Swarm Aero is redefining air power, building the largest swarming UAV and the most versatile swarming aircraft network in the world. The company is moving quickly to launch the first aircraft designed specifically for swarming, as well as the Command & Control software to mobilize swarms of thousands of heterogeneous autonomous assets and empower human operators to achieve superhuman results.The team has created and exited multiple startups, negotiated defense deals worth billions of dollars, and designed and built 30+ novel aircraft, with aerospace experience from Scaled Composites, Airbus, Archer Aviation, Blue Origin, and Boom Supersonic.About the RoleMost software engineers never see their code tested against reality. At Swarm Aero, that's the baseline.We are looking for a Forward Deployed Software Engineer to embed directly with U.S. government and military customers and own the technical success of our C2 systems in the field. You will be the person who makes our software work -- not in a lab, not in a staging environment, but in real operational contexts across domestic and international deployments. Austere locations, high-stakes timelines, and complex distributed systems are the job.This is a full-scope engineering role. You will build critical integrations, debug core services, contribute to new development, and ship solutions that warfighters and government operators depend on. If you want to write code that matters and see it run in environments most engineers never touch, this is the role.What You'll DoBuild and own critical software integrations that bring our C2 systems to life in customer environments -- from initial deployment through production reliability across diverse hardware configurations and operational contextsDebug complex distributed systems issues in the field, analyzing logs, network traffic, and system performance to resolve failures fast and with minimal supportContribute to core service development alongside the engineering team, bringing field insight back into the product and shipping improvements that make a direct operational differenceWrite code daily across the full stack -- solving customer-specific integration challenges, contributing to core service development, and building monitoring and reliability solutions that hold up in the fieldSupport continuous operational environments, including non-standard hours, on-call response, and rotational coverage aligned to mission tempoTravel domestically and internationally (up to 75%) to test sites and customer locations -- deploying software, troubleshooting issues in the field, and feeding hard-won requirements back to engineeringCollaborate with U.S. military and government program offices on-site and remotely, translating complex operational requirements into software solutionsThis Role Is For You IfYou want to see your code run in high-stakes, real-world environments -- not just pass CIYou thrive on solving hard integration and deployment challenges independently, without a safety netYou're comfortable being the most technical person in the room in dynamic, unpredictable field conditionsYou adapt to shifting schedules and operational demands without losing rigor or precisionThis Role Is NOTA pilot position or flight test engineer rolePrimarily hands-on hardware work (electronics, wiring, mechanical assembly)A traditional SRE or DevOps role with predictable hours and controlled environmentsBasic QualificationsBachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related technical field3+ years of professional software engineering experience, or equivalent demonstrated abilityStrong proficiency in at least one major programming language (Python, C/C++, Golang, or Java)Solid understanding of networking fundamentals: NAT, DNS/mDNS, UDP/TCP protocols, multicast, and firewall configurationExperience with Linux system administration and shell scriptingProven debugging skills across complex software systems -- you know how to read logs, use debuggers, and trace issues systematicallyExcellent communication skills for engaging with U.S. government and military customers and internal engineering teamsWillingness and ability to travel up to 75% domestically and internationally, including to remote or restricted-access locationsActive U.S. Secret security clearance (or above) required to startPreferred QualificationsExperience with containerization (Docker, Kubernetes) and infrastructure-as-codeBackground in distributed systems, real-time systems, or robotics softwareFamiliarity with CI/CD pipelines and deployment automationExperience in customer-facing engineering or technical sales engineering rolesPrior defense, intelligence community, or aerospace software experienceComfort operating in non-permissive or resource-constrained environmentsWhat We OfferMeaningful equity in a high-growth defense technology companyCompetitive base salary commensurate with experienceMedical, dental, vision, and 401kPTO and paid sick leaveMonthly wellness stipendDaily catered lunch (office)Paid parental leaveDirect impact on a critical national security missionA world-class team of engineers and operators solving genuinely hard problems
