---
title: 'Software Engineer, Mission Dev - U.S. Government at Nominal'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/software-engineer-mission-dev-u-s-government-nominal-new-york-mv6s6w3wzt3d'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-09'
---

# Software Engineer, Mission Dev - U.S. Government at Nominal

- **Company:** Nominal
- **Location:** New York, NY
- **Compensation:** $150k–$215k
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-02-28
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-09
- **Apply:** https://jobs.gem.com/nominal/am9icG9zdDra7kR_NIKHwyyMQcDjAZDG

## Job description

## About Nominal

Nominal is building the connected test and operations platform powering the world's most advanced hardware systems, from spacecraft and autonomous vehicles to next-generation defense programs. Our platform gives hardware engineering teams a single place to ingest data, analyze performance, automate test execution, and collaborate across every phase of development, so they can move faster without sacrificing safety or precision. We're a fast-moving team that owns problems end-to-end, works across disciplines, and thrives at the intersection of hardware and software.

We serve top-tier commercial and defense customers, from autonomy leaders like Anduril and Shield AI to next-generation aerospace teams like Hermeus and REGENT, and performance engineering teams like Pratt Miller Motorsports, alongside mission partners within the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force on programs where failure isn’t an option. We’re backed by Sequoia, General Catalyst, Founders Fund, Lux Capital, and Lightspeed. Our team draws from SpaceX, Palantir, Anduril, Applied Intuition, and other leading companies, united by a common mission: giving hardware engineers the tools to build the future with speed, safety, and confidence.

As a Software Engineer on the Mission Dev team, you will operate at the intersection of software engineering, customer deployment, and mission-critical government programs. You are not just shipping code — you are embedding with customers, deploying software into high-stakes environments, and owning outcomes from first integration to long-term success. You will bridge Nominal’s platform with real-world government applications across the Department of Defense, Department of Energy, NASA, and other U.S. government agencies.

This is a hybrid of software engineer, forward-deployed engineer, and technical program lead. You will write production-grade code, design integrations, manage deployments on government networks, and serve as a trusted technical advisor to mission operators. If you think like a startup founder, thrive in ambiguity, and want to see your code powering rocket test stands, autonomy labs, and mission-critical defense programs, Nominal is the place to do it.

🚀 About the role Mission Dev is one of the most unique roles at Nominal. You'll write production-grade code, embed with government customers on-site, and own the bridge between what our platform offers today and what a government program needs to succeed.

That might mean deploying Nominal onto a classified network for a Navy flight test squadron, building a custom telemetry pipeline for a DoD autonomy program, or standing up integrations at a NASA test facility, then watching an engineer use what you shipped yesterday and iterating on the spot. You'll work inside the constraints that come with federal environments: accreditation processes, air-gapped networks, strict cybersecurity requirements, and government acquisition timelines. The role requires someone who can deliver high-quality software without losing velocity in these environments.

Mission Devs are brought in when there's a specific technical gap to bridge. You might get looped in during pre-sales to integrate a program's data and demonstrate how Nominal fits their mission workflows, or you might be building program-specific tooling mid-deployment that evolves into a permanent product capability. The work you do for one program often becomes a core product used across our entire customer base — our video-alongside-telemetry capability, for example, started as a single customer need and is now a platform-wide feature. The "last 10%" looks different for every mission, and that's what makes the work compelling.

🔍 What we’re looking for

- 5+ years of experience in software engineering, forward-deployed engineering, or a technical role that combined building with customer-facing work.
- Experience working with or inside U.S. Government agencies, particularly DoD, and with deploying software on U.S. government networks.
- Track record of shipping production software in dynamic or ambiguous environments.
- Strong systems thinking — you can understand complex technical ecosystems end-to-end.
- Clear communicator, comfortable writing technical documentation and presenting to executive stakeholders.
- Willingness to travel up to 50%.
- Curiosity about hardware systems and willingness to learn the physical domains our customers operate in.
- Active TS/SCI clearance or the ability to obtain one is strongly preferred.

🎯 Why Nominal

- Mission-critical impact with top-tier government and commercial customers
- Backed by world-class investors
- Work alongside elite engineers from SpaceX, Palantir, Anduril, and more
- Build and deploy real systems powering rockets, aircraft, autonomous systems, and national security infrastructure

At Nominal, your code doesn’t sit in a demo environment — it powers real missions.

✨ Benefits/Perks

- 🏥 100% coverage of medical, dental, and vision insurance
- 🏖️ Unlimited PTO and sick leave
- 🍽️ Free lunch, snacks, and coffee
- 🚀 Professional Development Stipend
- 🛠️ In-office hardware lab with a $250 project stipend
- ✈️ Annual company retreat

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin.

ITAR Requirements To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR [here](https://www.pmddtc.state.gov/?id=ddtc_kb_article_page&sys_id=24d528fddbfc930044f9ff621f961987).

## About Nominal

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Nominal provides a unified industrial data stack that enables hardware engineering teams to test, analyze, and operate mission-critical systems with the speed of software development.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series B, 2026)
- **Headquarters**: Los Angeles, California, United States
- **Founded**: 2022
- **Founders**: Cameron McCord (Co-founder & CEO)

## Core Business
- Primary industry: Aerospace & Defense, Hardware Testing, Industrial Data Infrastructure
- Target customers: B2B – Engineering teams at startups, enterprises, and government agencies building complex hardware (e.g., autonomous vehicles, space systems, hypersonics)
- Mission: "Equip engineers to test and operate critical technology" – delivering the tools and infrastructure to deliver mission-critical capabilities at scale in the shortest time possible.

