{"id":946839,"url":"https://alion.io/job/skyways-staff-software-engineer","title":"Staff Software Engineer","company":{"id":686798,"name":"Skyways","domain":"skyways.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/skyways","size_band":"51-200","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Lever","truth_index":{"grade":"A","score":95,"open_postings":16,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":184,"computed_at":"2026-11-03T05:54:40Z"}},"role":"Backend","role_family":"Backend","seniority":"staff","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Austin, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":175000,"max":225000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":225000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":8,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"ArduPilot","optional":false},{"name":"C++","optional":false},{"name":"CI/CD","optional":false},{"name":"JavaScript","optional":false},{"name":"Machine Learning","optional":false},{"name":"Python","optional":false},{"name":"TypeScript","optional":false},{"name":"Babylon.js","optional":true},{"name":"CesiumJS","optional":true},{"name":"Computer Vision","optional":true},{"name":"Electron","optional":true},{"name":"Linux","optional":true},{"name":"Node JS","optional":true},{"name":"Three.JS","optional":true}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-09-14T15:35:53Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-09-14","last_verified_at":"2026-11-03T03:11:39Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":49,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":0,"flags":["company_stale"],"days_open":49},"description":"The Opportunity\nSkyways is hiring a Staff Software Engineer to own the architecture of every piece of software that flies, from C++ in our ArduPilot fork, to high throughput Python services and the telemetry hub, to the 3D interfaces in SkyNav. You will define the standards, lead the safety relevant work on the aircraft, and drive outcomes that span multiple teams. You will identify what needs doing without being told and make every engineer around you more effective. This role is ideal for a deep, hands on engineer who wants their design decisions flying on real aircraft.\nWhat You'll Do:\nOwn the architecture and evolution of critical areas of the Skyways software stack, spanning SkyNav, backend services, telemetry infrastructure, and autonomous aircraft software.\nSet technical standards for the software team and raise the quality bar through design, code review, and decision making.\nLead the highest risk, highest leverage work: architecture of our ArduPilot C++ fork, safety relevant vehicle software changes, and integration with avionics, hardware, and higher level autonomy systems.\nDesign SkyNav's 3D visualization and mission planning architecture using JavaScript or TypeScript and modern web graphics, so other engineers can build quickly on solid foundations.\nArchitect and scale our telemetry hub so real time fleet data remains reliable as aircraft volume grows, making the build versus buy and infrastructure calls that come with it.\nApply AI and machine learning where they create real value, and shape how the software team uses modern AI tools across engineering automation, data analysis, debugging, and operator tools.\nDrive cross functional alignment across GNC, robotics, embedded software, flight operations, hardware, and leadership, turning ambiguous company priorities into concrete technical plans validated in simulation and flight testing.\nMultiply the team: mentor senior engineers, write the design documents that settle debates, and shape how software gets built at Skyways through architecture, testing, CI/CD, observability, and clear technical documentation.\nWhat You'll Bring:\n8+ years of professional software engineering experience, including ownership of production systems that span multiple teams.\nDeep production proficiency in Python, JavaScript or TypeScript, and C++.\nA track record of architecting and shipping across the stack, from user interfaces and 3D experiences to backend services and systems software.\nExperience designing distributed systems and APIs for performance, reliability, load balancing, and observability at scale.\nExperience in aviation, robotics, autonomous systems, or another environment where software interacts with real world hardware.\nStrong applied AI fluency, including using modern AI development tools effectively and building AI enabled product or operational capabilities.\nEvidence of force multiplication: standards you set, designs you drove, and engineers who got better because you were there.\nThe judgment to define your own direction within company strategy, the ability to debug complex issues across application, network, operating system, and hardware boundaries, and a proactive, low ego approach to owning ambiguous problems from concept through deployment.\nBonus Points:\nExperience with ArduPilot, PX4, or another autopilot stack.\nExperience with Electron, CesiumJS, Three.js, Babylon.js, WebGL, or similar 3D technologies.\nExperience with real time telemetry, event streaming, fleet systems, or high availability infrastructure.\nExperience with embedded Linux, avionics, sensors, or direct hardware communication.\nBackground in GNC, computer vision, autonomy, or flight testing.\nKnowledge of FAA operations, UAS regulations, defense programs, or export controlled development environments.\nExperience at an early stage company where engineers move quickly across disciplines.","description_format":"text","description_chars":3879,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":8,"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":["Drones & UAVs","Logistics"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-09-15T21:21:46Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":86,"band":"hot","label":"Hiring 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