About the role
The Navy is racing to break decades of closed, single-vendor ship architectures. Combat systems, C4I, and hull, mechanical, and electrical (HM&E) systems run on separate, vendor-locked compute with no shared data plane. The Navy is modernizing ship systems and requires a platform to unify it. A warship operating system (WarshipOS) is Applied's answer: the onboard and offboard infrastructure and application layer that create a unified compute and data platform across a ship and test across the manned and unmanned fleet. The goal is to become the software integrator for the Navy, and it is built directly on Applied's commercial automotive VehicleOS foundation.
We are hiring a Head of Engineering to build and lead the DefenseOS engineering organization, with an initial focus on building WarshipOS. You will own technical strategy and delivery across the product's four pillars: a zonal compute architecture, a data transport and SDK layer that frees data from proprietary subsystems, and a modern SIL/HIL test environment with a digital twin. You will hire and grow a multi-disciplinary team and its technical leads, set the bar for engineering quality, and partner directly with product, Navy customers, and shipbuilders. This is a leadership role: you will direct specialists across combat-systems architecture, hardware and EE, perception, and integration rather than owning every domain yourself.
What you'll do
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Build and lead the DefenseOS engineering organization. Hire, structure, and grow a multi-disciplinary team across platform and software, EE and hardware architecture, perception and fusion, and integration and test, and develop its technical leads.
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Own the technical strategy and roadmap across the four WarshipOS pillars: zonal compute, data transport / API / SDK, AI/ML perception and fusion platform, and modern SIL/HIL test with a digital twin, aligned to the broader DefenseOS strategy.
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Lead the zonal architecture. Drive the design and deployment of location-based zone controllers and centralized compute that replace federated, domain-based designs, and their interfaces to prime-built combat, C4I, and HM&E systems.
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Stand up the software and data platform. Direct the middleware, APIs, and SDKs that extract and unify data from sensor and mission systems behind a common data plane across classification levels.
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Set engineering best practices across hardware and software: architecture, code review, CI/CD, automated and hardware-in-the-loop test, performance, and quality metrics suited to mission-critical, field-deployed systems.
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Own program execution. Plan releases, track progress against milestones across anchor programs, surface risks early, and deliver on schedule and to quality under acquisition and field constraints.
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Partner with product, defense customers, and shipbuilders/integrators as a design-informed engineering leader, shaping operator-facing capability and the trade-offs that keep the roadmap mapped to operational value.
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Communicate status, risk, and outcomes to senior leadership, escalate clearly, and provide engineering input into program and business decisions.
What we're looking for
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Engineering leadership at scale. Typically 12+ years in software and systems engineering with 6+ years leading engineering teams, including managing other managers and technical leads, and a track record of building and scaling a team from a small core.
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Software platform depth. Shipped complex software platforms that integrate real-time, mission- or safety-critical systems: middleware, data transport, and APIs / SDKs that unify heterogeneous subsystems behind a common data plane.
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Hardware / software systems fluency. Led programs spanning hardware and software (compute architecture, sensor and system integration, lab-to-platform test), enough to set direction for EE / hardware and integration leads.
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Integrating modern compute with legacy, closed subsystems. Built the gateways, adapters, and abstraction layers that connect proprietary or undocumented interfaces into a unified data plane.
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Delivery under hard constraints. Ownership of the full lifecycle from requirements through deployment and sustainment under reliability, latency, safety, and field-readiness constraints, with disciplined execution in ambiguous, fast-moving programs.
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Cross-functional leadership and communication with product, hardware, operations, customers, and senior leadership, including clear escalation of technical and schedule risk.
Security Requirements:
Nice to have
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Software-defined vehicles (SDVs) or analogous commercial platforms where a zonal architecture and centralized compute replaced distributed, domain-based controllers, directly transferable to a warship operating system.
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Naval or maritime subsystems: combat / mission systems, shipboard communications (C5I, tactical data links, SATCOM), or HM&E.
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Unmanned surface vessels (USVs) or other unmanned / autonomous platforms; familiarity with shipboard size, weight, power, and survivability constraints.
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Prior naval service or fleet / operational experience.
Compensation at Applied Intuition for eligible roles includes base salary, equity, and benefits. Note that benefits are subject to change and may vary based on jurisdiction of employment.
We are an in-office company, and our expectation is that full-time employees primarily work from their Applied Intuition office 5 days a week. However, we also recognize the importance of flexibility and trust our employees to manage their schedules responsibly. This may include occasional remote work, starting the day with morning meetings from home before heading to the office, or leaving earlier when needed to accommodate family commitments. This in-office expectation does not apply to contractor positions.
Don't meet every single requirement? If you're excited about this role but your past experience doesn't align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.
Applied Intuition is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any protected characteristic.
Applied Intuition is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor and requests priority referral of protected veterans.
Applied Intuition is committed to providing an accessible and inclusive application and interview experience to all applicants. Reasonable accommodations are available, requesting an accommodation will not affect your candidacy in any way, and you are not required to disclose the nature of your disability or medical condition in order to make a request.
If you require an accommodation please contact [email protected]. We will work with you!
