Senior Development Engineer
NODA AI
Senior Development Engineer
NODA AI
AI-driven platform to orchestrate autonomous systems
Location: Washington, DC (Hybrid on-site)
Travel: <25%
Clearance: U.S. Citizenship and ability to obtain a security clearance required
NODA is a veteran-owned, venture-backed defense technology company building the orchestration layer for autonomous unmanned systems. Our platform coordinates fleets of heterogeneous vehicles across air, sea, and land for defense and intelligence customers. We expect every hire to be mission-driven with strong agency.
NODA Recon Works imagines the future of autonomous warfare, then builds it. We are a small team of multidisciplinary technical experts that scouts, analyzes, prototypes, and delivers de-risked technologies to integrate into our products or become new ones altogether.
Engineers wanted for challenging journey. Fast pace, uncertain requirements, imaginative leaps expected, path to production sometimes doubtful. Defense of the free world in case of success.
As Senior Development Engineer - Recon Works, you are a broad technical expert that has experience in and curiosity for multiple engineering disciplines. You are passionate about emerging technology as is or could be applied to defense and thinking holistically about how to bring it all together. Imagination, creativity, and comfort with ambiguity are more important than recall of systematized knowledge.
Scout emerging technologies and recommend if/how to include them into future concepts or products
Conduct buy/build/partner assessments for promising technologies that enable heterogeneous autonomy orchestration
Generate new ideas (and the plans to test them) that challenge the status quo
Create prototyping plans to de-risk the most critical unanswered questions about applying a technology to the orchestration problem
Execute developmental prototyping projects and oversee technical progress
Create and manage research relationships with academic institutions
Bachelor's degree in a STEM field
5+ years of program or technical delivery in defense environments
Fluency in multiple technical domains
Intellectual curiosity and adaptability
U.S. citizenship; Secret security clearance eligibility
Graduate degree in a STEM field
Demonstrated experience with both execution and leadership of complex projects
Existing TS/SCI clearance
Experience implementing MBSE using SysML
Imagination and creativity: you view engineering as a creative act, not only as a set of deterministic procedures to make scientific knowledge useful; imagination is more important than knowledge
Comfort with ambiguity: you develop and test directionally correct ideas but you are willing to be wrong and abandon when the technical feasibility or market does not support them
High agency: you are motivated to ideate but also create the structure to implement without being told exactly what to do or how
Technical credibility: you have worked in multiple technical domains, are comfortable moving across them, and curious to learn new ones
Communication: you are equally comfortable speaking to operators and technical experts
Our culture fosters collaboration, respect, and trust, empowering passionate people to do their best work. We offer a competitive salary, comprehensive benefits, and opportunities for career growth. In addition to an opportunity to take part in an innovative, collaborative and fast-growing business with a highly motivated and skilled team, we also take pride in taking care of our employees. Here are just a few ways that we show our appreciation:
We offer comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans
401(k) Retirement Savings Plan to invest in your long-term retirement goals + Company match
Equity grants for new hires
Unlimited PTO
11 Paid holidays
Extremely generous company holiday calendar, including a holiday hiatus in November & December.
Generous Parental Leave
Military Leave for annual training or service requirements
FSA
DCFSA
HSA
Professional Development Opportunities
Access to One Medical
Mental Health Resources: We provide free mental health resources 24/7 including therapy and more. Additional work-life services, such as free legal and financial support, are available to you as well.
Senior Development Engineer → Technology Lead → Deputy CTO
To conform to U.S. government export control regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR), you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or otherwise eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State or U.S. Department of Commerce.
NODA AI is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and respectful workplace and to maintaining equitable employment and hiring practices. We provide equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees and make all employment decisions without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.
As a federal contractor, NODA AI complies with all applicable equal employment opportunity and affirmative action requirements, including Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, and the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 (VEVRAA), as amended. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified applicants and employees with disabilities throughout the recruiting, hiring, and employment process.
Consistent with applicable federal, state, and local laws, qualified applicants with criminal histories will be considered for employment in a manner consistent with applicable fair chance and ban-the-box laws, including the Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance where applicable. We actively encourage qualified individuals of all backgrounds, including women, minorities, protected veterans, and individuals with disabilities, to apply.
NODA AI is committed to fostering an inclusive, supportive, and accessible work environment for all applicants and employees. If you require accommodations or assistance during the application process, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at [email protected] or contact your recruiter so we can provide the support you need.
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Noda Intelligence develops a Master Orchestrator platform that coordinates autonomous systems across land, air, sea, and cyber domains for defense operators. It unifies hardware, sensors, and data streams into a single command interface using edge computing and machine learning to enable swarming and automated mission planning. Its hardware-agnostic approach and software-defined interoperability let it plug into legacy infrastructure and devices from multiple manufacturers, without vendor lock-in. The goal is to be the connective tissue of the modern battlefield, turning raw sensor data into actionable intelligence and coordinated autonomous actions for government and military partners.
Explore more opportunities at NODA AI