Technical Lead - Distributed Systems

Overview

Overland AI is transforming land operations for modern defense. Founded in 2022 and headquartered in Seattle, Washington, Overland AI leverages robotics and machine learning to support unit commanders. Our Over Drive autonomy stack enables ground vehicles to navigate and operate off-road in any terrain without GPS or direct operator control. Our Over Watch C2 interface provides commanders with precise coordination capabilities essential for mission success.

Overland AI has secured funding from defense tech investors and built trusted partnerships with DARPA, the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, and Special Operations Command. Backed by eight-figure contracts across the Department of Defense, we work closely with end users engaged in tactical operations to strengthen national security.

We are seeking a Technical Lead - Distributed Systems to lead efforts designing and implementing the data fabric that connects robots with each other and their operators. In this role, you will build the technical backbone of multi-robot interactions and human-machine teaming via command-and-control interfaces. Your goal is to ensure the reliable and secure storage and distribution of mission data and real-time telemetry, enabling collaborative robot behaviors and the coordination of mission-level off-robot mapping and planning.

• Design distributed data solutions that operate across traditional cloud-based server infrastructure and edge network topologies.
• Leverage autonomy to build systems that reliably bridge Denied, Degraded, Intermittent, and Limited (DDIL) networking scenarios.
• Collaborate with cross-functional robotics engineering teams on development of world models and distributed mapping solutions.
• Champion the adoption of best practices while pragmatically weighing technical tradeoffs and velocity.
• Mentor and lead teammates in implementing designs according to operational requirements.
• Work with program and product managers to understand customer requirements and architect flexible solutions.

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, or related discipline and 5+ years of relevant professional experience; OR 8+ years of relevant professional experience.
• Experience architecting and implementing scalable, distributed, and loosely coupled microservices with Python, Go, or C++.

• Proven experience architecting and implementing real-time, low-latency distributed communications for mesh topologies on unreliable networks.
• Experience with communications protocols (HTTP, Web Socket, MQTT, and message brokers), with strong judgement on appropriate technology selection.
• Deep expertise in conflict resolution algorithms and distributed data consensus protocols.
• Ability to diagnose and resolve complex reliability and performance issues in distributed systems.
• Track record of successful deployments to both edge hardware and cloud platforms.
• Demonstrated leadership experience mentoring and guiding engineering teams.
• Experience collaborating with API client development teams across multiple platforms (web applications, mobile frameworks, and agent clients).
• Familiarity with military or tactical communication systems.
• Security-conscious mindset: experience implementing zero-trust security and compliance best practices with containerized and distributed environments.
• Experience with video and telemetry streaming with WebRTC or other real-time protocols.

• The salary range for this position is $200K to $260K annually
• Equity compensation
• Best-in-class healthcare, dental and vision plans
• Flexible PTO
• 401k with company match
• Parental leave