Backend C++ Engineer – Defense Autonomy & Edge Systems

Applied Intuition; Ann Arbor (MI); On-site; USD 100,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401k with employer match

Paid time off

Learning & wellness stipends

Dental, vision, life and disability

Job summary

Applied Intuition in Ann Arbor is seeking talented backend C++ engineers to contribute to Axion and Acuity, our flagship defense products. You will architect, implement, and own backend infrastructure that runs at the edge of what's technically possible, in environments where the stakes are real.

You will partner closely with autonomy researchers, product teams, and defense customers to translate mission requirements into robust software solutions, building scalable systems for multi-domain

Qualifications

• Professional software engineering experience with C++ at the core.
• Deep backend fundamentals: systems programming, concurrency, performance optimization, and distributed systems.
• Genuine interest in autonomy, robotics, or physical AI, connecting code to real-world machines.
• Exposure to or curiosity about multi-domain defense systems, not required but welcome.
• Strong CS/CE/EE foundation; rigor in correctness and performance.
• Python proficiency for tooling, scripting, and integration work.
• Thrives in ambiguity and fast-moving environments with clear progress.
• Excellent communication skills for technical tradeoffs.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement high-performance backend systems in C++ for Axion and Acuity.
• Tackle hard autonomy challenges across multi-domain environments.
• Build scalable, reliable infrastructure for autonomous systems in degraded conditions.
• Partner with researchers, product teams, and defense customers to translate requirements into software.

Skills

C++

Backend engineering

Concurrency

Performance optimization

Distributed systems

Python

Job description

Applied Intuition in Ann Arbor is seeking talented backend C++ engineers to contribute to Axion and Acuity, our flagship defense products. You will architect, implement, and own backend infrastructure that runs at the edge of what's technically possible, in environments where the stakes are real.

You will partner closely with autonomy researchers, product teams, and defense customers to translate mission requirements into robust software solutions, building scalable systems for multi-domain