Staff Software Engineer - Core Platform

Picogrid • El Segundo, CA

92d

About The Position

Picogrid builds hardware and software infrastructure to connect and control the systems that power critical industries. Our platform unifies sensors, platforms, and operators to power mission planning, autonomous system control, and real-time decision-making. We partner directly with operators, technology companies, and federal agencies to deliver rapidly deployable, mission-critical capabilities where they’re needed most, often on short timelines and in challenging conditions. Our technology is trusted in active operations, not just test environments, and we move quickly to close real-world capability gaps for those on the front lines. Joining Picogrid means working on high-impact problems at the intersection of autonomy, national security, and cutting-edge technology. You’ll be part of a small, elite team that builds and ships systems used by the leading organizations around the world. We operate with urgency, ownership, and a deep respect for the mission.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship and ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance.
• 7+ years of engineering experience in fast-paced, production environments.
• 5+ years of experience in backend development using Go, Java, Python, TypeScript, or similar languages.
• Proven experience building microservice architectures and platform tooling.
• Strong background in distributed systems, data pipelines, or real-time processing.
• Deep experience with relational databases (e.g., PostgreSQL), object stores (e.g., S3, MinIO), and geospatial tools.
• Strong grasp of HTTP APIs (REST, gRPC, GraphQL) and authentication/authorization models.
• History of working directly with customers to build and deliver meaningful software.
• Demonstrated ability to operate with urgency, ownership, and high engineering standards.

Nice To Haves

• Active U.S. Top Secret security clearance.
• Exposure to DOD IL5+, Top Secret, and JWICS environments.
• Experience building cloud-native, provider-agnostic software (AWS, Azure, etc.).
• Familiarity with hybrid operating environments (cloud, edge, on-prem).
• Experience with Kubernetes, Helm, and modern deployment pipelines.
• Understanding of regulated software development (e.g., DOD RMF, FedRAMP, NIST 800-53).
• Experience supporting Golang-based applications in production.
• Background in low-latency FMV, video processing, or video storage systems.
• Experience building TAK (ATAK, WinTAK, iTAK) plugins or plugins for military platforms.
• Experience developing, deploying, or integrating with ML/AI models or MCP services.

Responsibilities

• Drive the core platform, Legion, which is a data integration platform used by operators around the world.
• Solve complex problems including data federation in communications degraded environments, multi-sensor data fusion, and coordination across swarms of unmanned systems.
• Design, build, and deploy high-performance, scalable software systems that power critical defense missions.
• Build the backend platform and integration tools that support the next generation of connected defense infrastructure.
• Innovate and build resilient, scalable, and flexible systems that will shape the future of defense capabilities.

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Senior
• Number of Employees: 11-50 employees