Software Engineer, Rust Software Washington, DC

helsing.ai; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible paid time off

Medical and travel insurance

Remote work options

Job summary

Helsing.ai in Washington, DC is seeking a Systems-Level Software Engineer to work on Altra, a drone software platform. The ideal candidate will have over 5 years of experience in software engineering, particularly in Rust or similar systems-level languages. Responsibilities include designing and maintaining systems that perform reliably in challenging environments.

Join a mission-driven team focused on advancing autonomous capabilities and contributing to national defense.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in systems-level software engineering.
• Experience with AI/ML pipelines and handling inference outputs.
• Familiarity with robotics, embedded systems, or protocol design.

Responsibilities

• Designing and building Rust services across the platform.
• Collaborating with ML engineers to integrate AI/ML pipelines.
• Contributing to autonomy features and real-time system management.

Skills

Proficient in Rust

Experience in C++

Building distributed systems

Familiar with Python

Experience with real-time systems

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Simulation environments

Job description

Helsing develops artificial intelligence‑enabled capabilities to protect and defend democracies. We build Altra, an AI‑powered drone software platform, and HX‑2, our autonomous drone. We are growing our US operations, cultivating an ambitious and committed team of mission‑driven professionals to apply their skills to solve challenging problems.

The role

You will work on Altra, Helsing’s drone software platform, primarily written in Rust. You will design and build systems‑level software that powers autonomous capabilities in challenging operational environments. You do not need to be a drone expert — but you should be a strong systems programmer who thrives in low‑latency, high‑reliability environments and is excited to apply those skills to a mission‑critical product.

The day-to-day

• Designing, building, and maintaining Rust services across the Altra platform
• Collaborating with ML engineers to integrate AI/ML pipelines into the broader system
• Working across the stack, from networking and protocol implementation to application‑level services
• Contributing to increasingly advanced autonomy features
• Developing and testing software using simulation environments
• Writing software that must perform reliably on resource‑constrained platforms under real‑world constraints

You should apply if you

• Have 5+ years of experience in systems‑level software engineering
• Have a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field
• Are proficient in Rust, or have strong experience in C++ or another systems‑level compiled language with a willingness to work in Rust daily
• Have experience building distributed systems, particularly in unreliable or constrained network environments
• Have worked with real‑time or low‑latency systems where performance and reliability are critical
• Have experience with at least one or two areas relevant to our stack: video streaming, pub/sub messaging, sensor data processing, embedded systems, protocol design, or robotics
• Have designed or built systems that interface with AI/ML pipelines — streaming data to models, handling inference outputs, managing pipeline orchestration
• Are familiar with Python, particularly for interfacing with ML/AI components
• Are a U.S. citizen eligible to obtain a security clearance

Nice to have

• Direct experience with Rust in production systems
• Background in robotics, autonomous vehicles, or drone systems
• Experience with sensor fusion or multi‑sensor data processing
• Familiarity with swarming, multi‑agent systems, or decentralized coordination algorithms
• Experience with constrained or embedded platforms
• Familiarity with Nix or NixOS for reproducible builds and development environments
• Experience with SITL/HITL (Software/Hardware-In-The-Loop) simulation and testing frameworks for autonomous systems
• Experience with RF communications, telemetry, or datalink systems
• Background in defense or national security

What we offer

A focus on outcomes, not time‑tracking.

A generous compensation and benefits package (in addition to base salary) that includes, but may not be limited to, insurance coverage (medical and travel), flexible paid time off, paid holidays, and remote and/or hybrid work available depending on position. All compensation and benefits are subject to the terms and conditions of the underlying plans or programs, as applicable and as may be amended, terminated or superseded from time to time.

Helsing is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We will consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, genetics, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.