---
title: 'Senior Software Engineer (Backend) at CHAOS Industries'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-software-engineer-backend-chaos-industries-san-francisco-fpr055cp39y5'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-16'
---

# Senior Software Engineer (Backend) at CHAOS Industries

- **Company:** CHAOS Industries
- **Location:** San Francisco, CA
- **Posted:** 2026-08-20
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-16
- **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/chaosindustries/jobs/5217529007

## Job description

CHAOS Industries is redefining modern defense with omniscient systems purpose-built for today’s realities. Designed and built by top U.S. military veterans and Silicon Valley innovators, CHAOS Industries’ products are powered by Coherent Distributed Networks (CDN™), empowering warfighters, commercial air operators, and border protection teams to act faster, adapt rapidly, and stay ahead of evolving threats. In a world where technological threats move at unprecedented speed, CHAOS Industries delivers advanced sensing and detection solutions that give the ultimate advantage: time.

CHAOS Industries was founded in 2022 and has raised $1B in total funding from leading investors including 8VC, Accel, and NEA. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, with offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and London. For more information, please visit [www.chaosinc.com](http://www.chaosinc.com/).

## The Role

You'll join a small, highly collaborative team in San Francisco building the software behind some of the world's most advanced radar systems. Working alongside software, hardware, and systems engineers, and the teams who take these systems into the field, you'll design the backend services and data pipelines that turn raw sensor data into decisions people can act on. We're looking for builders who learn quickly and enjoy hard distributed systems and real-time data problems.

## What You'll Build

- Edge-to-Cloud Data Delivery - robust, low-latency systems that move sensor data from radars in the field, often over constrained bandwidth, to the services and operators that depend on it.
- Backend Services - high-performance Python (FastAPI) services that ingest, process, and distribute real-time sensor data reliably and securely at scale.
- Live and Replay Data - the streaming, storage, and replay of detections, tracks, and telemetry that power high-speed live views and playback of 3D geospatial data fused from multiple sensors.
- Fleet Orchestration - the coordination and decision-making layer that optimizes how a growing fleet of sensors operates as conditions in the field change.
- Platform Architecture - help shape the technical direction of the platform, making architectural decisions that support new capabilities, increasing scale, and long-term maintainability.

## What We're Looking For

We're looking for exceptional software engineers who are excited by hard technical problems and building systems that matter. Beyond our core stack, we care more about strong engineering fundamentals, curiosity, and the ability to learn quickly than about any specific technology.

You'll thrive in this role if you:

- Have strong production experience building backend services in Python (FastAPI or similar).
- Have built real-time or streaming data systems - message queues, WebSockets, time-series data - and enjoy hard distributed systems problems.
- Have owned a production system end to end - designed it, shipped it, and fixed it when it broke.
- Are eager to learn new technologies and adapt to new technical domains.
- Care deeply about reliability, security, and scalability.
- Get real leverage from AI coding tools, with a considered view on what to delegate to them and what not to.
- Communicate well and enjoy collaborating across teams.

Experience in any of the following is a plus:

- Building geospatial or 3D data visualizations in TypeScript and React.
- Edge computing, or moving data reliably over constrained or unreliable networks.
- Azure or another major cloud platform.
- Hardware, sensors, robotics, telemetry, or defense systems.

## Requirements

- Must be a U.S. Person (U.S. citizen or permanent resident), as required for access to controlled technology.
- Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance.
- Based in, or willing to relocate to, the San Francisco Bay Area. This role is onsite in our SF office.

Why CHAOS?

- Health Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision benefits 100% paid for by the company
- Additional benefits: 401k (+ 50% company match up to 6% of pay), FSA, HSA, life insurance, and more
- Our Perks: Free daily lunch, ‘No meeting Fridays’, unlimited PTO, casual dress code
- Compensation Components: Competitive base salaries, generous pre-IPO stock option grants, relocation assistance, and (coming soon!) annual bonuses
- Team Growth: 250 employees and counting across 5 global offices

$140k-240k

The stated compensation range reflects only the targeted base compensation range and excludes additional earnings such as bonus, equity, and benefits. If your compensation requirements fall outside of the range, we still encourage you to apply. The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations.

Recruiting Agencies: CHAOS Industries does not accept unsolicited resumes or outreach. Unsolicited submissions will not be reviewed or compensated.

