Chief Software Architect

Fruition Group US; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Fruition Group US seeks a Chief Software Architect to define and lead the software architecture underpinning next‑generation autonomous maritime systems. This senior technical leadership role combines hands‑on software engineering with architectural ownership across complex, safety‑critical distributed systems.

You will drive architecture, standards and CI/CD practices, mentor teams, and collaborate across autonomy, navigation and control domains to deliver reliable and high‑performance vessels.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of software engineering experience with architectural responsibility.
• Expert-level C++ and strong design and architectures.
• Experience designing complex, distributed or real-time software systems.
• Strong understanding of Agile, CI/CD, automated testing and modern practices.
• Experience in robotics, autonomous systems, defence or maritime tech is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Define and own the software architecture and long-term technical roadmap for autonomous maritime platforms.
• Lead software engineering best practices across C++, modern software design, Agile development and CI/CD.
• Architect scalable, reliable and high-performance systems for autonomous vessel operations.
• Drive software integration across autonomy, navigation, perception, communications and control systems.
• Establish engineering standards, code quality, testing strategies and lifecycle processes.
• Provide technical leadership, mentor engineering teams and collaborate across multidisciplinary functions.

Skills

C++ expert

Software architecture

Distributed systems

Agile & CI/CD

Technical leadership

Job description

I’m partnering with an innovative maritime autonomy organisation developing advanced unmanned surface vessels (USVs) for demanding real-world and defence applications.

We’re seeking a Chief Software Architect to define and lead the software architecture underpinning next-generation autonomous maritime systems. This is a senior technical leadership role combining hands‑on software engineering expertise with architectural ownership across complex, safety‑critical and distributed systems.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and own the software architecture and long-term technical roadmap for autonomous maritime platforms.
• Lead software engineering best practices across C++, modern software design, Agile development and CI/CD.
• Architect scalable, reliable and high-performance systems for autonomous vessel operations.
• Drive software integration across autonomy, navigation, perception, communications and control systems.
• Establish engineering standards, code quality, testing strategies and software lifecycle processes.
• Provide technical leadership, mentor engineering teams and collaborate across multidisciplinary functions.

Experience & Requirements

• 10+ years of software engineering experience, with significant architectural responsibility.
• Expert-level C++ and strong software design and systems architecture capabilities.
• Proven experience designing complex, distributed or real-time software systems.
• Strong understanding of Agile methodologies, CI/CD, automated testing and modern development practices.
• Experience with robotics, autonomous systems, defence, maritime technology or embedded systems is highly desirable.
• Demonstrated ability to set technical direction and influence engineering teams at scale.

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