ATAK Plugin Engineer - Remote Edge AI for Tactical Ops

LMI; Pittsburgh (Allegheny County); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

LMI is seeking an ATAK Plugin Developer to design, develop, and deploy mission-critical ATAK plugins for tactical edge operations, including support for disconnected and low-bandwidth environments.

You will advance Edge MLOps, enable on-device ML, and integrate with TAK Server while ensuring DoD cybersecurity standards and RMF/STIG compliance. Collaboration with engineers, data scientists, and military stakeholders is essential.

Qualifications

• 3-5 years of software development experience, including mobile applications, plugin development, or backend systems.
• 2+ years of experience developing for Android platforms (using Kotlin and/or Java).
• Familiarity with edge computing concepts, including resource optimization on low-powered devices and intermittent or contested network environments.
• Proficiency in API integration and building highly-performant, secure software architectures.
• Understanding of military systems, particularly related to ATAK/Tactical Assault Kits.
• Knowledge of system security, particularly DoD cybersecurity guidelines and frameworks (e.g., STIGs, RMF compliance).
• Strong debugging, troubleshooting, and performance optimization skills for distributed systems and mobile apps.
• Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively within multi-disciplinary teams.
• Active Secret clearance (or ability to obtain one).

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and deliver custom ATAK plugins that enhance field-deployable tactical applications in disconnected, contested, or low-bandwidth environments.
• Leverage advanced techniques to enable Edge MLOps workflows and support distributed, on-device machine learning for real-time decision support and situational awareness.
• Work with geospatial data, real-time location services, and operational overlays to improve mapping and data visualization capabilities within ATAK.
• Support and extend functionality for TAK Server integration and ensure seamless data exchange between mobile applications and central server components.
• Optimize software to ensure efficient performance on low-resource devices in harsh or contested environments.
• Implement and maintain robust and secure API-based integrations (REST, WebSocket, gRPC, or similar) to support real-time collaboration and data sharing.
• Troubleshoot complex integration challenges, including data synchronization in environments with intermittent or limited connectivity.
• Ensure plugins align with military cybersecurity and STIG compliance requirements, providing DoD-compliant solutions.
• Document technical designs, workflows, and processes to ensure replicable, high-quality development and deployment efforts.
• Collaborate with multi-disciplinary teams, including software engineers, data scientists, and military stakeholders, to define and refine requirements.

Skills

Android development

Kotlin

Java

Edge computing

API integration

Security/compliance

Debugging

CI/CD

Docker/Kubernetes

Tools

TAK Server integrations

TAK plugins

GIS/Geospatial tools

Job description

LMI is seeking an ATAK Plugin Developer to design, develop, and deploy mission-critical ATAK plugins for tactical edge operations, including support for disconnected and low-bandwidth environments.

You will advance Edge MLOps, enable on-device ML, and integrate with TAK Server while ensuring DoD cybersecurity standards and RMF/STIG compliance. Collaboration with engineers, data scientists, and military stakeholders is essential.