Software Engineer - Control Center

Socket.dev; Sunnyvale (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Applied Intuition, Inc. is seeking a Software Engineer for the Control Center to build a central operational platform connecting autonomous vehicle fleets with human operators. You will own core backend domains, delivering low-latency, reliable systems spanning cloud and edge deployments.

You will collaborate across autonomy, perception, and vehicle teams to ensure robust APIs, data protocols, and real-time data pipelines, while owning the full software lifecycle and platform reliability.

Qualifications

• 4+ years designing, building, and operating production distributed systems using Go, C++, or Python.
• Hands-on experience with high-throughput streaming architectures and event-driven systems.
• Strong API design, data modeling, and distributed consensus with reliability and security in mind.
• Experience owning full software lifecycle including CI/CD, telemetry, on-call rotations, and RCAs.
• Ability to break down vague requirements and make pragmatic trade-offs in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent cross-functional communication bridging cloud software and hardware teams.

Responsibilities

• Architect, implement, scale, and maintain core Control Center subsystems from telemetry ingestion to mission orchestration.
• Design cloud and edge services where performance and safety impact outcomes.
• Collaborate with autonomy, perception, and vehicle-platform teams to define APIs and data protocols.
• Build data pipelines and APIs to turn vehicle metrics and logs into actionable intelligence.
• Deploy, observe, and harden SaaS services across cloud, private infra, and air-gapped environments.
• Partner with field engineers to debug live fleet operations and improve platform reliability.

Skills

Backend systems

Distributed systems

Go

C++

Python

Real-time data

APIs

Cloud services

CI/CD

Telemetry/Observability

On-call rotations

Edge/On-prem deployment

Tools

Kafka

gRPC

Time-series DBs

Kubernetes

Job description

Applied Intuition, Inc. is powering the future of physical AI. Founded in 2017 and now valued at $15 billion, the Silicon Valley company is creating the digital infrastructure needed to bring intelligence to every moving machine on the planet. Applied Intuition services the automotive, defense, trucking, construction, mining and agriculture industries in three core areas: tools and infrastructure, operating systems, and autonomy. Eighteen of the top 20 global automakers, as well as the United States military and its allies, trust the company’s solutions to deliver physical intelligence. Applied Intuition is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, with offices in Washington, D.C.; San Diego; Ft. Walton Beach, Florida; Ann Arbor, Michigan; London; Stuttgart; Munich; Stockholm; Bangalore; Seoul; and Tokyo. Learn more at applied.co.

We are an in-office company, and our expectation is that full-time employees primarily work from their Applied Intuition office 5 days a week. However, we also recognize the importance of flexibility and trust our employees to manage their schedules responsibly. This may include occasional remote work, starting the day with morning meetings from home before heading to the office, or leaving earlier when needed to accommodate family commitments. This in-office expectation does not apply to contractor positions

About the role

As a Software Engineer on the Control Center team, you will build the central operational platform that connects autonomous vehicle fleets to human operators across a wide range of industries including mining, commercial trucking, defense, industrial automation, and consumer AVs.

Control Center acts as the central nervous system for autonomous operations, handling everything from continuous telemetry ingestion and real-time digital twins to mission orchestration, safety-critical geofencing, and site-wide path planning.

In this role, you will own core platform domains end‑to‑end, building low‑latency, ultra‑reliable backend systems that scale across diverse vehicle types and operational environments-from public cloud deployments to air‑gapped, on‑premise sites.

At Applied Intuition, you will:

• Architect, implement, scale, and maintain critical control center subsystems - from high-throughput telemetry ingestion to live asset state tracking and mission orchestration

• Design cloud and edge services where performance and correctness directly impact physical safety, including geofence enforcement, proximity alerts, and remote mission execution

• Collaborate directly with autonomy, perception, and vehicle‑platform teams to establish robust APIs, data protocols, and state synchronization frameworks

• Build resilient data pipelines and APIs that transform high-volume vehicle metrics, logs, and state updates into actionable, queryable intelligence for customers

• Deploy, observe, and harden SaaS services operating across public cloud, private infrastructure, and air‑gapped on‑premise environments

• Partner with field engineers and deployment leads to debug live fleet operations, resolve real‑world edge cases, and continuously close the feedback loop on platform reliability

We're looking for someone who has:

• Proven backend/systems expertise: 4+ years of experience designing, building, and operating production distributed systems using Go, C++ or Python.

• Real‑time data experience: Hands‑on experience with high‑throughput streaming architectures, event‑driven systems, or time‑series data management (e.g., Kafka, gRPC, time‑series DBs).

• Strong system design & API instincts: Mastery of data modeling, API design, and distributed consensus, with a sharp focus on reliability, fault tolerance, and security.

• Production ownership mindset: Comfort managing the full software lifecycle—including CI/CD, telemetry/observability, on‑call rotations, and root‑cause analysis for edge‑case failure modes.

• Product ownership in ambiguous spaces: Ability to take vague requirements, break down complex domain problems, and execute pragmatic trade‑offs in a fast‑paced environment.

• Cross‑functional collaboration: Excellent communication skills with a track record of bridging technical gaps between cloud software and hardware platforms

Nice to have:

• Familiarity with robotics protocols and middleware (CAN, MQTT, DDS, SOME/IP).

• Experience deploying on Kubernetes across cloud‑hosted and air‑gapped/on‑prem environments.

• Background in safety‑critical, functional safety, or heavily regulated domains (e.g. mining, automotive, industrial automation).

Compensation at Applied Intuition for eligible roles includes base salary, equity, and benefits. Base salary is a single component of the total compensation package, which may also include equity in the form of options and/or restricted stock units, comprehensive health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance coverage, 401k retirement benefits with employer match, learning and wellness stipends, and paid time off. Note that benefits are subject to change and may vary based on jurisdiction of employment.

Applied Intuition pay ranges reflect the minimum and maximum intended target base salary for new hire salaries for the position. The actual base salary offered to a successful candidate will additionally be influenced by a variety of factors including experience, credentials & certifications, educational attainment, skill level requirements, interview performance, and the level and scope of the position.

Don’t meet every single requirement? If you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Applied Intuition is an equal opportunity employer and federal contractor or subcontractor. Consequently, the parties agree that, as applicable, they will abide by the requirements of 41 CFR 60-1.4(a), 41 CFR 60-300.5(a) and 41 CFR 60-741.5(a) and that these laws are incorporated herein by reference. These regulations prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities, and prohibit discrimination against all individuals based on their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin. These regulations require that covered prime contractors and subcontractors take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status or disability. The parties also agree that, as applicable, they will abide by the requirements of Executive Order 13496 (29 CFR Part 471, Appendix A to Subpart A), relating to the notice of employee rights under federal labor laws.

FOR US-BASED ROLES: Applied Intuition is committed to providing an accessible and inclusive application and interview experience to applicants who are disabled veterans and other applicants with disabilities or medical conditions. Reasonable accommodations are available, requesting an accommodation will not affect your candidacy in any way, and you are not required to disclose the nature of your disability or medical condition in order to make a request. If you require an accommodation please contact [e-mail]. We will work with you!