Allen Control Systems

Network Engineer at Allen Control Systems (Austin, TX)

Allen Control Systems· Austin, TX·

Role details

Employment
Full-Time

Allen Control Systems at a glance

Defense-tech startup building Bullfrog, an autonomous robotic weapon station that uses AI and computer vision to shoot down drones at a fraction of the cost of missiles.

ACS builds Bullfrog, an autonomous weapon station that mounts a common service machine gun and adds passive optical sensing, machine-vision tracking, and AI fire control to detect and neutralize hostile drones. A human authorizes every shot. The pitch is battlefield economics: driving the cost-per-kill of a drone down to as low as ten dollars.

$242M raised · latest: Series B · $200M · 2026 · backed by Smash Capital, Craft Ventures, Rally Ventures, Inspired Capital

Job description

Company Overview ACS (Allen Control Systems) is a defense technology company building precision robotic systems for the United States and its allies. Founded by two former U.S. Navy electrical engineers with deep experience in robotics and software, ACS brings together AI, computer vision, precision motion, and advanced hardware to solve complex defense challenges across land, air, and maritime environments. Our flagship product, Bullfrog, is an autonomous precision weapon system that transforms existing weapons into highly accurate counter-drone systems — giving warfighters a scalable, cost-effective response to one of the fastest-growing threats on the modern battlefield. Bullfrog is deployed with U.S. forces, and ACS works with organizations throughout the U.S. military and national security community. Following a $200 million Series B at a $2.2 billion valuation, ACS is rapidly expanding manufacturing, accelerating Bullfrog deployments, and developing the next generation of autonomous battlefield systems. This is an opportunity to join a proven, fast-moving team and help scale technology with direct, real-world impact on national security. ACS is headquartered in Austin, Texas, with additional operations in Alexandria, Virginia; Mountain View, California; and Huntsville, Alabama. For more information, visit allencontrolsystems.com.

Position Overview: We are seeking an experienced Network Engineer to own and secure the network infrastructure supporting a fast-moving defense engineering organization. This engineer will be responsible for the design, implementation, and reliability of both on-premises and cloud network environments, ensuring performance, security, and compliance in a regulated defense setting. Working closely with IT, security, and engineering teams, this individual will serve as the organization’s primary network resource, building infrastructure that supports rapid growth while meeting the demands of a security-sensitive environment. The ideal candidate is comfortable operating independently, enjoys solving complex network problems, and understands how to translate best practices into a resilient, well-documented network. What You’ll Do: ● Own and maintain production network environments, spanning both on-premises infrastructure (routing, switching, firewalls, WAN/LAN, wireless) and cloud networking in AWS (VPC, subnets, security groups, VPN/Direct Connect, Transit Gateway). ● Design and implement network segmentation strategies for regulated, security-sensitive, and compliance-driven environments. ● Administer and manage firewall policies (Palo Alto, Fortinet, Cisco ASA, or similar) to protect network boundaries and enforce access controls. ● Independently troubleshoot complex, multi-site network issues as the organization’s primary network engineering resource. ● Maintain rigorous documentation, including network diagrams, IP schemas, configuration baselines, and change records. What You’ll Need: ● Experience: 5+ years of experience as a Network Engineer or Network Administrator, with hands-on responsibility for production network environments. ● Demonstrated experience managing both on-premises network infrastructure (routing, switching, firewalls, WAN/LAN, wireless) and cloud networking in AWS (VPC, subnets, security groups, VPN/Direct Connect, Transit Gateway). ● Proven experience designing and implementing network segmentation for regulated, security-sensitive, or compliance-driven environments. ● Strong working knowledge of firewall administration and policy management (Palo Alto, Fortinet, Cisco ASA, or similar). ● Experience troubleshooting complex, multi-site network issues independently — this role won’t have a second network engineer to lean on initially. ● Solid documentation discipline: network diagrams, IP schemas, configuration baselines, change records. You’ll Stand Out: ● CCNP certification (Enterprise, Security, or Data Center track). ● Prior network engineering experience in aerospace, defense, or another ITAR/CMMC-regulated industry. ● Familiarity with CMMC 2.0 / NIST 800-171 network boundary and CUI segmentation requirements. ● AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty, or equivalent AWS networking credential. ● Experience with Infrastructure-as-Code (Terraform) for network provisioning. What We Offer: ● Competitive salary ● ACS Equity Package ● Health, Dental, Vision Insurance ● Paid Time Off Allen Control Systems is an Equal Opportunity Employer, providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment. Allen Control Systems prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

Why work at Allen Control Systems

  • Mission: Directly contribute to protecting soldiers and changing the economics of drone warfare.
  • Culture: Described as a remote-friendly organization with a strong engineering focus; HQ in Austin with a satellite office in Alexandria.
  • Work Model: Remote core, but many roles require on-site presence in Austin for manufacturing and testing.
  • Growth: Hyper-growth stage – employees have significant ownership and impact.
  • Tech Stack: State-of-the-art tools: PyTorch, CUDA, Unreal Engine, ROS, Linux, Docker, Git, MLflow, and more.
  • Team: High density of talent from SpaceX, Firefly, DoorDash, Lockheed Martin, and Carnegie Mellon.
  • Perks: Not publicly detailed; typical for defense startups include competitive compensation, equity, and a chance to work on cutting-edge hardware-software integration.

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