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Staff Software Engineer

Palo Alto, California

About Wing: 

Wing offers drone delivery as a safe, fast, and sustainable solution for last mile logistics. Consumer appetites for on-demand services are increasing, but current delivery methods are inefficient, costly, and contribute to road accidents and air pollution. Wing’s fleet of highly automated delivery drones can transport small packages directly from businesses to homes on-demand, in minutes. We design, build, and operate our aircraft, and offer drone delivery services on three continents. Our technology is designed to be easy to integrate into existing delivery and logistics networks, offering a scalable drone delivery solution for a broad range of businesses. Wing is a part of Google's parent company, Alphabet, and our mission is to create the preferred means of delivery for the planet. If you're ready to do the greatest work of your life, come join us.

About the Role:

We're seeking a highly skilled and motivated Staff Software Engineer to join our Uncrewed Air Traffic Management (UTM) team.  This role will be based in the US (preferred Palo Alto, CA).  This critical role will directly contribute to building and scaling the systems that enable safe and efficient drone operations worldwide. You'll work on complex challenges at the forefront of aviation and technology.

As a Staff Software Engineer on the UTM team, you'll be a technical leader, driving architectural decisions and ensuring the reliability and scalability of our platform. You'll work on a diverse range of projects, from developing robust backend services to crafting intuitive tools for drone pilots. Your expertise will be instrumental in establishing best practices, mentoring junior engineers, and driving innovation.

We need our engineers to be versatile, display leadership qualities and be enthusiastic to take on new problems across the full-stack as we continue to push technology forward. With your technical expertise you will manage project priorities, deadlines, and deliverables. You will design, develop, test, deploy, maintain, and enhance software solutions.

Why This Role Matters:

  • Impact: Your work will directly impact the safety and efficiency of drone operations globally.
  • Innovation: You'll be at the cutting edge of uncrewed air traffic management systems, solving complex problems in a rapidly evolving field.
  • Scale: You'll build systems that can handle the growing demands of our expanding drone delivery network.
  • Leadership: You'll have the opportunity to lead technical projects, mentor engineers, and influence architectural decisions.

What You’ll Do:

  • Technical Leadership: Provide technical leadership on high-impact projects, ensuring scalability, reliability, and maintainability.
  • System Design & Development: Design, develop, test, deploy, and maintain large-scale, distributed software systems for our UTM platform.
  • Architecture & Design Reviews: Lead and participate in design reviews with peers and stakeholders, evaluating system architecture and ensuring alignment with strategic goals.
  • Performance & Reliability: Proactively identify and resolve performance bottlenecks, implement monitoring solutions, and improve system reliability, availability, and latency.
  • Code Quality & Best Practices: Champion code quality, conduct thorough code reviews, and mentor junior engineers on best practices.
  • Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate effectively with product managers, program managers, and other engineering teams to define requirements, prioritize tasks, and deliver high-quality software.
  • Incident Response & On-Call: Participate in an on-call rotation to address urgent production issues, troubleshoot complex problems, and implement long-term solutions.
  • Strategic Planning: Propose and lead engineering projects that drive significant improvements to our systems and processes.

What You’ll Need:

  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
  • 8+ years of professional software development experience, with a focus on backend systems.
  • 5+ years of experience in designing, developing, testing, and deploying scalable software products.
  • 3+ years of experience in software architecture and design, with a proven track record of delivering complex systems.
  • Demonstrated experience scaling software systems in a high-growth environment.
  • Strong proficiency in at least one modern programming language (preferably C++).
  • Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to effectively communicate technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.  
  • Bonus: Experience developing software in a regulated industry (e.g., aviation, healthcare, finance) with a focus on compliance and safety-critical systems.

The US base salary range for this full-time position is the salary range below + bonus + equity + benefits. Wing’s salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your location during the hiring process.

Salary Range

$189,000 - $270,000 USD

Wing is an equal opportunity employer and it is Wing's policy to comply with all applicable national, state and local laws pertaining to nondiscrimination and equal opportunity. Employment at Wing is based solely on a person's merit and qualifications directly related to professional competence. Wing does not discriminate against any employee or applicant because of race, creed, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy or related condition (including breastfeeding), or any other basis protected by law.

If you have a need that requires accommodation during the interview process due to a disability or special need, please let us know by completing our Candidate Accommodations Request Form.

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