Sift is the data infrastructure platform for hardware engineering teams. Sift turns high-frequency telemetry into engineering insights for mission-critical systems. Teams use Sift to build and operate rockets, satellites, autonomous vehicles, energy systems, defense platforms, and more.
Founded by former SpaceX engineers who built the tools behind Dragon and Starlink, Sift is building the data infrastructure to herald the AI era for physical systems.
The RoleWe are looking for a hands-on Software Engineering Manager to lead our Edge Systems squad. The squad builds Sift Edge, a high-performance server and feature-rich desktop client written from the ground up in Rust. Sift Edge captures full-fidelity data right at the hardware, ingests live sensor streams on a single local machine no matter how remote the site, writes every measurement to disk the moment it arrives, and serves live and historical views in a responsive desktop app. You will expand Sift Edge to support the most rigorous data ingestion and test scenarios in the most extreme environments. Future directions include supporting command and control (C2) capabilities. You will also own development of our open-source client libraries. Customers across aerospace, defense, energy, biomedical tech, transportation and construction rely on this work to test and operate their hardware.
This role will report directly to the VP of Engineering and is ideal for someone who loves working on the cutting edge of science and technology.
Core ResponsibilitiesLeadership: Manage and build a team of high-performing engineers, provide mentorship and guidance to accelerate their growth.
Strategy: Collaborate with our Product and Go-To-Market teams to define the technical roadmap for Sift Edge and our open-source client libraries.
Execution: Ensure the team delivers best-in-class results at high velocity while meeting the performance and reliability bar that field testing in extreme environments demands.
Process Excellence: Establish and refine engineering processes, agile rituals and use of AI to accelerate development and expand our core capabilities.
Hands-on Contribution: Actively engage the architecture and codebase across the Sift Edge server, desktop client and client libraries, contribute to high-impact features and help resolve critical technical challenges.
Experience: 7+ years in software engineering with 2+ years in a people management role.
Education: Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, STEM, or a related field.
Software Development: Strong experience building high-performance, low-latency systems in Rust, with working knowledge of Go or Python.
Operations Expertise: Experience with real-time data acquisition, high-throughput ingestion, and durable local storage. Familiarity with cross-platform desktop applications and software deployed on-premises, offline, or in air-gapped environments.
Leadership: Proven ability to guide teams through ambiguity and a track record of being a "force multiplier" for engineering talent.
Experience in Aerospace, Autonomous Vehicles, Robotics, Defense or Energy.
Experience with hardware test stands, data acquisition systems, or field test operations.
Experience maintaining open-source projects or developer-facing client libraries.
Experience in leading AI-first teams and AI initiatives.
You'll have the opportunity to help evolve and scale our platform because we're still in the early stages of building the product. Relevant technologies include:
Web frontend & backend: ECharts, Go, gRPC, PostgreSQL, Protobuf, Radix, React, Redux, and TypeScript
Data: Arrow, DataFusion, Flink, Parquet, and Rust
Infrastructure: Argo CD, AWS, Docker, GitHub Actions, Grafana, Kubernetes, Kustomize, Linux, Prometheus, and Terragrunt
Real Impact: Build the infrastructure that enables the next generation of hardware breakthroughs.
Amazing Talent: Work alongside veterans from NASA JPL, SpaceX, Palantir, Google, Amazon, Tesla, and the Defense Intelligence Agency.
Vibrant Culture: Develop great things with people who all love what they are doing.
In-Person Collaboration: Join us in our Marina Del Rey office (2x per week) to stay close to the hardware companies we serve.
Comprehensive Benefits: Unlimited PTO, equity ownership, 401(k), and full medical/dental/vision coverage.
Sift's headquarters is in Marina Del Rey, CA. We collaborate in person twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays, and come together for a full week once every quarter. We're open to relocating candidates to LA for the right candidate.
Salary range: $200,000 - $265,000 per year. Plus equity and benefits.
U.S. Person Required: Must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident (Green Card Holder), or protected individual such as an asylee or refugee in compliance with ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations) / EAR (Export Administration Regulations) regulations.
Skills Required
- 7+ years of software engineering experience
- 2+ years of people management experience
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, STEM, or a related field
- Strong experience building high-performance, low-latency systems in Rust
- Working knowledge of Go or Python
- Experience with real-time data acquisition, high-throughput ingestion, and durable local storage
- Familiarity with cross-platform desktop applications
- Experience deploying software on-premises, offline, or in air-gapped environments
- Proven ability to guide teams through ambiguity and act as a force multiplier for engineering talent
- Experience in aerospace, autonomous vehicles, robotics, defense, or energy
- Experience with hardware test stands, data acquisition systems, or field test operations
- Experience maintaining open-source projects or developer-facing client libraries
- Experience leading AI-first teams and AI initiatives
- U.S. citizenship, lawful permanent residency, or protected individual status meeting ITAR/EAR requirements
What We Do
Sift is transforming how modern machines are built and operated. Our platform goes beyond traditional monitoring, enabling automated data review that catches unusual conditions in systems too complex for manual checks. This not only enhances reliability but also dramatically speeds up development cycles. At our core, we provide a unified solution for ingesting, storing, and analyzing vast amounts of machine data. By combining powerful data processing with easy-to-use visualizations, we help engineers make sense of enormous amounts of information. From spacecraft to self-driving cars, Sift is the backbone of innovation for companies pushing technology to new limits. Born from the challenges of spaceflight, Sift aims to accelerate technological progress. We believe that by giving engineers better tools to understand and improve their creations, we can unlock a new era of innovation. Our mission goes beyond solving today's engineering problems; we're building the foundation for a future where the most ambitious machines are developed with confidence, run with precision, and constantly improved. We're also tackling related challenges like simplifying regulatory compliance, and improving manufacturing processes. By connecting data from various sources—from sensors to manufacturing records to regulatory requirements—we're empowering a new generation of engineers to build the technologies that will shape our world. Join us in our journey to usher in this new age of reliable, groundbreaking technology. Whether you're launching rockets, developing autonomous systems, or advancing energy and transportation, Sift is your partner in turning vast amounts of data into insights that drive innovation forward.
