{"id":1642529,"url":"https://alion.io/job/earthoptics-software-engineering-lead","title":"Software Engineering Lead","company":{"id":2011533,"name":"EarthOptics","domain":"earthoptics.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/earthoptics","size_band":"51-200","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"BambooHR","truth_index":null},"role":"Backend","role_family":"Backend","seniority":"lead","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"explicit","locations":["Raleigh, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":115000,"max":130000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":130000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":2,"visa_sponsorship":true,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":true,"technologies":[{"name":"C++","optional":false},{"name":"Git","optional":false},{"name":"JavaScript","optional":false},{"name":"KiCad","optional":false},{"name":"Linux","optional":false},{"name":"Python","optional":false},{"name":"React Native","optional":false},{"name":"Slack","optional":false},{"name":"TypeScript","optional":false},{"name":"Wi-Fi","optional":false},{"name":"React.js","optional":true}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-09-30T00:00:00Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-09-30","last_verified_at":"2026-10-21T07:18:00Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":21,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":21},"description":"Join EarthOptics as aSoftware Engineering Lead!\nAt EarthOptics we are combining cutting-edge genomic analysis, data science, microbiology, and remote sensing to revolutionize agriculture. Our mission is to be the leading soil information company, delivering maps that growers, farmers, ranchers, and other stakeholders use to cost-effectively increase yields and improve soil health and the climate. We are creating a future where traditional sampling methods are obsolete.\nWe are a growing company with a passion for soil health, innovative technologies, and supporting all within the food value chain. We currently have ~100 individuals spread across 20 states and two countries, and they come from all walks of life, industries, and experiences. We are deeply focused on building the future of AgTech and sustainability and helping the world see soil differently.\nOur Software Engineering Lead will join our Software Engineering team as an individual contributor, helping build and maintain software that connects field applications, laboratory automation, hardware, and data systems. This role is ideal for an engineer who enjoys moving between production software and physical systems, takes ownership of the technology they support, and is comfortable solving problems across software, electronics, and hardware.\nThe digs:\nJob Type:Full time, Exempt\nWork Location:Hybrid - Raleigh, North Carolina. This role requires practical commuting distance to the Raleigh office and typically works onsite 1-3 days per week, with flexibility based on project and hardware-testing needs.\nTravel:10% of the time\nCompensation: $115,000-$130,000 annually + equity.\n*Your actual base pay will depend on your job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.\nWhat you’ll cultivate as a Software Engineering Lead:\nTake primary engineering ownership of the Mobile GroundOwl (GO) application following a structured handoff. Maintain a stable, high-quality field application by diagnosing issues, implementing targeted enhancements, managing dependencies, supporting releases, and collaborating with backend engineers on APIs and integrations.\nImprove the reliability and maintainability of Mobile GroundOwl through automated testing, observability, documentation, and support tooling. Help ensure dependable operation in low- and no-connectivity field environments where offline data capture, data integrity, synchronization, and recovery are critical.\nDesign and develop lab automation systems that integrate application software, firmware, sensors, motors, actuators, microcontrollers or single-board computers, and custom electronics. Develop control logic, data-acquisition software, calibration routines, diagnostics, safety interlocks, and operator interfaces.\nContribute software across EarthOptics products and platforms, including customer-facing applications, backend services, integrations, device software, and internal engineering tools. Collaborate with product managers, engineers, lab teams, hardware teams, and operational teams to turn real-world problems into practical, maintainable solutions.\nApply strong engineering practices across prototypes and production systems, including thoughtful design, code review, automated testing, observability, security, and documentation. Use AI-assisted development tools thoughtfully to accelerate implementation, debugging, testing, research, and documentation while retaining responsibility for correctness, security, safety, and code quality.\nWithin your first 60-120 days, you’ll be expected to:\nComplete a structured handoff and establish clear engineering ownership of the Mobile GroundOwl application.\nDevelop a strong understanding of Mobile GroundOwl’s field workflows and reliability needs, including crash rates, failed synchronization, support escalations, and low-connectivity operation.\nDiagnose and address priority field issues while strengthening testing, observability, documentation, and support practices.\nBegin contributing to lab automation initiatives, progressing from problem definition and prototyping toward reliable systems that laboratory users can operate and maintain confidently.\nAre you our soil-mate? You’ll bloom in this role if you have experience in:\nA bachelor’s degree in computer science, computer engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, or a related field-or equivalent practical experience.\n2+ years of professional software engineering experience, or equivalent experience through internships, co-ops, research, or substantial shipped projects. We care more about demonstrated ownership and learning speed than a precise year count.\nMaintaining or shipping a production mobile application. React Native and TypeScript/JavaScript experience is strongly preferred.