--- title: 'Lead Software Engineer, Advanced Pilot Assistant Software (Autonomy/Robotics) at Beacon AI' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/lead-software-engineer-advanced-pilot-assistant-software-autonomy-robotics-yz6q73gaa6nx' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-06' --- # Lead Software Engineer, Advanced Pilot Assistant Software (Autonomy/Robotics) at Beacon AI - **Company:** Beacon AI - **Location:** San Carlos, CA - **Compensation:** $185k–$260k - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** hybrid - **Posted:** 2026-08-27 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-06 - **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/beaconai/5a3a1fc0-5c1c-48c4-9164-34e24ec3fda7 ## Job description ## ABOUT BEACON AI We’re a fast-moving team of aviators, engineers, and operators building an AI platform to make flying safer, more efficient, and more capable. Backed by top investors, we’ve secured a dozen Department of Defense contracts and partnered with major airlines to deliver mission-critical systems. We operate without silos or heavy processes. Small, focused teams own what they build, ship quickly, and learn fast, pushing the boundaries of how humans and AI work together in aviation. ## ROLE OVERVIEW We are seeking a Lead Software Engineer to help design and build the advanced pilot assistance software that supports our flight safety platform. In this role, you will develop and deploy autonomy, robotics, and embedded systems that operate in real-world, safety-critical aviation environments. You will take ownership of mission-critical functionality, contribute hands-on across the stack, and mentor a small team while delivering reliable systems that support time-sensitive decision-making for human operators. ## What You’ll Do - Design, build, and deploy robotic and embedded software that powers advanced pilot assistance systems in production environments. - Own autonomy-related features or subsystems from concept through deployment, driving work from 0 to 1 with a strong focus on reliability and performance. - Write, review, and maintain high-quality Python and C++ code across autonomy, systems, and embedded components. - Integrate software with hardware, sensors, and perception or data ingestion pipelines to support autonomous and operator-in-the-loop decision-making. - Optimize software for edge compute environments, managing CPU/GPU usage, latency, and implementing appropriate safety mechanisms and fail-safes. - Lead testing, validation, and deployment efforts to ensure systems meet safety-critical and mission-critical requirements. - Mentor engineers and contribute to technical direction through design reviews, code reviews, and hands-on collaboration. What Will Make You Successful - 5+ years of experience designing and deploying robotic software and/or embedded systems in production environments. - Strong software engineering skills in C++ and/or Python, with experience in systems-level or embedded programming. - Experience building real-time or interactive systems that support users making time-sensitive decisions. - Familiarity with autonomy-related systems such as planning, decision-making, or reasoning, and integrating with perception or sensor pipelines. - Hands-on experience working with embedded or edge compute platforms and debugging hardware/software interactions. - Proven ability to deliver complex systems end-to-end in fast-moving, ambiguous environments. Bonus Points - Experience working on safety-critical or mission-critical systems, including aviation or robotics domains. - Familiarity with robot operating systems or middleware such as ROS or DDS. - Experience supporting human operators in the loop, simulation environments, or real-time control systems. - Background in advanced mobility, autonomy, and robotics. Work Location This is a hybrid role based in San Carlos, CA, with 3+ days per week onsite and the option to work remotely on remaining days. ## Perks & Benefits (Full-Time Employees) - Healthcare: 100%* of employee medical premiums covered; 25% for dependents - Time Off: 3 weeks PTO plus 13+ paid company holidays - 401(k): Offered (no current employer match, but we are committed to enhancing this benefit in the future) Due to U.S. export control regulations, we can only hire U.S. Persons (U.S. citizens, Green Card holders, lawful permanent residents, or individuals granted asylum or refugee status). We are unable to provide visa sponsorship or support visa transfers. All work must be performed in the United States. Beacon AI is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic. We prohibit harassment or discrimination of any kind in the workplace and comply with all applicable federal, state, and local employment laws. ## About Beacon AI ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Beacon AI builds an AI Copilot for pilots to enhance flight safety and operational efficiency, serving commercial airlines, defense fleets, and aircraft operators. - **Entity Type**: Private (Series A – $15M led by Costanoa Ventures, August 2024) - **Headquarters**: San Carlos, California, USA - **Founded**: 2021 - **Founders**: Matt Cox (Co‑Founder & CEO) ## Core Business - **Primary Industry**: Aviation software / AI‑powered pilot assistance - **Target Customers**: Airlines, Public & Government Fleets, Air Charter Operators, Corporate Flight Departments, OEMs, System Integrators - **Mission Statement**: “An AI Assistant or Copilot in every professional flight deck; pulling forward the future.” – Beacon AI ## Products & Services - **Safety Net**: AI‑driven procedures, checklists, configuration management, and pilot safety system (alerts, compliance monitoring) - **Coach**: In‑flight debrief and playback, live flight support, fleet monitoring, third‑party integration - **Superhuman**: Route optimization, divert calculations, and performance analytics – all running as a hardware‑lite onboard assistant ## Market Standing - **Valuation**: Not publicly disclosed - **Key Metric**: Total funding – **$21.25M** (Series A $15M, Seed $5M, Grant $1.2M, Pre‑Seed) - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Costanoa Ventures (lead), Sam Altman (Apollo Projects / Hydrazine), JetBlue Ventures, Scout Ventures, Lachy Groom, Mischief, Countdown Capital - **Growth Signals**: - Signed a **$49.5M Phase 3 Prototype OTA** with USSOCOM to bring first‑of‑its‑kind pilot assistant to production - Awarded a **U.S. Air Force Air Mobility Command** contract (April 2026) - Employee count grew ~7.4% month‑over‑month (current ~18‑19 employees) - Job postings increased **+72.7% monthly** and **+137.5% quarterly** as of mid‑2026 ## Competitive Advantages - **Unique team blend**: Founders and engineers combine deep professional pilot experience with self‑driving car software expertise (e.g., autonomous driving, military aviation backgrounds) - **Hardware‑lite AI assistant**: Differentiates from traditional avionics by focusing on intelligent software augmentation rather than complex hardware integration - **Defense‑grade contracts**: Early validation from USSOCOM and U.S. Air Force demonstrates trust in safety‑critical environments ## Strategic Focus - Scaling production of the AI Copilot for both defense and commercial fleets - Expanding integrations with aircraft systems and third‑party platforms - Aggressively hiring across engineering (backend, iOS, AI/LLM, cloud infrastructure, frontend) and business roles to meet contract demand ## Why Work Here - **Culture & Ratings**: 5.0/5.0 on LinkedIn (6 reviews); Career 5.0, Culture 4.8, Compensation 4.6 – employees highlight challenging work and high growth - **Work Environment**: In‑office (onsite) at San Carlos, CA; small, tight‑knit team (≈19 people) - **Notable Perks / Engineering**: Work on cutting‑edge AI for aviation safety with direct impact on pilots and passengers; cross‑discipline collaboration (aviation, AI, software) - **Open Roles** (as of mid‑2026): Lead Backend Engineer, iOS/Mobile Engineer (EFB, Health Wearable), AI/LLM Engineer (multiple levels), Cloud Infrastructure Engineer, Frontend Engineer, Product Designer, and more ## Sources 1. [beaconai.co](https://beaconai.co/) 2. [builtin.com](https://builtin.com/company/beacon-ai) 3. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/beacon-ai) 4. [cbinsights.com](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/beacon-ai) 5. 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