#LI-onsite

## About CHAOS Industries

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: CHAOS Industries develops multi-application defense technologies, including radar, detection, and electronic warfare systems powered by Coherent Distributed Networks (CDN™), to deliver domain dominance for warfighters and critical infrastructure.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series D, Unicorn)
- **Headquarters**: Los Angeles, California, United States
- **Founded**: 2022
- **Founders**: John T. (CEO), Bo Marr (Co-founder & CTO), Brett Cummings (Co-founder & President)

## Core Business
- Primary industry: Defense and Space Manufacturing
- Target customers: U.S. Department of Defense (Army, Air Force, Navy), allied governments, border protection agencies, commercial air operators
- Mission: Redefining modern defense by giving warfighters and operators the ultimate advantage through faster sensing, detection, and effects.

## Products & Services
- **Hydra Platform**: A multi-application software-defined platform providing land-based, sea-based, and air-based detection, communications, and electronic effects. It is the core operating system for CHAOS’s product portfolio.
- **VANQUISH**: A distributed early-warning radar system designed for air defense and counter-UAS (CUAS) missions. It provides long-range detection (up to 250 km) at a low cost per square kilometer ($100/km²).
- **Coherent Distributed Networks (CDN™)**: The proprietary technology that enables time-synchronized networking of sensors and effectors, improving sensing, detection, and engagement capabilities across a wide area.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation**: $4.5 billion (as of November 2025, per Series D announcement)
- **Total Funding**: $1.002 billion across four rounds
  - Series A (March 2023): $70M led by 8VC
  - Series B (November 2024): $145M led by Accel
  - Series C (May 2025): $275M led by New Enterprise Associates and Accel
  - Series D (November 2025): $510M led by Valor Equity Partners, with continued backing from 8VC and Accel
- **Annual Revenue**: $75M (estimated)
- **Notable Investors**: Valor Equity Partners, Accel, 8VC, New Enterprise Associates, AFWERX, Overmatch Ventures
- **Key Partners**: U.S. Army (added to G‑TEAD Marketplace in December 2025)
- **Growth Signals**:
  - Headcount grew 100% YoY (to 143 employees)
  - Active job postings increased 534.8% YoY
  - Acquired Ziva Corporation (November 2025) and CHAOS INDUSTRIES UK LIMITED
  - Added to the U.S. Army’s G‑TEAD Marketplace for accelerated acquisition
  - Expanded presence to Washington DC, San Francisco, San Diego, London, and Amman

## Competitive Advantages
- **Proprietary CDN™ Technology**: A unique time-synchronized networking approach that enables a distributed, software-defined sensor grid, replacing monolithic Cold War-era radar systems.
- **Speed to Market**: The company’s products are being added to government acquisition marketplaces (e.g., G‑TEAD) within months of launch, demonstrating rapid fielding capability.
- **Talent Density**: Strong hiring from top defense tech companies (Anduril, Palantir, Epirus, RTX, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman) and a high proportion of technical staff (36% of workforce).
- **Government Traction**: Direct integration with the U.S. Army and Air Force acquisition pathways, plus a dedicated federal lobbying team.

## Strategic Focus
- **Scaling Production**: Moving from R&D to mass production of radar and effector systems, with a focus on cost reduction ($100/km² protection).
- **International Expansion**: Building business development teams in Europe (London) and the Middle East (Amman) to capture allied defense markets.
- **Product Portfolio Diversification**: Expanding beyond radar into electronic warfare, communications, and effector systems through the Hydra platform and acquisitions.
- **Talent Acquisition**: Aggressively hiring across engineering, business development, and operations to support rapid growth.

## Why Work Here
- **Mission-Driven Work**: Employees work on “the world’s most urgent problems”—restoring American air superiority and protecting critical infrastructure.
- **Rapid Growth Trajectory**: The company has grown from a startup to a $4.5B unicorn in three years, offering significant career advancement opportunities.
- **Engineering Culture**: 36% of the workforce is in technical roles, with a focus on cutting-edge radar, signal processing, and machine learning. Key leadership includes a VP of Machine Learning.
- **Location Flexibility**: Offices in Los Angeles (HQ), Washington DC, San Francisco, San Diego, London, and Amman. Roles span multiple locations.
- **Compensation**: Employee reviews rate compensation at 4.5/5.0.
- **Veteran-Friendly**: The company actively recruits veterans.
- **Recent Departures Note**: Some senior leaders (VP ML Infra, Operations Partner) have left in early 2026, suggesting a high-intensity environment.

## Sources
1. [chaosinc.com](https://www.chaosinc.com/)
2. [Greenhouse Careers](https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/chaosindustries)
3. [CB Insights](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/chaos-industries)
4. [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/chaosindustries)
5. [chaosinc.com/team](https://www.chaosinc.com/team)

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