Firestorm · 1 day ago
Senior SDK Engineer
San Diego, CA
Full-time
Hybrid
Senior Level
$164K/yr - $183K/yr
5+ years expFirestorm is a VC-backed company on a mission to revolutionize defense solutions. They are seeking a Senior SDK Engineer to join their Software team, focusing on designing and delivering a modular, cross-platform SDK for defense applications.
AerospaceArtificial Intelligence (AI)Drones
No H1B
Security Clearance RequiredU.S. Citizen Only
Responsibilities
Design and implement SparkSDK core modules in modern C++
Build and maintain language bindings and FFIs (e.g., C ABI/PInvoke, JNI/JNA, pybind11/cffi, C# P/Invoke/Source Generators; Rust FFI as a bonus) to deliver first-class developer experiences across C/C++, Java, Python, and C#
Define clean, versioned APIs (SemVer, deprecation strategy) and deliver SDK packages, installers, and artifacts across Linux, Windows, and Android (e.g., deb/rpm/AppImage, MSI/MSIX, AAR/APK add-ons)
Integrate comms and payload protocols and data models/IDLs (e.g., Protobuf/FlatBuffers); implement adapters to EmberCore and message middleware
Own the developer experience: samples, quickstarts, idiomatic wrappers, error models, logging/telemetry hooks, and clear documentation that make integration fast and intuitive
Engineer for real-time and mission-critical use: deterministic behavior, back-pressure, zero-copy paths, bounded latencies, and graceful degradation on CPU/GPU-constrained hardware
Harden security by default: memory-safe patterns, least-privilege design, secure transport (OpenSSL/libsodium), key/material handling, and supply-chain integrity for third-party deps
Build reliability into CI/CD: cross-platform builds (CMake, Conan/vcpkg), automated unit/integration tests (Catch2/GoogleTest, pytest, JUnit, NUnit), fuzzing, sanitizers, codegen validation
Collaborate across teams and with partners to gather requirements, refine APIs, and support field integrations; contribute to platform-wide architecture and roadmap discussions
Contribute to operability: diagnostics, tracing, metrics, compatibility matrices, and upgrade playbooks for customers in the field
Qualification
Required
Bachelor's or Master's in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field
5+ years professional experience building SDKs/libraries or platform APIs in modern C++ (C++17/10) with cross-platform delivery (Linux/Windows/Android)
U.S. Citizenship and the ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance
Proven experience creating and maintaining language wrappers/FFIs for at least two of: Java, Python, C# (plus C/C++). Rust FFI experience is a strong plus
Strong integration background with real-time or mission-critical systems (3+ years) including async/event-driven networking (TCP/UDP, REST, WebSockets, DDS/gRPC/ZeroMQ)
Familiarity with industry/defense protocols and standards (e.g., RAS-A, MAVLink, STANAG 4586, OMS/UCI, Link 16) and data serialization (Protobuf/FlatBuffers)
Expertise in secure coding and dependency hygiene (OpenSSL, libsodium, memory safety, fuzzing, sanitizers)
Cross-platform build and packaging: CMake, Conan/vcpkg; Linux (deb/rpm/AppImage, systemd), Windows (MSVC/MinGW, windeploy/MSI/MSIX), Android (Gradle/JNI/APK signing)
Excellent problem-solving and communication skills; comfortable driving features end-to-end (requirements → design → implementation → testing → release)
Preferred
Prior work on developer platforms/SDKs with rigorous API design, SemVer discipline, and long-term compatibility guarantees
Experience with ROS 2 (rclcpp/DDS), gRPC, ZeroMQ, and protocol gateways/bridges
Knowledge of telemetry pipelines and observability for SDKs (structured logs, metrics, distributed tracing)
Experience in embedded/Linux environments (Yocto/Buildroot, cross-compilation, OTA updates) and constrained targets
Performance tuning and profiling across languages (perf, VTune, Valgrind, sanitizers) and build/toolchain optimization
Familiarity with geospatial data and formats common in UxS domains; prior exposure to GCS integrations is a plus
Experience developing to MIL-STD/DO-178C or similar safety/security standards
Track record of mentoring peers, conducting code reviews, and enforcing modern C++/API best practices
Benefits
Comprehensive medical, dental, and visions plans
401(k) Retirement Savings Plan to invest in your long-term retirement goals
Equity grants for new hires
Unlimited PTO
Extremely generous company holiday calendar, including a holiday hiatus in November, & December.
Generous Parental Leave
Lifestyle Spending Account
FSA
DCFSA
HSA
Hospital Indemnity insurance
Critical Illness insurance
Accident insurance
Basic Life/AD&D, short-term and long-term disability insurance, 100% covered by Firestorm. Plus, the option to purchase additional life insurance for you and your family.
Mental Health Resources: We provide free mental health resources 24/7 including therapy and more. Additional work-life services, such as free legal and financial support, are available to you as well.
Company
Firestorm
Firestorm develops AI-assisted, modular UAS platforms for adaptable and rapid remote operations.
51-200 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Growth StageTotal Funding
$67.52MKey Investors
New Enterprise AssociatesJP MorganAlumni Ventures
2025-07-16Series A· $35M
2025-06-18Debt Financing· $12M
2024-12-16Series A
Leadership Team
Daniel Magy
Co-Founder & CEO
Ian Muceus
Co-Founder, Lead Inventor, and CTO
Recent News
San Diego Business Journal
2025-07-30
alleywatch.com
2025-07-21
2025-07-18
Company data provided by crunchbase