Top Senior C++ Jobs in Washington, DC

Develop, integrate, and field autonomy software for launched effects platforms, owning features from design through live flight testing. Drive technical execution, collaborate with autonomy, perception, and vendor teams, support system bring-up and field operations, and implement C2 interoperability and deployment processes. Travel to tests and customer exercises to support mission execution and debugging.

Lead technical delivery and integration of autonomy software for V-BAT and X-BAT, defining flight-autonomy interfaces, integrating payloads and mission autonomy, coordinating cross-team engineering, ensuring mission readiness, supporting flight tests and deployments, mentoring engineers, and improving integration workflows and testing infrastructure.

Lead technical delivery and integration of autonomy software for launched effects, including autopilot integration, multi-agent coordination, and fleet-scale deployments. Collaborate with autonomy, perception, vendors, and customers; lead design, testing, debugging, mission support, documentation, and pre-deployment readiness for disconnected or air-gapped operational environments.

Lead technical delivery and integration of autonomy software for new platforms (air, maritime, space). Own end-to-end development, testing, and fielding of autonomy features, mentor teams, drive architecture and ICDs, support live tests, and transition R&D into operational capabilities.

Develop, integrate, and field autonomy capabilities for novel platforms (space, maritime, unmanned helicopters). Own end-to-end integration from software- and hardware-in-the-loop to live tests, partner with platform and cross-functional teams, support on-site testing, debug hardware/software issues, document designs, and improve integration and testing processes.

Lead technical strategy and engineering for autonomy on new platforms (space, maritime, contested logistics). Define architecture, guide development and integration, mentor senior engineers, support testing and deployments, resolve complex hardware/software integration issues, and transition R&D into operational programs.

Lead technical direction and integration for launched-effects autonomy across platforms. Develop and field mission autonomy, multi-agent coordination, and platform interfaces; drive architecture, standards, testing, deployments, and mentor senior engineers while supporting flight tests and operational customers.

Lead technical direction and architecture for expeditionary autonomy across V-BAT and X-BAT. Drive development, integration, validation, and fielding of mission autonomy, flight-autonomy interfaces, payloads, and multi-agent capabilities. Mentor senior engineers, influence cross-team engineering standards, support deployments and operational readiness, and define long-term strategy and interoperability for defense customers.

Develop, integrate, and field autonomy software for expeditionary unmanned aircraft (V-BAT/X-BAT). Own features from software-in-the-loop to live flight tests, collaborate with aircraft and perception teams, lead technical integration, support field deployments and mission testing, and troubleshoot hardware/software issues.

Lead software development and innovation efforts, mentor teams, manage projects and client relationships, and implement software solutions that drive digital transformation.

Serve as the technical lead modernizing mission-critical defense software: deploy and extend agentic modernization platforms, analyze large codebases, design scalable architectures, ensure RMF/NIST-compliant deployments, and deliver production-ready solutions in classified environments.

Lead the validation strategy for autonomous vehicle software, mentor team members, analyze autonomous behaviors, and develop testing strategies in this senior engineering role.

Lead design and implementation of tactical autonomy behaviors for unmanned platforms. Develop, test, and deploy multi-agent coordination, motion/behavior planning, and survivability features across vehicles while owning end-to-end system lifecycle and collaborating with integration teams and end users.

Lead architecture and implementation of high-performance C++ and Python systems, integrate distributed systems and hardware/software, manage CI/CD pipelines, debug and optimize real-time multi-threaded systems, guide end-to-end integration and verification, mentor engineers, and evaluate new technologies to improve system performance.

Develop, integrate, and field autonomy software for unmanned platforms; lead a small technical team through design-to-deployment; author ICDs; perform hardware/software debugging, system bring-up, simulation testing, and mission support; mentor engineers and coordinate with internal teams and external integrators. Travel ~10-20%.

Design, implement, and maintain C++ and Python software for cross-platform, distributed real-time systems. Contribute to system architecture, APIs/messaging (gRPC/REST/ZeroMQ), CI/CD, automated testing, and integration of third-party simulation and hardware. Debug threading/timing issues and improve development workflows.

Lead systems engineering for Hivemind-based autonomy products: define and manage requirements, develop system architectures and trade studies, coordinate hardware/software interfaces, support integration/verification/validation and testing, and identify and mitigate technical risks across the system lifecycle.

Integrate and deploy autonomy software onto unmanned aircraft, prepare flight-ready systems, support on-site flight tests, debug hardware/software issues, collect and analyze flight data, collaborate across autonomy, GNC, and test teams, and support certification, compliance, and process improvements.

Own and maintain native C++ build systems for autonomous aircraft. Improve developer velocity by reducing build/test cycle time, integrate CI with HIL and simulation, implement monitoring and alerts, troubleshoot build/test failures, and collaborate with engineers to design and deploy DevEx/DevOps solutions.

Develop, integrate, and field autonomy software on unmanned platforms; own end-to-end integration from simulation to live tests; debug embedded/latency-sensitive systems; support on-site flight/sea/space tests; ensure C2 interoperability and improve deployment/test tooling and processes.

Design, implement, and own tactical autonomy behaviors for unmanned platforms. Develop and test multi-agent coordination, motion and behavior planning, target engagement, and survivability features. Work across the software lifecycle, integrate with sensor, estimation, communications, and control systems, contribute to shared frameworks, and support platform integration and testing (travel up to 20%).

Design and implement tactical autonomy algorithms and high-performance software for unmanned air/land/sea platforms. Build behavior architectures, integrate classical and learning-based methods, run simulations and field tests, analyze mission data, and support defense programs and deployments.

Design and implement full‑stack, low‑latency web-based Ground Control Station and C2 systems (map-centric UIs, real-time telemetry, video streaming), lead architecture and APIs, mentor engineers, support field tests and mission deployments, and ensure interoperability with C2 standards.

Lead and grow a small autonomy engineering team to design, integrate, validate, and field autonomy software for launched effects. Own delivery, hiring, mentoring, technical direction, ICDs, pre-deployment validation, live test support, hardware/software debugging, and cross-team collaboration for multi-agent and air-gapped fleet deployments.

Lead design, integration, and fielding of autonomy software on unmanned platforms. Develop mission behaviors, platform control, multi-agent coordination, and deployment pipelines; own validation from simulation to live tests. Drive technical strategy, cross-team architecture, standards compliance, mentor senior engineers, and support on-site test/mission operations and hardware/software debugging.