---
title: 'Software Engineer — Software Platform & Middleware (Early Career) at Apex.AI'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/software-engineer-software-platform-middleware-early-career-apex-ai-munich-2mjewqkrs8hz'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-07'
---

# Software Engineer — Software Platform & Middleware (Early Career) at Apex.AI

- **Company:** Apex.AI
- **Location:** Munich, Germany
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-05-22
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-07
- **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/apex-ai/d5e80231-2ba0-4c7b-b9a7-3a71c874e401

## Job description

Build the Software Platform Powering Next-Generation Mobility Apex.AI is developing the software foundation for autonomous systems, intelligent machines, and software-defined vehicles. We are looking for an early-career Software Engineer to help advance our core software platform technologies, including Apex.Grace and Apex.Ida. This role is ideal for recent university graduates or engineers with 1–2 years of experience who are passionate about modern C++, distributed systems, middleware, developer platforms, and systems software engineering. You will work alongside experienced engineers on high-performance middleware, runtime systems, developer tooling, and software infrastructure used in safety-critical and real-time environments. This is an opportunity to gain hands-on experience building production-quality software for automotive, robotics, aerospace, and industrial automation applications. We are looking for engineers who enjoy solving complex technical problems, learning deeply about software systems, and building tools and platforms that other developers rely on every day. This role is based in our Munich office.

## What You’ll Do

- Contribute to the development and maintenance of core software components for Apex.AI products, particularly Apex.Grace and Apex.Ida
- Help build software platform capabilities, middleware features, developer tooling, and runtime infrastructure
- Support improvements in performance, reliability, scalability, and maintainability across the platform stack
- Assist in debugging and resolving complex software and system-level issues
- Develop automated tests, CI workflows, and engineering tooling
- Collaborate closely with platform, product, and applications teams to deliver production-quality software
- Participate in code reviews, technical discussions, and software design activities
- Learn and apply engineering best practices for modern C++ and systems software development
- Contribute ideas and improvements to developer workflows and platform usability

## What You Bring

- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Mathematics, Robotics, or a related technical field
- Strong foundation in software engineering and computer science fundamentals
- Experience with modern C++ through coursework, internships, personal projects, or early professional work
- Familiarity with Python or scripting languages
- Experience developing software on Linux-based systems
- Interest in distributed systems, middleware, runtime systems, or embedded software
- Strong debugging, analytical, and problem-solving skills
- Familiarity with Git and modern software development workflows
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Curiosity, ownership mentality, and eagerness to learn new technologies

## Nice to Have

- Exposure to middleware or communication technologies such as ROS/ROS 2, DDS, shared memory IPC, or networking APIs
- Familiarity with TCP/IP, sockets programming, or Linux system programming
- Experience with CI/CD workflows and automated testing
- Exposure to robotics, autonomous systems, or embedded software projects
- Familiarity with build systems such as CMake or Bazel
- Understanding of distributed systems concepts or real-time systems
- Interest in automotive software, intelligent machines, or software-defined vehicles
- Internship or academic experience involving systems programming or developer platforms

## Why Apex.AI

- Build foundational platform technology used in real-world autonomous and intelligent systems
- Learn from highly experienced engineers working on technically challenging problems
- Gain hands-on experience with middleware, runtime systems, and developer infrastructure
- Engineering-driven culture with meaningful ownership, mentorship, and growth opportunities
- Competitive compensation, benefits, and professional development opportunities
- International team working at the forefront of mobility software innovation

## About Apex.AI

Apex.AI is an international software company specializing in the development of safety-certified, developer-friendly, and scalable software for mobility systems, aiming to accelerate the transition to software-defined vehicles and mobility. Founded in 2017 by Jan Becker and Dejan Pangercic, the company is headquartered in Palo Alto, California, with additional offices in Munich, Stuttgart, Gothenburg, Tokyo, and Pangyo. To date, Apex.AI has raised over $75 million USD from world-class venture, financial and strategic investors including AGCO, Airbus Ventures, Canaan, Continental AG, Daimler Truck, HELLA Ventures, Jaguar Land Rover’s InMotion Ventures, LG Electronics, Lightspeed, Orillion, Toyota Ventures, Volvo Group Venture Capital and ZF. The company’s flagship product, Apex.OS, consists of two core components: Apex.Grace and Apex.Ida. Apex.Grace is an application runtime framework in the form of a software development kit (SDK). It provides a robust framework for developing real-time, reliable, and safe applications. Core APIs are based on ROS 2 APIs with numerous extensions enabling real-time execution, reliable performance, deployment into large fleets, system state management, safety, security, and much more. It is safety-certified to ISO 26262 ASIL D. Apex.Ida is a communication middleware delivering optimal high-performance data transport across use cases. These use cases range from fully autonomous vehicles with dozens of high-resolution cameras to small signals with ultra-high frequencies in safety-critical domains. Its core is based on a shared memory data transport with connectors into DDS, SOME/IP, MQTT, CAN, and many more protocols, all abstracted into a single application-facing API. Additionally, Apex.AI offers: Apex.Alan provides customers with a highly optimized and efficient software integration, development environment, build, test, and delivery process. Apex.OS for V&V enables record and playback of very large and diverse data streams, both time- and data-deterministically, which is crucial for replay, analysis, and performance evaluation of complex autonomous systems. Apex.AI’s software solutions are utilized across a diverse range of industries, including automotive, agriculture, medical, and defense sectors. The products enable developers to efficiently create and deploy safe, reliable, and high-performance applications, thereby accelerating the adoption of software-defined mobility systems. Through its innovative software solutions and strategic partnerships, Apex.AI is at the forefront of transforming the mobility industry, facilitating the development of next-generation vehicles and systems.

