Software Engineer

Software Engineer (Systems / C++ / Rust)We are partnering with a Melbourne-based deep-tech company building autonomous optical systems for defence and national security.
They combine advanced optics, software, AI and edge computing to solve complex real-world problems, with technology being deployed on drones, unmanned systems and real aircraft.
They’re looking for a Software Engineer to join a newly formed Platform team responsible for the shared software layer that sits underneath their products.
About the roleThis is a hands-on software engineering role for someone who enjoys solving complex systems-level problems and working close to hardware.
The Platform team is responsible for building and evolving the reusable software capability that other engineering teams build on top of. This is not a DevOps or SRE platform role.
You’ll be working on an existing platform, taking ownership of meaningful parts of the system and helping it evolve to support multiple products, technical disciplines and future capabilities.
You’ll work closely with engineers across computer vision, machine learning, control systems, hardware and product, helping make complex lower-level problems easier for those teams to work with.
What you’ll be doingBuild and improve the shared software platform underpinning their productsTake ownership of significant parts of an existing complex systemDesign reusable libraries, tooling and platform capability for other engineersWork closely with Computer Vision, ML, Controls, Hardware and Product teamsSolve problems across performance, memory, concurrency and system behaviourBuild validation and benchmarking tooling to help measure system performanceSupport the integration of new algorithms and technical capabilities into the wider platformContribute to architecture, technical design and engineering decisionsDebug complex problems across software and hardware boundariesHelp evolve the platform as the business moves from supporting one product to multiple productsWork with a high degree of autonomy in a small, highly technical team
Technical environmentCurrently uses Rust, but previous Rust experience is not essential.
Relevant backgrounds could include:C++CLinuxEmbedded or systems softwareReal-time or performance-sensitive systemsNetworking / distributed systemsConcurrency and multithreadingHardware integrationRoboticsAutonomous systemsComputer vision / imagingSimulation3D graphics / game enginesCUDA
About youYou’re a strong hands-on software engineer who enjoys understanding how systems work beyond an individual function or service.
You’ll ideally have:Strong software engineering fundamentals, ideally with C++, C, Rust or another systems-oriented languageExperience working on complex, performance-sensitive or hardware-adjacent softwareStrong systems-level thinking and the ability to understand how different parts of a system interactExperience taking ownership of meaningful software components or subsystemsStrong debugging and problem-solving skillsAn understanding of areas such as performance, memory management, concurrency or real-time behaviourExperience working with engineers from different technical disciplinesThe ability to operate autonomously and make sound technical decisionsCuriosity and a willingness to work in technical areas you may not already be an expert in
You do not need to be a Computer Vision, ML or Controls specialist, but you should be comfortable working alongside engineers in those areas and understanding enough of the concepts to make good software decisions.
Why join?Work on genuinely complex software connected to real physical systemsSee the technology you build deployed on real aircraft and autonomous platformsHelp shape a new Platform team from the ground upWork across software, AI, computer vision, controls and hardwareTake meaningful ownership rather than working on a narrow part of the stackSolve technical problems that don’t have obvious existing answersWork in a small team with a high level of autonomy and technical influence
Location: Port MelbourneHybrid: 3 days on-siteAustralian citizenship required due to security clearance requirements.