Software Integration Engineer - Defense

Applied Intuition; Ann Arbor (MI); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Applied Intuition is seeking a Systems Integration Engineer to own hardware and software decisions, from compute and sensor architecture to drive-by-wire (DBW) integration. You will work hands-on across hardware, embedded, and autonomy software to take a vehicle from architecture to a working system.

You will define hardware architecture, coordinate wiring and sensor mounting, specify tuning requirements, and collaborate with autonomy and controls teams.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of experience in systems/integration engineering, preferably on automotive, robotics, defense, or autonomy programs.
• Working knowledge of vehicle hardware integration - harnessing, sensor/compute mounting, and hardware architecture.
• Comfortable making and owning real engineering tradeoffs under deadlines (e.g., tuning approach, sensor spec).
• Willingness and ability to travel extensively, including internationally.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, able to move between deep technical detail and high-level summaries.

Responsibilities

• Define hardware architecture for a build (compute, sensors) and procure long-lead components.
• Coordinate wiring harness design/build and sensor mounting workstreams across teams.
• Specify sensor tuning requirements and track them to closure with hardware and perception teams.
• Scope DBW validation and tuning plans with autonomy and low-level controls teams.
• Travel onsite domestically and internationally to lead vehicle builds and demo prep.
• Collaborate daily across hardware, embedded, and autonomy software teams to resolve issues.

Skills

Systems integration

Automotive hardware

Sensor integration

Travel willingness

Technical communication

Education

BS in Mechanical/Electrical/Systems Engineering

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

We're looking for a Systems Integration Engineer to own the hardware and software decisions that make a vehicle build actually work - from compute and sensor architecture down to harness routing, sensor tuning, and drive-by-wire (DBW) integration. You'll work hands-on across hardware, embedded, and autonomy software to take a vehicle from architecture to a working, demo-ready system.

What you'll do

Technical integration & hardware

• Define hardware architecture for a build (compute, sensors) and drive procurement of long-lead-time components, including supplier onboarding and purchasing-process decisions.
• Coordinate wiring harness design/build and sensor mounting workstreams, resolving cross-team dependencies between mechanical design, harness build, and shipping timelines.
• Specify sensor tuning requirements (e.g., camera ISP parameters, resolution, glass-to-glass latency) in partnership with hardware and perception teams, and track them to closure.

Autonomy & drive-by-wire coordination

• Partner with autonomy and low-level controls teams to scope DBW validation and tuning plans, distinguishing what's needed for teleoperation vs. full autonomy.
• Identify and flag technical risk early (e.g., insufficient DBW tuning lead time ahead of a demo) directly to the engineering team, and drive a resolution.

Field operations & site standup

• Travel onsite - domestically and internationally, including extended stays - to lead vehicle builds, hardware installs, and demo prep in person.
• Scope new operational sites in new regions from an engineering standpoint: assess power/network/IT infrastructure needs and prep hardware for regulatory/compliance site visits.

Cross-functional engineering collaboration

• Work daily across hardware, embedded, and autonomy software teams to resolve integration issues and keep builds moving.
• Communicate fluidly between deep technical detail and higher-level engineering summaries when working with adjacent teams.

What we're looking for

Required

• 2+ years of experience in systems/integration engineering, ideally on automotive, robotics, defense, or autonomy programs.
• Working knowledge of vehicle hardware integration - harnessing, sensor/compute mounting, and hardware architecture - sufficient to make and defend build decisions.
• Comfortable making and owning real engineering tradeoffs under a firm deadline (e.g., tuning approach, sensor spec, hardware architecture).
• Willingness and ability to travel extensively, including internationally and for multi-week stretches.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, able to move fluidly between deep technical detail and higher-level engineering summaries.

Preferred

• Experience with drive-by-wire (DBW) systems and low-level vehicle controls (PID tuning, system identification, slippage/traction compensation).
• Experience specifying or validating camera/sensor requirements (ISP tuning, latency, resolution, frame rate).
• Experience standing up new operational sites or facilities, including vendor sourcing and regulatory/permit coordination.
• BS in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related field.
• Experience on defense or government customer programs.

Security Requirements

• Must be a U.S. Citizen
• Must hold or be eligible for a U.S. Secret security clearance

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