## About Apex.AI

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Apex.AI develops safety-certified, developer-friendly, and scalable software for mobility systems, accelerating the transition to software-defined vehicles and mobility.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Corporate Minority – II; total funding raised >$75 million)
- **Headquarters**: Palo Alto, California, USA
- **Founded**: 2017
- **Founders**: Jan Becker and Dejan Pangercic

## Core Business
- **Industries**: Automotive, agriculture, medical, defense – any sector requiring safety-critical mobility software.
- **Target Customers**: B2B – OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, and system integrators in automotive and other mobility domains.
- **Mission**: Provide safe, certified, developer-friendly, and scalable software that enables the industry to build and deploy software-defined mobility systems.

## Products & Services
- **[Apex.Grace](https://www.apex.ai/about)**: An application runtime framework / SDK (meta‑operating system) based on ROS 2 APIs, safety‑certified to ISO 26262 ASIL‑D. Enables real‑time, reliable, and safe application development for vehicles and autonomous systems.
- **[Apex.Ida](https://www.apex.ai/about)**: High‑performance communication middleware for inter‑process and cross‑domain data transport. Supports multiple protocols (shared memory, DDS, SOME/IP, MQTT, CAN, etc.) with deterministic low latency.
- **[Apex.Alan](https://www.apex.ai/about)**: Software integration and build environment that optimizes the development, testing, and delivery process for customers.
- **[Apex.OS for V&V](https://www.apex.ai/about)**: Record‑and‑playback tool for large, time‑ and data‑deterministic data streams, critical for verification & validation of complex autonomous systems.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation**: Not publicly disclosed.
- **Key Metric**: Over $75 million in total funding raised (as of 2026-09-06) [apex.ai/about](https://www.apex.ai/about).
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: AGCO, Airbus Ventures, Canaan, Continental AG, Daimler Truck, HELLA Ventures, Jaguar Land Rover’s InMotion Ventures, LG Electronics, Lightspeed, Orillion, Toyota Ventures, Volvo Group Venture Capital, ZF [apex.ai/about](https://www.apex.ai/about).
- **Growth Signals**:
  - ~110 employees globally [builtin.com](https://builtin.com/company/apexai).
  - Offices in Palo Alto, Berlin, Gothenburg, Munich, Stuttgart, Tokyo, Pangyo.
  - 10 patents filed (one granted in 2024) [cbinsights.com](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/apexai).
  - Expanding beyond automotive into agriculture, medical, and defense sectors.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Safety Certification**: Apex.Grace is certified to ISO 26262 ASIL‑D, the highest automotive safety integrity level.
- **Open‑Source Foundation**: Built on ROS 2 and Eclipse iceoryx, enabling a large developer ecosystem and rapid innovation.
- **High‑Performance Middleware**: Apex.Ida provides data‑amount‑independent low latency, critical for multi‑sensor autonomous systems.
- **Multi‑Industry Applicability**: Already adopted in automotive, agriculture, medical, and defense – reducing single‑industry risk.

## Strategic Focus
- Continue to scale the platform for software‑defined vehicles, while expanding into new verticals (defense, medical, agriculture).
- Deepen partnerships with tier‑1 suppliers and OEMs to embed Apex.OS into production vehicles.
- Maintain leadership in safety‑certified, ROS‑based middleware and runtime environments.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Emphasizes collaboration, openness, diversity, and passion for safety‑critical software. “Our people are our secret sauce” [apex.ai/about](https://www.apex.ai/about).
- **Work Model**: Hybrid – ~2 days on‑site for employees near offices; fully remote options for previously hired distant employees [builtin.com](https://builtin.com/company/apexai).
- **Global Offices**: Palo Alto (HQ), Berlin, Gothenburg, Munich, Stuttgart.
- **Perks**:
  - Company equity and performance bonuses.
  - Healthcare benefits and family medical leave.
  - Focus on modern software engineering, embedded systems, robotics, and functional safety – challenging technical work.
- **Hiring Process**: Talent Acquisition call → Hiring Manager interview → ~3‑hour interview series (technical + values alignment) [apex.ai/careers](https://www.apex.ai/careers).

## Sources
1. [apex.ai/about](https://www.apex.ai/about)
2. [apex.ai/careers](https://www.apex.ai/careers)
3. [builtin.com](https://builtin.com/company/apexai)
4. [cbinsights.com](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/apexai)
5. [jobs.lever.co/apex-ai](https://jobs.lever.co/apex-ai)

## Other roles at Apex.AI

- [Senior Technical Project/Program Manager — Defense and Public Programs](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-technical-project-program-manager-defense-and-public-programs-apex-ai-fzj8bprezev3) — Munich, Germany
- [Head of IT and InfoSec](https://feeny.ai/job/head-of-it-and-infosec-apex-ai-munich-yzm244vkzc44) — Munich, Germany
- [Senior DevOps Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-devops-engineer-apex-ai-munich-eba6xj1vqjcn) — Munich, Germany
- [Senior Software Engineer — Software Platform & Middleware](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-software-engineer-software-platform-middleware-apex-ai-munich-wyphmxbr9qry) — Munich, Germany
- [Application Engineer (Early Career)](https://feeny.ai/job/application-engineer-early-career-apex-ai-munich-fwtqvdb05b41) — Munich, Germany
- [Senior Application Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-application-engineer-apex-ai-munich-62a0sr965f9p) — Munich, Germany