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Applied Intuition is a $15B-valued company (founded 2017) powering physical AI for autonomous systems across automotive, defense, trucking, construction, mining, and agriculture. The company serves 18 of the top 20 global automakers and the U.S. military, with offices globally including Ann Arbor, Michigan.
You will be a core contributor to Applied Intuition's flagship simulation products, building foundational backend systems that power multi-domain autonomous defense operations. This is a high-ownership role where you'll architect, implement, and own backend infrastructure running at the edge of technical possibility in defense-grade environments with real-world stakes.
Key responsibilities:
- Design and implement high-performance software for Axion, Applied Intuition's defense tooling and data platform
- Build and extend simulation environments and virtual worlds enabling autonomous systems testing and validation before real-world deployment
- Develop scalable infrastructure supporting multi-domain autonomous operations (unmanned ground/aerial platforms, joint-force integration)
- Partner with autonomy researchers, product teams, and defense customers to translate mission requirements into robust, mission-ready solutions
- Own end-to-end execution of engineering workstreams from architecture through deployment
- Interface with DoD programs and defense customers to ensure solutions meet operational demands
The Ann Arbor team sits at the intersection of Applied's commercial technology velocity and defense-grade requirements, offering access to a rapidly evolving product suite with direct impact on national security. You'll work in small, high-ownership teams where your code ships, decisions matter, and impact is measurable.
Applied Intuition is an in-office company with expectation of 5 days/week from the Ann Arbor office, though occasional flexibility is recognized for morning remote work or family commitments.
REQUIREMENTS:
- 3+ years professional engineering experience, ideally with C++
- Solid software engineering fundamentals: systems programming, concurrency, performance optimization, real-time rendering or simulation pipelines
- Genuine interest in simulation, autonomy, robotics, or physical AI
- Exposure to or curiosity about multi-domain defense systems (defense background not required)
- Strong CS/CE/EE or similar foundation with rigorous thinking about correctness and performance
- Python proficiency for tooling, scripting, and integration work
- Comfort with ambiguity; ability to drive clarity and progress in fast-moving, high-stakes environments
- Excellent communication skills explaining technical tradeoffs to engineers and non-technical stakeholders
- Must be a U.S. Citizen
- Must hold or be eligible for a U.S. Secret security clearance
NICE TO HAVE:
- Experience with Unreal Engine or other real-time simulation/game engines (Unity, Gazebo, custom stacks)
- Prior work in simulation for autonomy, robotics, gaming, or defense applications
- Familiarity with sensor simulation, synthetic data generation, or physics-based environments
- Experience with distributed systems or real-time data pipelines in constrained environments
