Backend Software Engineer - Maps & Routing

Backend Software Engineer - Maps & Routing

Location: Onsite | Rosslyn, VA; New York City; Seattle, WA

Work Authorization: U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident - No visa sponsorship

Employment Type: Full-time, salaried, with full benefits

The Company & Mission:

Our client is revolutionizing military logistics and sustainment through the deployment of AI-enabled solutions. Combining elite Silicon Valley software expertise with deep operational experience working in and with the Department of Defense, our client builds cutting-edge software to solve the most critical logistics challenges faced by the U.S. military and its allies.

Their flagship product is an advanced software platform that enhances logistics at tactical and operational echelons, providing unified, comprehensive management of inventory, personnel, equipment, and distribution. The platform integrates critical information for holistic, data-driven logistics decisions, leveraging AI for decision support, predictive analytics, and optimization at machine speed. Their mission is to support and enable the military logistics and sustainment communities with software to meet the needs of the next fight.

What This Role is All About:

Our client is seeking a Backend Software Engineer to own the routing layer of their logistics platform end-to-end. This is not a geospatial visualization role. They're looking for someone who has worked on routing engines themselves — the graph structures, cost functions, and edge-case logic that determine how a vehicle actually gets from A to B, especially in degraded, contested, or constantly changing environments.

As the sole engineer responsible for this layer, you'll take full ownership of the ground routing infrastructure (built on Valhalla) and independently design and implement new capabilities on top of it. This is a high-ownership, high-impact role for an engineer who is energized by technical depth, independent execution, and building systems that operate under real-world constraints.

What You’ll Be Doing:

• Own the design, development, and ongoing maintenance of the routing layer (built on Valhalla) as the sole engineer responsible for this system


• Extend the existing routing foundation with new capabilities including multi-modal transport routing, time-dependent cost modeling, and integration with operational data sources (weather, terrain, road availability)


• Collaborate with the broader platform team to expose routing functionality through clean APIs and integrate it into core product workflows


• Participate in technical design discussions and code reviews, contributing to a culture of engineering rigor and mission focus


• Triage and debug routing issues in production, ensuring reliability and rapid iteration in support of operational needs


• Work closely with engineers, product managers, and military stakeholders to ensure the routing layer meets real-world sustainment requirements at the tactical edge

What You Bring:

• 4–6 years of experience in software engineering with a demonstrated focus on routing, navigation, or transportation systems


• Direct hands-on experience building or extending a routing engine (Valhalla, OSRM, GraphHopper, or equivalent)


• Proficiency in C++ or Rust as a primary language; familiarity with Go is a plus


• Comfort owning a technical layer end-to-end — you can design, implement, debug, and iterate independently


• Strong sense of ownership and a bias for action

Bonus Points:

• Direct experience with Valhalla specifically


• Experience with multi-modal transport routing (ground, air, maritime) beyond single-mode use cases


• Prior work at a logistics, mapping, or supply chain technology company


• Experience deploying software to production environments, including cloud (AWS, Kubernetes) and edge infrastructure


• Familiarity with OpenStreetMap data pipelines, PostGIS, or tile server infrastructure (e.g., Martin)

Benefits:

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans; premiums 100% covered for all employees; exceptionally low premiums for spouses and dependents


• Basic life insurance and disability 100% covered for all employees; option to purchase additional life insurance


• "Take the time off that you need, when you need it" paid time off policy — not accrual based


• Generous company holiday calendar including a December shutdown


• Supportive leave of absence program including military service, medical events, and parental leave


• Full 401(k) retirement plan for all full-time eligible employees


• Company-funded commuter benefits


• Free access to on-site gym at office


• Highly competitive equity grants included in the majority of full-time offers as part of total compensation