Senior Software Engineer, PubSec

Ditto • Austin, TX

1d • Remote

About The Position

As a Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE), you are the technical tip of the spear. FDEs are elite, versatile engineers who work shoulder-to-shoulder with our most critical users to solve complex challenges in real time. Your primary mission is to radically decrease the time-to-value of our software by integrating it directly into the user's operational environment.
Because you see firsthand how our technology performs in the wild, you will also act as a crucial conduit, feeding technical insights and feature requirements back to our core product engineering team. This role requires a highly adaptable problem-solver who is comfortable moving fast, navigating ambiguity, and figuring things out quickly in high-stakes environments.

Requirements

• Clearance Requirement: Must hold an active Secret clearance (Due to federal security clearance requirements, U.S. Citizenship is strictly required for this role).
• 5+ years of experience in software engineering, including hands-on experience building, shipping, and maintaining production applications. You should be comfortable working across the full stack but possess deep strength in at least one area.
• 2+ years of technical experience with Android application development, including familiarity with the Android SDK, Kotlin and/or Java, and the practical challenges of building reliable software for diverse mobile hardware.
• Prior experience with ATAK plugin development or deep familiarity with the TAK ecosystem, including CoT messaging, TAK Server integration, and the plugin architecture.
• Strong integration design skills, including the ability to define clean API contracts, design data synchronization patterns, and architect loosely coupled systems that interoperate reliably across organizational and technical boundaries.
• A highly adaptable, problem-solving mindset, with the ability to navigate ambiguity, move fast, and balance immediate operational fixes with long-term technical fidelity.
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal. As the crucial bridge between the operational edge and our core development team, you must be able to translate complex, edge-case technical realities and user workflows into clear, actionable requirements for product engineers.

Nice To Haves

• Prior experience with CRDTs (Conflict-free Replicated Data Types) or local-first software architectures to manage complex data synchronization without a central server.
• Experience with cross-platform mobile development frameworks or strategies for maintaining parity between Android and other platform targets.
• Familiarity with tactical networking concepts, including how mobile devices operate over constrained, mesh, or MANET radio networks.
• Experience with SQLite, Realm, or other embedded databases and offline-first data persistence strategies for mobile applications.
• Direct experience operating at the tactical edge, including deploying and supporting software on end-user devices in field exercises or operational environments.
• Previous experience working directly with SOCOM, DoD, or federal customers, with an understanding of navigating secure or classified network environments.
• A background in backend or systems development (e.g., Go, Rust, Python) in addition to Android, enabling rapid prototyping of integration middleware or data translation services.

Responsibilities

• Develop and Extend ATAK Plugins: Lead the design, development, and field deployment of custom ATAK (Android Team Awareness Kit) plugins that integrate our platform's data synchronization capabilities directly into the warfighter's primary situational awareness tool.
• Build Android-Native Integrations: Architect and develop performant Android applications and services that run on tactical end-user devices, ensuring reliable operation in disconnected, intermittent, and low-bandwidth (DIL) environments.
• Design Integration Architectures: Own the end-to-end integration design between our platform and the broader TAK ecosystem, defining data contracts, API boundaries, and synchronization patterns that enable seamless interoperability with third-party systems and services.
• Solve Problems in Real-Time: Act as the first line of technical defense, rapidly diagnosing and resolving application, integration, and data-flow issues as they arise on end-user devices in live operational environments.
• Bridge the Gap: Translate the unique realities of mobile tactical software—device fragmentation, power constraints, user workflow requirements—into actionable technical requirements for the core product development team.

Benefits

• We offer competitive salaries and meaningful equity. We believe everyone on the team should have a stake in what we’re building. Benefits vary by region to make sure you're covered in the ways that matter most. In the US, that includes health, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance, plus a 401(k) and flexible spending accounts.
• Regardless of where you live, everyone at Ditto can utilize flexible time off. And while we work remotely, our Atlanta and San Francisco offices are open if you ever want a place to work or meet up with teammates.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 101-250 employees