Software Integration Engineer III/IV

At Zone 5 Technologies, we're redefining what's possible in precision weapons and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Our team of engineers and innovators are developing cutting-edge autonomous solutions to deliver affordable and scalable precision weapons, interceptors, and UAS.

• We're building the next generation of munitions and unmanned systems for the United States and its allies. If you're driven by hard problems, energized by rapid innovation, and ready to make an impact on defense technology, you belong here.
• Position Summary

At Zone5 Technologies, we’re redefining what’s possible in unmanned aircraft systems. Our team of engineers and innovators is developing cutting-edge autonomous solutions that push the boundaries of UAS technology — solving complex challenges that matter.

We’re building the future of UAS capabilities, and we’re looking for exceptional talent to join us. If you’re driven by hard problems, energized by rapid innovation, and ready to make an impact on next-generation flight systems, you belong here.

The

Software Integration Engineer III–IV

is a senior individual contributor role responsible for owning system interfaces and integrating subsystems so they communicate reliably with one another. The engineer will integrate flight software, avionics, sensors, payloads, datalinks, ground systems, and vendor equipment; verify interfaces through laboratory, ground, and flight testing; and work closely with GNC, avionics, software, systems, and flight test teams to ensure safe and reliable aircraft performance. Engineers at this level are the technical authority for the interfaces they own.

The ideal candidate combines:

Interface Control Documents (ICDs) & Interface Requirements

System & Subsystem Integration

Communication Protocols & Data Buses (Ethernet, Serial, CAN, MIL-STD-1553, ARINC 653, WOSA)

Messaging Middleware (DDS, ROS2, MAVLink)

Interface Verification & Validation (V&V)

Hardware-in-the-loop (HITL) & Software-in-the-loop (SITL)

Network & Bus Analysis

Systems Engineering & Requirements Management

Test Automation

Root Cause Analysis

Level Expectations

Level III (5+ years of experience)

Owns multiple subsystem interfaces end to end, from ICD definition through implementation, verification, and configuration control.

Authors and maintains ICDs and negotiates interface agreements with internal teams and external vendors.

Plans integration sequences and interface test campaigns and defines pass/fail criteria.

Leads root cause investigations for complex, cross-subsystem interface anomalies.

Provides technical guidance and peer review to junior engineers.

Level IV (8+ years of experience)

Serves as interface authority for a full platform or across multiple platforms, owning the overall interface architecture and system data flow.

Defines interface standards, messaging architecture, and versioning and compatibility strategy used across products.

Leads integration of third-party, customer, and government-furnished systems and represents interfaces design reviews and customer engagements.

Resolves the most ambiguous, high-risk integration problems and mentors engineers at all levels.

Responsibilities

Interface Ownership

Own system and subsystem interfaces across flight software, avionics, sensors, payloads, datalinks, and ground control systems.

Collaborate with systems engineering to author, maintain, and configuration-control ICDs, interface requirements, message definitions, and data dictionaries.

Coordinate interface changes with internal teams, vendors, and customers.

Define interface architecture, including protocols, message sets, rates, timing, and error handling.

Assess the impact of proposed interface changes and manage versioning and backward compatibility.

Write software to integrate new components into Zone 5 systems and write software to integrate Zone 5 systems into existing platforms.

Integration & Verification

Plan integration sequences and system build-up from component level through the full air vehicle.

Develop and execute interface and system-level integration and verification tests traceable to ICDs and requirements.

Develop simulators, emulators, and test harnesses for external systems.

Troubleshoot complex failures using bus and network captures, telemetry, logs, and system diagnostics.

Plan and support hardware-in-the-loop (HITL), software-in-the-loop (SITL), iron-bird, simulator, ground, and flight testing, serving as a representative from the software org to the test community at large.

Ensure test execution complies with safety requirements and test objectives.

Lead anomaly investigations, identify root causes, and drive corrective actions to closure.

Technical Ownership & Collaboration

Coordinate software integration activities across multiple platforms.

Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams including software, systems, controls, guidance, avionics, and hardware engineers.