{"id":908977,"url":"https://alion.io/job/mach-industries-software-engineer-mission-autonomy","title":"Software Engineer, Mission Autonomy","company":{"id":4935,"name":"Mach Industries","domain":"machindustries.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/machindustries","size_band":"201-500","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Greenhouse","truth_index":null},"role":"Backend","role_family":"Backend","seniority":"middle","employment_type":null,"work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"explicit","locations":["Huntington Beach, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":125000,"max":160000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":160000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":3,"visa_sponsorship":true,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":true,"technologies":[{"name":"C++","optional":false},{"name":"CI/CD","optional":false},{"name":"Linux","optional":false},{"name":"Python","optional":false},{"name":"Motion Planning","optional":true},{"name":"Multi-Agent Systems","optional":true},{"name":"Rust","optional":true}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-09-02T14:40:27Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-09-02","last_verified_at":"2026-09-27T00:16:20Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":24,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":24},"description":"About Mach Industries\nFounded in 2023, Mach Industries is a rapidly growing defense technology company focused on developing next-generation autonomous defense platforms. At the core of our mission is the commitment to delivering scalable, decentralized defense systems that enhance the strategic capabilities of the United States and its allies. With a workforce of approximately 350 employees, we operate with startup agility and ambition.\nOur vision is to redefine the future of warfare through cutting-edge manufacturing, innovation at speed, and unwavering focus on national security. We are dedicated to solving the next generation of warfare with lethal systems that deter kinetic conflict and protect global security.\nThe Role\nMach Industries is seeking a Software Engineer, Mission Autonomy to develop the software that translates mission objectives and operator goals into reliable autonomous behavior.\nYou will design and implement mission-planning, decision-making, task-execution, and contingency-management capabilities for Mach’s autonomous aerial platforms. Your work will connect high-level mission intent with vehicle autonomy, flight software, perception, communications, payloads, and ground-control systems.\nThis is a broad software-engineering role for someone comfortable working across system boundaries. You should be able to write production-quality C++ and Python, reason about complex autonomous behavior, debug integrated software and vehicle systems, and take capabilities from initial concept through simulation, flight test, and operational deployment.\nKey Responsibilities\nDesign, implement, test, and deploy mission-autonomy software using modern C++\n\nUse Python to develop tooling for analysis, simulation, test automation, and mission evaluation.\n\nDevelop software for mission planning, task sequencing, behavior orchestration, state management, and autonomous mission execution.\n\nBuild decision-making and contingency-management systems that respond appropriately to vehicle health, sensor availability, communications loss, environmental changes, and mission updates.\n\nTranslate concepts of operation, mission objectives, system requirements, and test objectives into well-defined autonomous behaviors and software interfaces.\n\nIntegrate mission software with flight controls, navigation, perception, payloads, communications, ground-control systems, and operator interfaces.\n\nDesign clear and reliable interfaces between high-level mission logic and lower-level vehicle capabilities.\n\nDevelop systems that continue operating effectively when communications, GNSS, sensing, or other resources are degraded or unavailable.\n\nSupport multi-vehicle mission execution, distributed coordination, and collaborative behaviors where applicable.\n\nBuild simulation scenarios, software-in-the-loop tests, hardware-in-the-loop tests, mission replays, and automated regression tests.\n\nDefine mission-level measures of performance and develop evaluation tooling for mission completion, timing, robustness, fault recovery, resource utilization, and operator workload.\n\nAnalyze telemetry, logs, test results, and flight data to identify failures, improve behavior, and drive rapid iteration.\n\nWork closely with flight software, GNC, perception, systems engineering, ground-control, flight-test, and hardware teams to deliver complete vehicle capabilities.\n\nParticipate in ground and flight testing, including debugging integrated systems in field environments.\n\nContribute to software architecture, code reviews, development practices, technical documentation, and continuous integration.\n\nRequired Qualifications\nStrong software-engineering skills in modern C++ and Python.\n\nExperience developing production software on Linux.\n\nExperience developing software for autonomous systems, robotics, or aerospace platforms.\n\nHands-on experience implementing one or more mission-autonomy capabilities, such as task planning, behavior trees, state machines, hierarchical planning, decision-making, mission execution, or contingency management.\n\nStrong understanding of software architecture, interfaces, concurrency, data flow, and system-level debugging.\n\nAbility to write clean, testable, maintainable, and well-documented software.\n\nExperience taking software from prototype through integration, testing, and deployment on real hardware.\n\nAbility to diagnose failures using logs, telemetry, simulation results, and observed system behavior.\n\nStrong technical ownership and the ability to work effectively across multiple engineering disciplines.\n\nClear written and verbal communication skills.