Senior Software Engineer, World Modeling & Simulation

About Applied Intuition

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.

About The Role

We're seeking a Senior Software Engineer to architect the world representation layer at the heart of Applied Intuition's Acuity autonomy stack. If you've spent your career building the spatial worlds that games, simulations, or autonomous systems inhabit, defining how environments are structured, queried, and updated at high frequency this role was written for you. This is a senior, deeply technical position sitting at the intersection of computational geometry, real-time world modeling, and large-scale simulation.

• Design and implement core spatial data structures, including Entity Component System frameworks, spatial indexing, occupancy representations, and 4D object management for large-scale multi-agent environments.
• Own Mapping & Geometry Pipelines: Build and optimize the computational geometry and world-state systems that sit between raw sensor data and the path planning stack — including coordinate frame management, spatial queries, and environment abstraction layers.
• Drive Performance to the Metal: Write highly optimized C++ (C++20) with a focus on low-latency, cache-efficient, and memory-conscious design.
• Lead Technical Strategy & Integration: Drive architectural decisions and design clean APIs that enable cross-domain integration across air, ground, and maritime autonomy stacks.
• Collaborate & Mentor: Act as a technical anchor across teams — engaging proactively with sensor, planning, and simulation engineers to ensure the scene layer meets the needs of the full autonomy stack.

Requirements

We're looking for someone with 7+ years of professional software engineering experience, with deep expertise in spatial systems, world modeling, or simulation environments. Expert-level C++ skills (C++20 or later), including template metaprogramming, move semantics, SIMD, and performance optimization at the systems level. Hands-on experience building world or scene representations — from a game engine, sim platform, or autonomous system — including managing dynamic object state, spatial indexing, and real-time updates. Strong background in computational geometry: coordinate transformations, spatial data structures (BVH, octrees, k-d trees), geometric algorithms, and collision/proximity systems. Deep intuition for low-latency, high-throughput software design in real-time environments. Strong proficiency in Python and shell scripting for tooling and automation. Experience with agentic coding tools (Cursor, Claude Code, GitHub Copilot) and AI-assisted development workflows.

Travel Requirements

Must be willing to travel as projects require; average travel varies, but can be up to once a month for up to 1 week (~20%).

Security Requirements

Must be a U.S. Citizen. Must hold or be eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance. For more information about U.S. security clearances: click here.

Nice to Have

• Expertise with the Linux/Docker/C++ toolchains (including build systems like Nix and Bazel).
• Experience with temporal reasoning systems and 4D scene representation (space + time).
• Background in game development, simulation, or virtual environments.
• Understanding of autonomous systems or robotics software architectures.

Compensation

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.