Technical Lead Software Engineer - Multi-Agent Mission Systems

About The Role

Applied is seeking a Technical Team Lead with strong foundations in algorithmic optimization, multi-agent systems and all-around leadership skills. You'll lead the team tackling the most complex computational challenges in our real-time decision-making platform, helping set the technical direction for advanced algorithms that push the boundaries of autonomous coordination and planning. We're seeking a mission-driven senior technical leader for our Autonomous Behaviors and Agents engineering team, focused on next-generation human-machine teaming and real-time decision-making systems. You'll guide a team of engineers building intelligent agents that plan and execute missions using advanced reasoning, planning, and optimization algorithms, while remaining hands-on where it matters most. Our work spans real-time scenarios, heterogeneous platforms (air, space, land, surface, sub-surface), and software that integrates seamlessly with human operators. If you thrive on owning outcomes in fast-moving, mission-oriented environments and love building autonomy that helps our warfighters, this is your role. Your leadership will shape our Axion and Acuity family of systems, enabling breakthrough capabilities in human-machine teaming across all domains. If you're passionate about translating cutting-edge algorithms into shipped, mission-critical capability and growing the engineers who build it, then this opportunity might be for you!

At Applied Intuition, You Will

• Drive the technical vision, architecture, and roadmap for the Autonomous Behaviors and Agents team, and direct execution from concept through delivery
• Lead, mentor, and grow a team of engineers, driving design reviews, setting engineering standards, and raising the bar on code quality and algorithmic rigor
• Guide the design and implementation of multi-agent optimization algorithms for distributed decision-making and coordination problems
• Direct development of temporal logic frameworks and constraint-satisfaction algorithms for complex planning scenarios
• Partner with product, program, and customer-facing stakeholders to translate mission needs into technical priorities, scope, and delivery commitments
• Coordinate cross-team integration and de-risk dependencies across the Axion and Acuity system families

We're Looking For Someone Who Has

• MS or PhD in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Robotics, or a related technical field, OR 8+ years of professional experience developing intelligent agents or planning systems
• 8+ years of hands-on experience developing performant modern C++ (we use C++20), with 2+ years leading engineering teams or serving as a technical lead on complex software programs
• Depth in one or more of the formal foundations underpinning this work, for example: automated and temporal planning (PDDL, HDDL, HTN); multi-criteria constraint and combinatorial optimization (MILP, CP-SAT, graph/matching, metaheuristics); temporal logic (LTL/STL/MTL) for constraint specification and verification; distributed consensus and CRDTs for coordination under partial connectivity; and formal verification / model checking for auditable, certifiable behavior
• A track record of setting technical direction, driving architectural decisions, and delivering complex systems through a team, not just as an individual contributor
• Strong theoretical understanding and practical experience implementing algorithms for constraint satisfaction, scheduling, and optimization problems
• Deep procedural and object-oriented programming experience that employs clean code principles and good OOP design patterns, with the judgment to enforce them pragmatically across a codebase
• Experience developing in Docker and containerized development environments, and using Linux-based operating systems (e.g., RHEL, Ubuntu)
• Understanding of service-oriented architecture and message broker vs. data broker paradigms, and experience making system-level architectural tradeoffs
• Ability to translate complex mathematical concepts into clear technical documentation, and to communicate designs, tradeoffs, and status crisply to both engineers and non-technical stakeholders
• Experience mentoring engineers, running design and code reviews, and building healthy, high-performing team culture

Nice To Have

• Prior work on defense, aerospace, or other safety-critical autonomy programs
• Experience representing engineering in customer or program reviews
• Experience with game theory for multi-agent coordination or negotiation protocols
• Familiarity with real-time optimization under hardware/edge constraints
• Background in Battle Management Command and Control (BMC2) or defense applications

Travel Requirements

Occasional travel required (approx. 10–20%) for demonstrations, integration, or customer engagement.

Security Clearance

Must be a U.S. Citizen. Must be eligible for a U.S. SECRET clearance with Special Access Program (SAP) eligibility.

Pay

Compensation range: $225K - $275K base salary (eligible roles also include equity, comprehensive health/dental/vision/life/disability insurance, 401k with employer match, learning and wellness stipends, and paid time off).