Staff Wireless Software Engineer

Axon•San Francisco, CA

15h•Hybrid

About The Position

Join Axon and be a Force for Good. At Axon, we’re on a mission to Protect Life. We’re explorers, pursuing society’s most critical safety and justice issues with our ecosystem of devices and cloud software. Like our products, we work better together. We connect with candor and care, seeking out diverse perspectives from our customers, communities and each other. Life at Axon is fast-paced, challenging and meaningful. Here, you’ll take ownership and drive real change. Constantly grow as you work hard for a mission that matters at a company where you matter. Your Impact We are developing the next generation of mission-critical communications systems to builds mission-critical devices used by public-safety professionals worldwide. As a Staff Wireless Software Engineer, you will be a technical leader driving architecture and implementation of wireless protocol stacks, transport abstraction layers, and real-time communication systems across our devices. You will operate at the intersection of RF, embedded systems, and cloud-connected software. This is a hands-on technical role with broad architectural influence. Work Location: This role is eligible to be based out of Axon's US hubs in Atlanta, Boston, Scottsdale (HQ), San Francisco, or Seattle, and follows a hybrid schedule. We rely on in-person collaboration and ask that team members work onsite 4 days per week, Tuesdays through Fridays, with the flexibility to work remotely on Mondays, unless there is an approved workplace accommodation. We believe that connection fuels innovation, and our in-office culture is designed to foster meaningful teamwork, mentorship, and shared success. Reports to: VP of Software Engineering Direct Reports: 0 What You'll Do: You will be tasked with solving the toughest wireless problems our products face: translating research into resilient, high-performance PHY/MAC systems; architecting firmware and toolchains that meet extreme latency, power, and reliability targets; and defining the wireless roadmap that balances innovation, manufacturability, and real-world performance. You will shape how our devices connect and perform at scale — from lab prototypes to deployed fleets — and your work will be judged by field performance under real conditions, not just simulations. This mission-critical wireless systems require both RF understanding and deep systems software expertise. This position sits at that boundary and defines the reliability and trust of the entire communications platform..

Requirements

10+ years experience in wireless software development
Strong C/C++ experience in embedded or systems environments
Deep understanding of wireless protocols (LTE, 5G NR, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, sidelink, or mesh)
Experience working with modem vendors (e.g., Qualcomm SDKs)
Experience with real-time systems and low-latency audio transport
Strong networking fundamentals (TCP/IP, UDP, RTP, QUIC, QoS)
Familiarity with RF performance constraints (RSSI, SINR, handovers, link budgets)
Experience debugging packet-level and radio-layer issues

Nice To Haves

Experience with mission-critical communications (LMR, MCPTT, public safety)
Experience with 3GPP standards (Rel 16+)
Experience with 5G sidelink (PC5) or device-to-device protocols
Experience implementing mesh or MANET routing
Knowledge of secure communications (AES, TLS, PKI, FIPS environments)
Familiarity with Android/Linux device platforms
Experience with satellite backhaul or hybrid transport systems

Responsibilities

Lead design and implementation of wireless communication stacks (LTE, 5G, Wi-Fi, sidelink, mesh, P2P, WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC....)
Architect low-latency, high-reliability PTT and real-time voice transport systems
Develop transport abstraction layers across multiple radios and networks
Optimize performance (latency, jitter, packet loss, handover behavior)
Collaborate with RF, hardware, and firmware teams to ensure end-to-end system performance
Drive modem integration (e.g., Qualcomm, MediaTek) and carrier certification efforts
Implement QoS, prioritization, and congestion control mechanisms
Contribute to secure communication layers (encryption, key management, secure boot integration)
Define metrics and instrumentation for wireless performance at scale
Mentor engineers and set technical direction across projects