\nStrong Python development and comfort working in C/C++ or another language used for embedded, automation, or systems development.\nWorking hands-on with sensors, motors, motor drivers, actuators, microcontrollers, data acquisition, and basic electronics troubleshooting.\nRapid prototyping: defining a problem, building a solution, testing it with real hardware, diagnosing failures, and iterating.\nGit, code review, automated testing, and dependable software release practices.\nUsing AI coding assistants effectively while independently validating generated output and maintaining high standards for quality, correctness, security, and safety.\nCommunicating clearly, documenting your work, operating independently, and collaborating effectively across software, hardware, lab, product, and operations teams.\nWe are interested in every qualified candidate who is eligible to work in the United States. However, we are not able to sponsor or transfer visas at this time.\nAlthough not required, we’d love to see roots in:\nPrior experience in a fast-paced, start-up environment.\nMobile application release management for the Apple App Store and Google Play.\nBluetooth Low Energy, Wi-Fi, USB, serial, CAN, I2C, SPI, or other device communication protocols.\nLinux-based edge computing, microcontrollers, real-time systems, or embedded firmware.\nLaboratory instrumentation, robotics, industrial controls, motion control, or machine vision.\nCloud APIs, backend services, databases, or telemetry systems.\nReading schematics and designing or modifying straightforward custom electronics and PCBs using KiCad, Altium, or similar tools.\nMechanical prototyping, CAD, 3D printing, test fixtures, or design-for-assembly.\nAgriculture, field-deployed technology, or other environments where software must perform reliably outside a traditional office setting.\nAside from “the green”, we can offer you:\nMedical, Dental & Vision Insurance - 90% funded by EarthOptics for benefit-eligible employees and 55% for dependents\nCompany-paid LTD, STD, and Life Insurance\nMeaningful equity option grants\n401k Plan + Employer Match up to 4%\n17 days of paid time off, plus 11 additional company holidays\nParental Leave\nProfessional Development Stipend + access to learning platforms\nCandidate Referral Program\nAbove and Beyond Bonus Program\nFlexible Schedule & Hybrid/Remote Work Environment\nRegular opportunities to give feedback on our benefits offerings\nHow we stay grounded:\nAlthough we have teammates working in the field, in-office, and at home, we aim to create a cohesive, diverse, and enriching environment for all of our employees. We embrace different tools to enhance our workflows and communicate intentionally, both live and asynchronously. A few quick facts you should know:\nWe rely on Slack to communicate. Although there are a variety of team-specific systems to facilitate your work, this is our primary! \nWe love both food and emojis at EarthOptics. If hired, you’ll come to love (and use many) taco and donut emojis. \nOur core business hours are Monday through Friday 11am-4pm EST. We have teammates in every time zone, and have some teams that operate outside of that timeframe. As a remote employee, you are asked to honor those hours to ensure enough time to overlap with key cross-functional teams.\nIn order to maximize our remote culture, we host company-wide opportunities to connect (virtually and in-person) and create space for focus work. For example, we have a weekly all-hands stand-up meeting on Monday and reserve Fridays as a regular “No Meeting” day.\nInclusion and Diversity at EarthOptics:\nAt EarthOptics, we embrace diversity and equality, and stand against any form of discrimination or harassment. We base all hiring and promotion decisions on business needs, job requirements, and individual qualifications, regardless of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, age, marital status, parental status, veteran status, or disability.\nWe are deeply committed to welcoming and including every qualified individual. As a part of this commitment, we ensure that persons with disabilities have access to reasonable accommodations. If you require assistance during the job application or interview process, need support to perform essential job functions, or seek other benefits and privileges of employment, please reach out to us at .","description_format":"text","description_chars":9182,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":2,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["401k plan","Equity","Flexible schedule","Life insurance","Parental leave","Professional development","Vision insurance"],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United States","iso":"US","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Genomics & Genetic Testing","Soil Management"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-01T22:33:41Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":59,"band":"ok","label":"Likely open","p_open":1,"p_active":0.786,"p_room":0.75,"age_days":21,"expected_fill_days":30,"reasons":["conf:1","win:late"],"computed_at":"2026-10-21T05:46:15Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":130000,"is_top_pay":false},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/earthoptics-software-engineering-lead","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/earthoptics-software-engineering-lead.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-21T16:48:52Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":23721,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-22T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":2011533},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=2011533"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fearthoptics-software-engineering-lead"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fearthoptics-software-engineering-lead"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fearthoptics-software-engineering-lead"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/earthoptics-software-engineering-lead\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fearthoptics-software-engineering-lead"}]}