{"id":554817,"url":"https://alion.io/job/shield-ai-staff-engineer-system-software-r5718","title":"Senior Software Engineer, Embedded Linux Platform (R5718)","company":{"id":50,"name":"Shield AI","domain":"shield.ai","url":"https://alion.io/company/shield-ai","size_band":"1001-5000","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Lever","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":73,"open_postings":91,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.857,"repost_share":0.011,"time_to_fill_p50_days":65,"computed_at":"2026-11-03T05:54:40Z"}},"role":"Hardware","role_family":"Hardware","seniority":"senior","employment_type":null,"work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Melbourne, Australia"],"countries":["AU"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":{"min_usd":106000,"max_usd":242000,"period":"year","method":"global_role_cell_scaled_by_country","sample_n":1936},"experience_years_min":null,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"C++","optional":false},{"name":"CI/CD","optional":false},{"name":"Debian","optional":false},{"name":"Linux","optional":false},{"name":"NixOS","optional":false},{"name":"Ubuntu","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-09-08T19:45:34Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-09-08","last_verified_at":"2026-11-03T21:49:14Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":56,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":56},"description":"Job Description:\nWe are seeking a Senior Software Engineer, Embedded Linux Platformto help build and own the operating system and software platform that turns our edge compute hardware into reliable, deployable autonomous systems.\nThis role sits at the boundary between hardware and application software. You will own the Linux platform and software delivery foundations of our edge compute systems, from hardware bring-up and operating system configuration through reproducible builds, packaging, deployment and operation in the field.\nNixOS is our primary deployed operating system and a core technology for this role.You will help evolve and maintain our NixOS-based platform, while also supporting and improving other Linux distributions and environments used across our edge systems. You will develop C++ software and platform tooling, package software and hardware dependencies, integrate vendor BSPs and drivers, and ensure we can reliably build, configure and deploy complete systems across our supported hardware and Linux environments.\nYou don't need to already be a NixOS expert. We are looking for strong software engineers with experience in Linux systems, embedded Linux or adjacent platform technologies who are interested in developing deep expertise in NixOS. Experience with NixOS is highly valued, as is experience with technologies such as Yocto, Buildroot, Debian/Ubuntu or other Linux build and distribution systems.\nThe goal is simple: make the path from hardware to deployed software reproducible, reliable and predictable.\nWhat you'll do:\nOwn and evolve the embedded Linux platformsdeployed across our edge compute systems, with NixOS as a primary focus.\n\nBuild and maintain operating system images, configurations and software environments for production hardware across multiple Linux distributions.\n\nEvolve and maintain our NixOS platform, including system configuration, packaging and integration of application and hardware dependencies.\n\nDevelop C++ systems software and platform toolingthat supports the operation, configuration and deployment of our edge systems.\n\nIntegrate and maintain vendor BSPs, Linux kernels, device trees, drivers, and hardware-specific dependencies.\n\nPackage application software, system components and third-party dependencies using Nix and other platform-appropriate mechanisms.\n\nDevelop and improve the mechanisms used to build, configure, version, test and deploy complete software systems onto edge devices.\n\nBring up new compute platforms and hardware configurations and establish a clear path from initial integration through production deployment.\n\nDefine clean interfaces between the operating system, hardware platform and application software so application teams can build on stable and well-supported foundations.\n\nDiagnose challenging problems across application software, userspace Linux, the kernel, drivers and hardware interfaces.\n\nImprove system reliability, boot behaviour, performance, security and resource utilisation.\n\nDevelop automated build, test and validation infrastructure for operating system images and hardware/software integration.\n\nWork closely with application, autonomy, perception, hardware and test engineers to integrate new capabilities and hardware into the platform.\n\nImprove the developer experience for engineers building, testing and deploying software onto edge systems.\n\nEstablish engineering practices that make deployed systems reproducible, traceable and recoverable.\n\nRequired qualifications:\nStrong understanding of Linux systems, from userspace through to the kernel and hardware interfaces.\n\nExperience building, configuring or maintaining Linux systems used as part of a deployed product.\n\nExperience with Nix/NixOS, Yocto, Buildroot, Debian/Ubuntu or similar Linux build and distribution technologies. Deep NixOS experience is highly valued but not required.\n\nStrong software engineering experience in modern C++, ideally developing systems software, platform software or software for Linux-based edge devices.\n\nExperience with reproducible builds, dependency management, software packaging or software supply chains.\n\nExperience diagnosing difficult problems that cross application, operating system and hardware boundaries.\n\nExperience with CI/CD and automated build and test systems.\n\nAbility to take ownership of complex platform problems and drive them from initial investigation through deployment and long-term support.","description_format":"text","description_chars":4441,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":null,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":null,"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":[],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Military Drones","Defense Manufacturing","Defense AI","Drone AI"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-09-08T20:08:19Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":44,"band":"fade","label":"Fading","p_open":1,"p_active":0.583,"p_room":0.75,"age_days":55,"expected_fill_days":65,"reasons":["conf:3","stale_co","velocity","win:late","comp:brand"],"computed_at":"2026-11-03T05:54:40Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/shield-ai-staff-engineer-system-software-r5718","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/shield-ai-staff-engineer-system-software-r5718.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-11-03T22:07:11Z","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":498,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-11-04T00:00:00Z"}},"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":50},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=50"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fshield-ai-staff-engineer-system-software-r5718"},{"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%2Fshield-ai-staff-engineer-system-software-r5718"},{"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%2Fshield-ai-staff-engineer-system-software-r5718"},{"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/shield-ai-staff-engineer-system-software-r5718\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fshield-ai-staff-engineer-system-software-r5718"}],"agent":{"mcp":"https://alion.io/mcp/jobs","mcp_open":"https://alion.io/mcp/open","next":[{"tool":"get_job","arguments":{"id":554817}},{"tool":"search_jobs","arguments":{"company":"shield.ai","detail":"compact"}},{"tool":"match_people","arguments":{"job_id":554817},"note":"people open to offers who fit this vacancy"}],"note":"The same data through MCP tools: https://alion.io/mcp/open needs no sign-in (compact searches, postings, people); https://alion.io/mcp with an Alion account has everything. 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