Staff Software Engineer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Staff Software Engineer

Company Overview:

Allen Control Systems (ACS) is a cutting-edge defense startup founded by two former Navy electrical engineers with a proven track record in robotics and software. We are developing an autonomous gun turret using advanced computer vision and control systems to precisely detect, track, and neutralize enemy drones.

With an engineering-first culture, ACS values technical excellence and innovation. Backed by our founders’ successful exits from two previous ventures acquired for a combined $180M in 2022, we are committed to ensuring that the groundbreaking technologies we develop have a real-world impact.

Position Overview:

We are seeking a highly skilled Staff Software Engineer to join our team in Austin. TX or Mountain View, CA. In this role you will serve as a senior individual contributor, providing technical leadership across software architecture, system design, and execution for advanced robotics and autonomous systems. This is a hands-on engineering role in which you will design, implement, test, debug, and optimize critical software components using C++ and Python while also guiding broader technical direction.

What You'll Do:

• Own complex technical initiatives from initial concept and architecture through implementation, integration, validation, and production deployment.

• Contribute directly to the codebase, particularly in technically challenging or high-risk areas, and ensure that solutions align with product, safety, scalability, reliability, and long-term maintainability goals.

• Define and evolve software architecture, establish engineering standards, and lead the design of systems that integrate software, mechanical, electrical, perception, controls, and autonomy components.

• Work through technical influence and cross-functional collaboration rather than formal people management.

• Partner with engineering managers, product leaders, and multidisciplinary teams to shape technical roadmaps, identify and mitigate high-impact risks, improve system performance, and deliver robust software for demanding production and mission-critical environments.

What You'll Need:

• 10+ years of professional Software Engineering experience with recent experience in a Senior/Staff level position

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field; an advanced degree is preferred.

• Significant experience developing complex software systems in C++ and Python, ideally within robotics, autonomous systems, embedded systems, or other high-performance engineering environments.

• A demonstrated track record as a senior individual contributor who has personally designed, implemented, and delivered complex or business-critical software systems while influencing technical direction across multiple teams.

• Demonstrated ability to lead software architecture and system-level technical decision-making across multidisciplinary teams, including mechanical, electrical, computer vision, controls, and software engineering.

• Deep experience with performance optimization, multithreading, concurrency, memory management, system programming, debugging, and software reliability in production or mission-critical environments.

• Strong understanding of software engineering best practices, including design patterns, code reviews, unit and integration testing, technical documentation, Git-based workflows, CI/CD pipelines, and agile development practices.

• Proven ability to influence technical direction without relying on formal authority, resolve complex engineering tradeoffs, and drive alignment across teams in a fast-paced product development environment.

• Strong problem-solving, communication, and technical judgment skills, with the ability to balance strategic technical leadership with substantial hands-on engineering contributions.

You'll Stand Out:

• Experience architecting and directly implementing software for robotics, autonomy, perception, navigation, controls, or real-time systems.

• Experience with GPU programming, CUDA, OpenCL, parallel computing, or hardware-accelerated software optimization.

• Knowledge of networking protocols, distributed systems, edge computing, embedded Linux, or real-time operating systems.

• Exposure to machine learning frameworks such as TensorFlow or PyTorch, computer vision pipelines, sensor fusion, or scientific computing.

• Experience establishing engineering standards, technical roadmaps, design review processes, or software governance practices across growing engineering organizations.

• A track record of leading large, technically complex initiatives across multiple teams while remaining directly involved in architecture, coding, debugging, integration, and delivery.

What We Offer:

• Competitive salary

• ACS Equity Package

• Health, Dental, Vision Insurance

• Paid Time Off

Allen Control Systems is an Equal Opportunity Employer, providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment. Allen Control Systems prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

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Compensation Range: $176K - $294K