Software Integration Engineer - Defense

Applied Intuition, Inc. is powering the future of physical AI. Founded in 2017 and now valued at $15 billion, the Silicon Valley company is creating the digital infrastructure needed to bring intelligence to every moving machine on the planet. Applied Intuition services the automotive, defense, trucking, construction, mining and agriculture industries in three core areas: tools and infrastructure, operating systems, and autonomy. Eighteen of the top 20 global automakers, as well as the United States military and its allies, trust the company’s solutions to deliver physical intelligence. Applied Intuition is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, with offices in Washington, D.C.; San Diego; Ft. Walton Beach, Florida; Ann Arbor, Michigan; London; Stuttgart; Munich; Stockholm; Bangalore; Seoul; and Tokyo. Learn more at applied.co.

We are an in-office company, and our expectation is that full-time employees primarily work from their Applied Intuition office 5 days a week. However, we also recognize the importance of flexibility and trust our employees to manage their schedules responsibly. This may include occasional remote work, starting the day with morning meetings from home before heading to the office, or leaving earlier when needed to accommodate family commitments. This in-office expectation does not apply to contractor positions

About the role:

We're looking for a Systems Integration Engineer to own the hardware and software decisions that make a vehicle build actually work — from compute and sensor architecture down to harness routing, sensor tuning, and drive-by-wire (DBW) integration. You'll work hands-on across hardware, embedded, and autonomy software to take a vehicle from architecture to a working, demo-ready system.

This is a hands-on systems/hardware engineering role: you'll make and defend real technical tradeoffs (sensor and compute architecture, harness design, DBW tuning approach), and travel onsite — including internationally and for extended stretches — to lead builds and installs in person.

What you'll do:

Technical integration & hardware

• Define hardware architecture for a build (compute, sensors) and drive procurement of long-lead-time components, including supplier onboarding and purchasing-process decisions.

• Coordinate wiring harness design/build and sensor mounting workstreams, resolving cross-team dependencies between mechanical design, harness build, and shipping timelines.

• Specify sensor tuning requirements (e.g., camera ISP parameters, resolution, glass-to-glass latency) in partnership with hardware and perception teams, and track them to closure.

Autonomy & drive-by-wire coordination

• Partner with autonomy and low-level controls teams to scope DBW validation and tuning plans, distinguishing what's needed for teleoperation vs. full autonomy.

• Identify and flag technical risk early (e.g., insufficient DBW tuning lead time ahead of a demo) directly to the engineering team, and drive a resolution.

Field operations & site standup

• Travel onsite — domestically and internationally, including extended stays — to lead vehicle builds, hardware installs, and demo prep in person.

• Scope new operational sites in new regions from an engineering standpoint: assess power/network/IT infrastructure needs and prep hardware for regulatory/compliance site visits.

Cross-functional engineering collaboration

• Work daily across hardware, embedded, and autonomy software teams to resolve integration issues and keep builds moving.

• Communicate fluidly between deep technical detail and higher-level engineering summaries when working with adjacent teams.

What we're looking for

Required

• 2+ years of experience in systems/integration engineering, ideally on automotive, robotics, defense, or autonomy programs.

• Working knowledge of vehicle hardware integration — harnessing, sensor/compute mounting, and hardware architecture — sufficient to make and defend build decisions.

• Comfortable making and owning real engineering tradeoffs under a firm deadline (e.g., tuning approach, sensor spec, hardware architecture).

• Willingness and ability to travel extensively, including internationally and for multi-week stretches.

• Excellent written and verbal communication, able to move fluidly between deep technical detail and higher-level engineering summaries.

• Bachelors Degree in Software Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or relevant field

Preferred

• Experience with drive-by-wire (DBW) systems and low-level vehicle controls (PID tuning, system identification, slippage/traction compensation).

• Experience specifying or validating camera/sensor requirements (ISP tuning, latency, resolution, frame rate).

• Experience standing up new operational sites or facilities, including vendor sourcing and regulatory/permit coordination.

• BS in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related field.

• Experience on defense or government customer programs.

Security Requirements:

• Must be a U.S. Citizen

• Must hold or be eligible for a U.S. Secret security clearance

For more information about U.S. security clearances: click here.

Compensation at Applied Intuition for eligible roles includes base salary, equity, and benefits. Base salary is a single component of the total compensation package, which may also include equity in the form of options and/or restricted stock units, comprehensive health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance coverage, 401k retirement benefits with employer match, learning and wellness stipends, and paid time off. Note that benefits are subject to change and may vary based on jurisdiction of employment.

Applied Intuition pay ranges reflect the minimum and maximum intended target base salary for new hire salaries for the position. The actual base salary offered to a successful candidate will additionally be influenced by a variety of factors including experience, credentials & certifications, educational attainment, skill level requirements, interview performance, and the level and scope of the position.

Don’t meet every single requirement? If you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Applied Intuition is an equal opportunity employer and federal contractor or subcontractor. Consequently, the parties agree that, as applicable, they will abide by the requirements of 41 CFR 60-1.4(a), 41 CFR 60-300.5(a) and 41 CFR 60-741.5(a) and that these laws are incorporated herein by reference. These regulations prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities, and prohibit discrimination against all individuals based on their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin. These regulations require that covered prime contractors and subcontractors take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status or disability. The parties also agree that, as applicable, they will abide by the requirements of Executive Order 13496 (29 CFR Part 471, Appendix A to Subpart A), relating to the notice of employee rights under federal labor laws.

FOR US-BASED ROLES: Applied Intuition is committed to providing an accessible and inclusive application and interview experience to applicants who are disabled veterans and other applicants with disabilities or medical conditions. Reasonable accommodations are available, requesting an accommodation will not affect your candidacy in any way, and you are not required to disclose the nature of your disability or medical condition in order to make a request. If you require an accommodation please contact careers@applied.co. We will work with you!