas, 9 Mothers is an aerospace and defense technology company specializing in AI-powered autonomous counter-drone systems. The enterprise develops advanced counter-small Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-sUAS) and close-range point defense platforms designed to detect, track, and neutralize fast-moving aerial threats. By combining high-speed motion engineering, passive acoustic sensing, and in-house computer vision models, the organization delivers agile, cost-effective defensive solutions built for modern tactical environments.
No named decision-maker yet.
Careers mailbox is known
Verified live · 2 hours ago 5 days ago Hiring now · 85%

Radar Engineer

$100k – $155k per year • Senior • 5+ years exp • In office (Austin, United States) • Relocation • Bachelor's Degree • Full-Time • Nationals only • Citizenship or vetting required • Senior
C++
Python
MATLAB
AI/ML
SciPy
Multimodal AI
NumPy
Cursor
DevOps
Linux
Robotics
Sensor Fusion
ROS
+2
Apply

Questions

Can a foreigner apply for these roles?

83 of the 252 roles here state no citizenship or security-check demand. A role that does - a citizenship, a national security vetting, a US clearance - says so in its advert, and the card marks it.

Which companies hire most?

Hadrian (47), Striveworks (27), Hermeus (27), Kela (16), Beacon AI (15).

Which employers count as defence companies?

Companies whose main business is defence and security - prime contractors, defence electronics, naval, land and air systems, defence software and the defence tech startups - and the defence divisions of diversified groups. Companies of Russia, Belarus, China, Hong Kong, Iran and North Korea and companies under sanctions are left out.

How fresh is this?

Every role is re-checked on the employer's own careers board at least every 48 hours, and the page is rebuilt every night.

Source: 252 live postings on employers' careers boards; startup status from Alion's company graphUpdated 24 Oct 2026MethodologyJSONCC BY-SA 4.0