\n\nStrong engineering judgment and integrity when balancing mission effectiveness, safety, reliability, latency, resource constraints, and operational simplicity.\n\nPreferred Qualifications\nThree or more years of professional experience developing software for autonomous vehicles, UAVs, robotics, aerospace, or defense systems.\n\nExperience with autonomous aerial vehicles or optionally piloted aircraft.\n\nExperience designing mission planners, behavior trees, executive systems, task schedulers, or autonomy state machines.\n\nExperience with multi-agent systems, collaborative autonomy, distributed task allocation, or swarm coordination.\n\nFamiliarity with guidance, navigation, controls, state estimation, perception, or motion planning sufficient to integrate effectively with those systems.\n\nExperience designing software for intermittent, bandwidth-constrained, degraded, or denied communications environments.\n\nExperience with fault detection, graceful degradation, abort logic, recovery behaviors, and safety-critical state management.\n\nExperience deploying software on embedded Linux systems, edge computers, or resource-constrained platforms.\n\nExperience with simulation, software-in-the-loop testing, hardware-in-the-loop testing, scenario generation, Monte Carlo testing, or automated mission evaluation.\n\nExperience building ground-control, command-and-control, or human-machine-interface software.\n\nExperience participating in flight testing, range operations, or field deployment of experimental systems and working through the practical challenges of real-world operations.\n\nExperience with Rust, particularly for systems programming, embedded software, or safety- and performance-critical applications.\n\nITAR Requirements\nTo conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here. \nEngineer\n$125,000—$160,000 USD\nSenior Engineer\n$165,000—$220,000 USD\nAt Mach, we believe that compensation is more than just a paycheck. It's a comprehensive package designed to reward the time, skills, and expertise you bring to our team. We are committed to offering competitive compensation that is equitable, transparent, and aligned with market trends.\nKey Elements of Our Compensation Philosophy:\nCompetitive Salaries: We continuously research market rates to ensure our salaries are competitive with those in our industry and geographic location.\nPerformance-Based Incentives: Our bonus structure is tied to both individual and company performance, creating a win-win scenario that motivates our team members to excel.\nEquity Participation: We offer stock options or equity to employees, ensuring that you share in the success and growth of the company.\nBenefit Packages: Our benefits include healthcare, dental and vision plans, retirement savings, and paid time off, because we understand that your well-being extends beyond the office.\nProfessional Development: We allocate funds for continuing education, training, and career growth.\nTransparency: We are committed to openness about our compensation tiers and how decisions are made, ensuring trust and mutual respect.\nBy joining Mach, you’re not just accepting a job-you’re becoming a key part of a team that values your contributions and invests in your growth. Together, we aim to create a rewarding environment that sets the stage for long-term success.\nData Privacy\nTo view Mach Industries candidate data privacy policy, please visit https://machindustries.com/privacy-policy.\nDisclosures\nThis position may require access to information protected under U.S. export control laws and regulations, including the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). Please note that any offer for employment may be conditioned on authorization to receive software or technology controlled under these U.S. export control laws and regulations without sponsorship for an export license.\nMach participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S.\nThe salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offers may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and training, critical skills, and business considerations. Highly competitive equity grants are included in most offers and are considered part of Mach’s total compensation package. Mach offers benefits such as health insurance, retirement plans, and opportunities for professional development.\nMach is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. All qualified applicants will be treated with respect and receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, uniform service, Veteran status, age, or any other protected characteristic per federal, state, or local law, including those with a criminal history, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws. If you’d like to defend the American way of life, please reach out!","description_format":"text","description_chars":10071,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":3,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":null,"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Equity","Health insurance","Professional development","Retirement plans","Stock options"],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United States","iso":"US","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Manufacturing","Military","Defense Manufacturing"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-09-14T15:13:51Z"}],"liveness":{"score":90,"band":"hot","label":"Hiring now","p_open":1,"p_active":0.903,"p_room":1,"age_days":23,"expected_fill_days":80,"reasons":["conf:1","velocity","win:early","comp:brand"],"computed_at":"2026-09-26T05:45:00Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":160000,"is_top_pay":false},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/mach-industries-software-engineer-mission-autonomy","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/mach-industries-software-engineer-mission-autonomy.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-09-27T00:56:32Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","usage":{"tier":"crawler","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":843,"day_limit":5000,"remaining_today":4157,"minute_limit":60,"resets_at":"2026-09-28T00:00:00Z"}}}