VP of Engineering

Job description

Swarmer develops software that makes drones autonomous and allows them to operate together, in large, coordinated teams — no pilots needed. Our technology has been battle-tested in Ukraine— the world’s most intense proving ground for drone warfare. In March 2026, we became the first Ukrainian defense startup to go public on NASDAQ, following a $15M Series A — the largest investment in a Ukrainian defense tech company since the start of the war. Working at Swarmer means operating at the intersection of engineering rigor and frontline reality. The problems and environments are complex, and the stakes are very real. We built this software to enable democratic nations to defend themselves. If you are motivated by building resilient systems that matter and by seeing the direct impact of your work, you’ll find purpose here. WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR: We're looking for a strong technical leader to take ownership of all engineering functions. This is a hands-on, execution-focused role: you'll bring structure to a fast-growing engineering organization, make the architecture decisions that keep a rapidly expanding product coherent, and ensure the team stays focused on scalable, roadmap-driven solutions. You'll report to our CPO and all engineering leads will report to you. WHAT YOU'LL DO: - Set technical strategy and own architecture decisions at the intersection of product and engineering, ensuring the system stays coherent as it scales - Ensure engineering effort is directed toward scalable, roadmap-aligned solutions rather than one-off work for individual clients or vendors - Prioritize ruthlessly — align integrations and new initiatives with business value, and be willing to say no or stop work that doesn't serve the roadmap - Build and own core engineering processes: pipelines, release management, testing, and incident response - Manage technical debt and align engineering execution with business priorities - Coordinate across cloud, onboard software, autonomy, QA, hardware integration, product, and field operations - Scale and lead the engineering organization, including engineering managers, team leads, and senior technical contributors YOU'LL BE A GOOD FIT IF YOU HAVE: - Strong engineering leadership experience building complex, mission-critical, life-critical, or high-load enterprise/B2B systems - Experience managing teams of 50+ people - Embedded / hardware-close software experience — our systems run in the physical world with real constraints, and this experience is critical to making sound architectural calls in our context - Solid understanding of Linux-based edge systems, networking, containers, companion computers, and ARM platforms such as NVIDIA Jetson or Raspberry Pi - Experience with distributed systems and unreliable connectivity, including fault tolerance, recovery, observability, fleet management, and remote updates - Strong cloud and backend architecture knowledge, including APIs, databases, messaging, infrastructure, security, and production operations - Good understanding of robotics or embedded system architecture, with familiarity with technologies such as MAVLink, ArduPilot, PX4, or ROS 2 is considered a strong plus - Experience building reliable, safety-sensitive systems with strong testing, release, and incident-management practices - Business-minded approach — you understand why we're doing something, not just how to build it - Ability to define technical strategy, make architecture decisions, manage technical debt, and align engineering execution with business priorities - Proven experience scaling engineering teams and leading engineering managers, team leads, and senior technical contributors - Ability to coordinate across cloud, onboard software, autonomy, QA, hardware integration, product, and field operations - Strong communication skills and professional English NICE TO HAVE: - Miltech experience, especially Ukrainian miltech - Direct experience with drones, robotics, or autonomous systems - Experience with Python, C/C++, Podman, Docker, or similar technologies - Experience with simulation, software-in-the-loop, or hardware-in-the-loop testing - Knowledge of secure boot, device hardening, signed software, hardware-backed identity, or operation in degraded communication environments WHAT YOU’LL GET: - A chance to shape the core autonomy and perception systems at the heart of Ukraine’s defense tech ecosystem and its international expansion - Direct impact in a high-stakes industry where security decisions carry real-world consequences - Professional growth through working with cutting-edge defense technologies and exposure to international security best practices - Competitive salary, benefits package (insurance, paid sick leaves, 20 paid days off per year) - Benefits of the defense sector (reservation, etc) HOW THE HIRING PROCESS WORKS: ✔️ Recruiter Screen → ✔️ Technical Interview → ✔️ Managerial Interview → ✔️ Final Interview with CEO/CPO → ✔️ Background check → ✔️ Offer