Palantir

Senior Software Engineer - Autonomous Systems

Palantir$145K — $200K *
Aerospace & Defense
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 5+ years of professional software development experience
  • 2+ years in system design or architecture for autonomous systems
  • 2+ years mentoring or leading engineering teams
  • Proficient in Rust, Python, C++, or Java
  • Bachelor's/Master's/PhD in Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, or related fields
  • Active US Security clearance or eligibility to obtain one

Responsibilities

  • Design, implement, and optimize software for autonomous systems
  • Develop algorithms for data processing from various sensors
  • Build AI-driven systems for threat assessment and response
  • Create integrations with sensors and autonomous platforms
  • Engineer scalable systems for high-stakes environments
  • Collaborate with robotics and hardware teams for integrated solutions

Benefits

  • Medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and dependents
  • Basic life, AD&D, and disability insurance coverage
  • Commuter benefits and relocation assistance
  • Generous paid time off policy including 'take what you need'
  • Additional two weeks of paid time off at year-end
  • 10 paid holidays each year
  • Supportive leave programs for military service and medical events
  • Paid leave for new parents and back-up care support
  • Fertility and family building benefits
  • 401k plan enrollment options
Full Job Description
The Role

We are seeking a Senior Software Engineer to join a customer-facing product engineering team focused on developing advanced Command and Control (C2) and Agentic Autonomy Software for Autonomous Systems for use in operational and tactical missions. This role involves building, integrating, and deploying state-of-the-art software solutions that combine sensors, actuators, unmanned vehicles, and intelligent decision-making systems including self-hosted and commercial LLMs to enable users to employ and manage robotic and autonomous systems across a variety of mission sets. You will work alongside other experts in sensing, artificial intelligence, physics and simulations, user experience, and edge system engineering to build and deliver solutions that redefine complex military and civilian mission scenarios in the real world.

As a part of this team, you will contribute directly to the development of cloud and edge software to command and control autonomous systems, including interfacing with onboard sensors (radar, cameras, RF, and other modalities) and real-time kinetic and non-kinetic systems for individual and swarms of systems. You will work alongside other experts in sensing, artificial intelligence, and systems engineering to shape solutions that redefine complex area defense scenarios.

Core Responsibilities

  • Design, implement, and optimize software for mission-critical autonomous systems using modern technologies and methodologies
  • Develop algorithms to process data from heterogeneous sensors for real-time state estimation and threat detection
  • Build LLM and AI-driven systems capable of assessing threats and rapidly making decisions to deploy responses to those threats
  • Develop integrations with a range of sensors, effectors, and autonomous platforms
  • Engineer scalable, reliable, and fail-safe systems capable of functioning in high-stakes environments
  • Partner with multidisciplinary teams, including robotics experts, hardware engineers, and system integrators, to deliver integrated solutions


What We Value

  • Proven experience in software development for autonomous systems, embedded systems, or robotics
  • Knowledge of AI/ML, sensor processing, or swarm behaviors is highly desirable
  • Knowledge of LLM toolchains and implementation of agents into complex real time data workflows
  • Ability to manage complexity, optimize for performance, and think critically under pressure
  • Experience deploying and maintaining robust production systems


What We Require

  • 5+ years of professional software development experience
  • 2+ years of experience contributing to the system design or architecture (architecture, design patterns, reliability and scaling) of new and existing systems
  • 2+ years of experience as a mentor, tech lead or leading an engineering team
  • Strong proficiency in Rust, Python, C++, or Java
  • Bachelor's/Master's/PhD in Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, or related fields
  • Active US Security clearance or eligibility and willingness to obtain a US Security clearance


Salary

The estimated salary range for this position is estimated to be $145,000 - $200,000/year. Total compensation for this position may also include Restricted Stock units, sign-on bonus and other potential future incentives. Further note that total compensation for this position will be determined by each individual's relevant qualifications, work experience, skills, and other factors. This estimate excludes the value of any potential sign-on bonus; the value of any benefits offered; and the potential future value of any long-term incentives.

Our benefits aim to promote health and wellbeing across all areas of Palantirians' lives. We work to continuously improve our offerings and listen to our community as we design and update them. The list below details our available benefits and some of the perks that can be enjoyed as an employee of Palantir Technologies.

Benefits
• Employees (and their eligible dependents) can enroll in medical, dental, and vision insurance as well as voluntary life insurance
• Employees are automatically covered by Palantir's basic life, AD&D and disability insurance
• Commuter benefits
• Relocation assistance
• Take what you need paid time off, not accrual based
• 2 weeks paid time off built into the end of each year (subject to team and business needs)
• 10 paid holidays throughout the calendar year
• Supportive leave of absence program including time off for military service and medical events
• Paid leave for new parents and subsidized back-up care for all parents
• Fertility and family building benefits including but not limited to adoption, surrogacy, and preservation
• Stipend to help with expenses that come with a new child
• Employees can enroll in Palantir's 401k plan

Life at Palantir

We want every Palantirian to achieve their best outcomes, that's why we celebrate individuals' strengths, skills, and interests, from your first interview to your longterm growth, rather than rely on traditional career ladders. Paying attention to the needs of our community enables us to optimize our opportunities to grow and helps ensure many pathways to success at Palantir. Promoting health and well-being across all areas of Palantirians' lives is just one of the ways we're investing in our community. Learn more at Life at Palantir and note that our offerings may vary by region.

In keeping consistent with Palantir's values and culture, we believe employees are "better together" and in-person work affords the opportunity for more creative outcomes. Therefore, we encourage employees to work from our offices to foster connectivity and innovation. Many teams do offer hybrid options (WFH a day or two a week), allowing our employees to strike the right trade-off for their personal productivity. Based on business need, there are a few roles that allow for "Remote" work on an exceptional basis. If you are applying for one of these roles, you must work from the state in which you are employed. If the posting is specified as Onsite, you are required to work from an office.

If you want to empower the world's most important institutions, you belong here.

About Palantir

Palantir Technologies is a software and services company that specializes in big data analytics. The company was founded in 2003 by a group of PayPal alumni, including Peter Thiel, and is headquartered in Denver, Colorado. Palantir's software is used by government agencies, financial institutions, and other organizations to analyze large amounts of data and make better decisions. The company has been the subject of controversy due to its work with government agencies, including the CIA and ICE.
Learn more about Palantir
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