## Products & Services
- **[Nominal Core](https://nominal.io)**: A cloud-based collaborative workspace that ingests, structures, and analyzes telemetry, logs, video, and simulation results. Provides real-time mission control, trend analysis, and automated reporting to accelerate development, production, and operations. (SaaS)
- **[Nominal Connect](https://nominal.io)**: An edge compute platform for hardware test. Deploys Python-based test apps on-premises, turns scripts into operator-ready interfaces, and runs tests deterministically at the edge (lab, remote range, air-gapped). Automatically syncs results to Core for deeper analysis. (On-premise/Edge software)

## Market Standing
- **Valuation**: Not disclosed
- **Key Metric**: Total funding of **$182.5M** across 5 rounds (Seed, Series A, Series B, and a non-equity assistance)
- **Notable Investors**: Founders Fund (led Series B), General Catalyst (led Series A), Lux Capital (led Seed), and Sequoia Capital (partnered 2025)
- **Growth Signals**:
  - Headcount grew **+202.5% YoY** to 196 employees (as of 2026)
  - 17,984 LinkedIn followers (+209.7% yearly)
  - Customer Anduril reduced test review time from 5+ hours to near real-time across 300+ engineers
  - Active job postings: 67 (up +346.7% yearly)
  - Offices in Los Angeles (HQ), New York, Austin, Pflugerville (TX)

## Competitive Advantages
- **Unified platform** that replaces fragmented test tools – one data model for telemetry, logs, video, simulations, and documents
- **Built by engineers from Palantir, SpaceX, Anduril, and Lockheed Martin** – deep domain expertise in mission-critical hardware
- **Edge-to-cloud architecture** that works in air-gapped, offline, and secure environments
- **Enterprise-grade security and scale** with support for startups, large enterprises, and government deployments
- **Open API, SDKs, and integration ecosystem** allowing teams to modernize legacy systems without disruption

## Strategic Focus
- Continue scaling the platform to serve larger defense and aerospace programs (e.g., integrated programs, fleet management)
- Expand into manufacturing test lines and production environments (scaling test code from prototype to manufacturing)
- Deepen government partnerships and secure FedRAMP or similar certifications
- Grow headcount aggressively, especially in engineering, mission operations, and sales roles

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: "Engineers building for Engineers" – a tight-knit team of operators and builders from Palantir, SpaceX, Anduril, and more. High ownership, real impact on hardware that flies, launches, or defends.
- **Work Policy**: In-office **5 days per week** (LA, NY, Austin, Pflugerville). Gourmet lunch provided daily.
- **Perks & Benefits**:
  - 100% covered health, dental, and vision insurance (for you and family)
  - Unlimited paid vacation
  - 12-weeks parental leave
  - Fertility and family planning ($15,000 lifetime)
  - $500/year hardware sensor stipend
  - Wellness stipend ($100/month)
  - 401K with employer match
  - Learning & development stipend
  - Employee-friendly equity terms
- **Growth Trajectory**: Over 200% yearly headcount growth, recent Series B funding, and a clear mission to accelerate the "hardware renaissance" – strong signal for career growth and impact.

## Sources
1. [Nominal Careers Page](https://nominal.io/careers)
2. [Nominal About Us](https://nominal.io/about-us)
3. [Nominal Product Page](https://nominal.io/?j=35813&sfmc_sub=16110646&l=1582_HTML&u=1011363&mid=546014653&jb=234&sfmc_id=16110646)
4. [LinkedIn Company Profile](https://linkedin.com/company/nominal-inc)
5. [Sequoia Capital Portfolio](https://sequoiacap.com/companies/nominal/)

## Other roles at Nominal

- [Product Support Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/product-support-engineer-nominal-new-york-vnvxf68syqn9) — New York, NY
- [Software Engineer, AI Platform](https://feeny.ai/job/software-engineer-ai-platform-nominal-new-york-mjaw2v1jzezp) — New York, NY
- [GTM Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/gtm-engineer-nominal-new-york-b3xsws3qjt05) — New York, NY
- [Enablement Associate - Growth Team](https://feeny.ai/job/enablement-associate-growth-team-nominal-los-angeles-vmrspnhxawbv) — Los Angeles, CA
- [Software Engineer, Developer Infrastructure - Build Systems](https://feeny.ai/job/software-engineer-developer-infrastructure-build-systems-nominal-new-york-sxvaxxq66b75) — New York, NY
- [Frontend Software Engineer, Data](https://feeny.ai/job/frontend-software-engineer-data-nominal-new-york-fnjyz3a6h2j4) — New York, NY
- [Contracts Strategy Lead, U.S. Government](https://feeny.ai/job/contracts-strategy-lead-u-s-government-nominal-new-york-vd0gndvkayjc) — New York, NY
- [Senior Recruiter, Commercial & Corporate](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-recruiter-commercial-corporate-nominal-los-angeles-p2mzs3mj1r8c) — Los Angeles, CA
- [Product Manager, Data Review](https://feeny.ai/job/product-manager-data-review-nominal-new-york-3ws1z5arnh4y) — New York, NY
- [Baremetal Infrastructure Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/baremetal-infrastructure-engineer-nominal-new-york-rrfnedbzacex) — New York, NY