SoftwareEngineer-Autonomy&GroundSystems

Valinor is a new type of defense and government tech company focused on solving the problems others don't. Our unique model of centralized go-to-market and decentralized engineering allows us to move with unparalleled efficiency to identify unmet needs, build right-sized solutions, and get products where they matter most - in the hands of users. Unlike others in the space, who focus on the flashy problems, Valinor exists to solve the quiet, unaddressed problems-the small but significant ones that lead to cracks in the country's strength, stability, and security. Backed by General Catalyst, Founders Fund, and Friends & Family Capital, Valinor was founded in 2024 and has established strategic partnerships with Palantir, Anduril, and Helsing. We are building the dream team, and we want you on it. ABOUT THE ROLE Valinor Condor is building the next generation of autonomous VTOL aircraft for defense and enterprise applications. We're a small, technical team moving fast — our vehicle is flying, our customers are real, and the work spans simulation to real life. We're looking for a Software Engineer to own everything above the flight controller. That means the ground control stack, companion computer software, mission planning tools, simulation infrastructure, and the internal tooling that keeps a fast-moving flight test program organized. WHAT YOU'LL DO - On-Board Computer Stack — Own sensor and payload pipelines, camera systems, and Computer ↔ Flight Controller communication - Ground Control & Mission Planning — Own GCS software, MAVLink routing infrastructure, TAK/CoT integration, and end-to-end mission planning tooling - Simulation Infrastructure — Build and maintain the SITL harness and interface layer between the flight dynamics model and autopilot; develop scripted HITL test suites that validate software changes before they reach the flight line - Flight Operations Tooling — Build the flight data pipeline — log ingestion, storage, indexing, and retrieval at scale — a