Lead Software Engineer - Hardware/3rd Party Integrations

Job Description

In a crisis, information is the most valuable asset. When an emergency alert is triggered, the underlying technology must be invisible, instantaneous, and infallible. As the Lead Software Engineer for hardware/3rd party integrations, you aren’t just writing code; you are building the digital nervous system that protects lives.

You will lead a high-impact team responsible for the final, critical mile of our service: the delivery of audio via SIP, multicast data streams, and real-time alerts to a massive fleet of connected devices and desktop agents. This role sits at the intersection of complex SaaS architecture and physical hardware integration. If you are a systems thinker who enjoys bridging the gap between cloud services and real-world devices, your work here will have a direct, tangible impact on public safety.

Candidates must be located within driving distance from our Baltimore HQ.

A Day in the Life:

• Design and maintain backend systems capable of managing and communicating with hundreds of thousands of concurrent IoT devices.
• Design and maintain high-throughput backend systems that ensure emergency notifications are delivered across SIP, Multicast, and Desktop Agents and MQTT-based device networks without fail.
• Lead the integration of our cloud-based SaaS platform with remote physical hardware to trigger real-time emergency responses.
• Act as a technical mentor and example to the team, establishing best practices for NodeJS development, API design, and asynchronous communication.
• Implement advanced monitoring and alerting frameworks to proactively identify and resolve bottlenecks in the code and in the delivery pipeline.
• Refine and evolve communication protocols for audio and video streaming to ensure low latency and high fidelity in diverse network environments.

Required Skills & Abilities:

• Deep expertise in building, scaling, and maintaining production-grade Node.js applications in a microservices environment.
• Proven experience designing complex SaaS solutions with a focus on distributed systems and high-availability architecture.
• Significant experience with relational (e.g., PostgreSQL) and non-relational (e.g., Redis, NoSQL) databases. You should be proficient in schema design, query optimization, and managing data integrity for high-concurrency, time-sensitive applications.
• Practical knowledge of SIP for audio, Multicast, and web-based communication protocols.
• A track record of managing high-throughput data delivery and meeting strict reliability SLAs.
• Strong command of asynchronous messaging patterns (e.g., RabbitMQ, Kafka) and robust API integration strategies.
• Demonstrated ability to guide a team through complex technical hurdles while maintaining a focus on impact and delivery.
• Ability to travel on occasion.

Desired Skills:

• Experience with database performance tuning at scale or managing distributed databases.
• Familiarity with physical hardware or IoT devices in a professional capacity.
• Knowledge of video communication protocols and low-latency streaming.
• Direct experience in the emergency notification, security, or mission-critical software sectors

Education & Experience:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering or related field. Equivalent experience may substitute for education.
• 8+ years of related experience

Alertus Career Advantages:

• Unlimited Paid Time Off
• Paid Holidays
• 401(k) Retirement Plan
• Medical, Dental, and Vision Plans
• Short-term Disability, Accident, Hospital, and Cancer Insurance
• Live Near Your Work HomeBuying Incentive
• Employee Referral Bonuses
• Flex Scheduling