Full-Stack Software Developer, Frontend & UX

Swarm Defense; Auburn Hills (MI); On-site; USD 95,000 - 135,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation Assistance

Comprehensive Health Benefits

Retirement Plan

Job summary

Swarm Defense is seeking a self-starting Full-Stack Software Developer with a sharp eye for frontend design and user experience. You will design, build, and maintain intuitive interfaces behind our drone operations software, collaborating with developers, operators and stakeholders to deliver impactful solutions.

This role emphasizes visual polish, responsive interfaces, and real-time data displays, with opportunities to contribute across desktop and Android platforms.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of professional frontend-focused software development.
• Portfolio showing interface and UX work you designed and shipped.
• Experience with React and TypeScript and familiarity with REST APIs and websockets.

Responsibilities

• Design and build interfaces for mission planning and live operations across desktop and Android.
• Turn operator workflows into wireframes, prototypes and polished UI.
• Ensure hand-controller first interfaces with touch as a secondary input.
• Maintain a shared component library and design system.
• Develop real-time visualizations including 2D/3D maps and live telemetry.
• Create backend features (REST and websocket services) to support interfaces.
• Participate in code reviews and improve testing, docs, and quality.

Skills

React TypeScript

UI/UX Design

Go or Python

REST & Websockets

Git / CI/CD

Tools

Figma

GitHub Actions

Mapbox GL

Job description

As we continue to grow, Swarm Defense is looking for a self-starting Full-Stack Software Developer with a strong eye for frontend design and user experience. Our integrated software suite powers every stage of our operations, from mission design and field deployment to fleet management and real-time command interfaces. Our operators use these tools under pressure: often outdoors, on handheld controllers, with a single person directing many drones at once. In this role, you'll design, build and maintain the interfaces behind these systems, collaborating closely with developers, operators and stakeholders to deliver solutions that matter.

We're a small, close-knit team, and we care as much about who you are as what you can build. We're looking for someone who communicates openly, takes feedback well, and makes the people around them better.

As we continue to grow, Swarm Defense is looking for a self-starting Full-Stack Software Developer with a strong eye for frontend design and user experience. Our integrated software suite powers every stage of our operations, from mission design and field deployment to fleet management and real-time command interfaces. Our operators use these tools under pressure: often outdoors, on handheld controllers, with a single person directing many drones at once. In this role, you'll design, build and maintain the interfaces behind these systems, collaborating closely with developers, operators and stakeholders to deliver solutions that matter.

We're a small, close-knit team, and we care as much about who you are as what you can build. We're looking for someone who communicates openly, takes feedback well, and makes the people around them better.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and build interfaces for mission planning (Swarm Studio), fleet management (Swarm Pilot) and live operations (Strike Deck) across desktop and Android.
• Turn operator workflows into wireframes, prototypes and polished UI, and validate them with operators and customers.
• Design interfaces that are hand-controller first, with touch as a convenience, so operators can plan, fly and command without taking their hands off the controls.
• Build and maintain a shared component library and design system used across our applications.
• Develop real-time visualizations, including 2D and 3D maps, telemetry and live video, that stay responsive with thousands of moving entities.
• Build the backend features (REST and websocket services in Go or Python) that your interfaces need.
• Participate in code reviews, promote team best practices, and contribute to code quality, testing and documentation.
• Support customer relations and internal teams with software troubleshooting and documentation.
• Participate in field testing opportunities as needed.

Requirements

• Proof of US citizenship required.
• 3+ years of professional software development experience with a focus on frontend.
• Proficiency in React with TypeScript. Go and Python preferred; comparable languages and demonstrated ability to learn new languages acceptable.
• A portfolio showing interface and UX work you designed and shipped, whether production products, design files or case studies.
• Experience with Figma or a similar design and prototyping tool.
• Strong CSS and layout skills, including responsive and accessible design.
• Experience keeping interfaces fast with large, frequently updating data sets.
• Solid understanding of web technologies including REST APIs and websockets.
• Experience writing code for testability and running test suites in CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions or similar).
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate on complex software projects with many moving parts and leverage effective git version control.
• Effective communicator comfortable working with technical and non-technical team members.

Bonus Points

• Ability to identify user experience friction points and empathize with users, even before feedback is given.
• React Native or Expo, native Android, or Electron experience.
• Building rich, interactive map experiences with Mapbox GL, MapLibre, Leaflet or Cesium, including custom layers, 3D terrain and elevation, and offline map tiles for disconnected field use.
• Map-based editing tools: drawing and adjusting flight paths, waypoints, geofences and target marks directly on the map.
• 3D rendering with Three.js or WebGL, including thousands of live, moving entities on a map without dropping frames.
• GIS fundamentals: coordinate systems and projections, GeoJSON, raster and vector tiles, and military map symbology (MIL-STD-2525).
• Designing for field conditions: bright sunlight, gloves, unreliable networks, and high-stress operators.
• Designing for gamepad, joystick or hand-controller input, including focus navigation and button mapping.
• Live video in web or mobile apps (WebRTC, GStreamer or similar).
• Understanding of networking and the challenges of managing connections with thousands of devices.
• Experience working with AI code development tools across the software development workflow.

Benefits

• Relocation Assistance: We offer financial support to help with your move, ensuring a smooth transition as you join our team.
• Comprehensive Health Benefits: We cover 100% of health insurance premiums for our employees.
• Retirement Plan: We offer a Simple IRA with employer contributions to help you plan for your future.

Swarm Defense is a rapidly expanding business operating in a dynamic and fast-paced environment that presents fresh challenges driven by project needs and customer feedback. Our team is passionate and deeply invested in the work we do, taking pride in the innovative products we build. We believe in rewarding initiative and encourage team members to take ownership of projects and explore areas that align with their passions. Whether it's improving existing systems or pioneering new ideas, our culture fosters creativity, autonomy, and continuous growth.

Swarm Defense is a sister company to Firefly Drone Shows and Systems, with an engineering team that works across both companies.