Senior Machine Learning Engineer

Company Overview: Dedrone is the world's most trusted smart airspace security company. Hundreds of commercial, government and military customers around the world rely on Dedrone's comprehensive, command and control (C2) solution to protect against the persistent and escalating threat from drones while enabling "good" drones to fly. By leveraging AI/ML, Dedrone is the only solution that provides continuous, autonomous interrogation and verification of drones that enables both multi-sensor and multi-mitigation options onto a single fused "pane-of-glass". Whether on-premise / air-gapped or in the cloud, Dedrone customers can easily detect, track, identify, analyze, and mitigate drone threats.

Your Impact
As a Machine Learning Engineer at Dedrone, you'll play a pivotal role in advancing airspace security. Leveraging cutting-edge camera systems and machine learning algorithms, you will help us detect, track, and classify diverse flying objects in complex airspace environments. By innovating detection and tracking techniques, you'll be key in developing our systems to respond to evolving airspace threats—from quadcopters and drones to other larger or unconventional aircraft. Working within a highly skilled team, you'll gain access to world-class resources and an extensive, unique dataset, providing a one-of-a-kind opportunity to shape the future of airspace security and computer vision.
What You'll Do

• Design and implement high-performance C++ software that runs computer vision and tracking algorithms in real time on edge devices.
• Work closely with computer vision / self-supervised learning engineers to integrate their models into production pipelines, including pre/post-processing, I/O, and system orchestration.
• Build and optimize multithreaded and parallel processing pipelines for ingesting, synchronizing, and processing data from a networked system of cameras.
• Implement and tune CUDA kernels and GPU-accelerated components to maximize throughput and minimize latency for inference, tracking, and search.
• Design robust data structures and memory management strategies for handling large volumes of video, sensor, and metadata streams under tight compute and power constraints.
• Profile and optimize code using tools such as perf, valgrind, nvprof / Nsight, and similar to identify bottlenecks and improve CPU/GPU utilization.
• Collaborate with simulation and CV teams to deploy and evaluate algorithms in realistic test scenarios, including fault handling and performance monitoring.
• Develop clean, well-tested, and well-documented C++ libraries and services that can be reused across products and future airspace applications.
• Contribute to system-level architecture decisions, including inter-process communication, scheduling, resource allocation, and deployment strategies on edge platforms.

What You Bring

• 5+ years of professional experience in modern C++ (C++14/17 or later), with strong object-oriented and generic programming skills.
• Deep understanding of multithreading and concurrency (threads, thread pools, locks, lock-free structures, atomics, futures, async patterns) and experience building robust, concurrent systems.
• Hands-on experience with parallel processing frameworks or patterns (SIMD, task-based parallelism, GPU offload, or similar) for real-time or high-throughput applications.
• Strong command of data structures and algorithms, and the ability to choose and implement the right structures for performance-critical, memory-constrained environments.
• Proven experience with memory management and performance optimization in C++ (stack vs heap, custom allocators, cache-aware design, avoiding fragmentation, RAII, move semantics).
• Practical experience with CUDA (or similar GPU programming frameworks): writing kernels, managing GPU memory, optimizing for occupancy and bandwidth, and integrating with C++ codebases.
• Experience integrating machine learning or computer vision inference engines (e.g., TensorRT, OpenVINO, ONNX Runtime) is a strong plus.
• Familiarity with Linux-based development (build systems like CMake, unit testing frameworks, containerization and/or cross-compilation for edge devices).
• Strong debugging and profiling skills across CPU and GPU, and a methodical approach to benchmarking and regression testing.
• Excellent collaboration and communication skills, with a track record of working closely with research or ML teams to move algorithms from prototype to production.

This role is based out of our Sterling Office and follows a hybrid schedule. We rely on in-person collaboration and ask that team members work onsite Tuesdays through Fridays, with the flexibility to work remotely on Mondays, unless there is an approved workplace accommodation. We believe that connection fuels innovation, and our in-office culture is designed to foster meaningful teamwork, mentorship, and shared success.

Benefits that Benefit You

• Competitive salary and 401k with employer match
• Discretionary paid time off
• Paid parental leave for all
• Medical, Dental, Vision plans
• Fitness Programs
• Emotional & Mental Wellness support
• Learning & Development programs
• And yes, we have snacks in our offices

Benefits listed herein may vary depending on the nature of your employment and the location where you work

Don't meet every single requirement? That's ok. At Dedrone, we Aim Far. We think big with a long-term view because we want to reinvent the world to be a safer, better place. We are also committed to building diverse teams that reflect the communities we serve.
Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they check every box in the job description. If you're excited about this role but your experience doesn't align perfectly with every qualification listed here, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.
The above job description is not intended as, nor should it be construed as, exhaustive of all duties, responsibilities, skills, efforts, or working conditions associated with this job. The job description may change or be supplemented at any time in accordance with business needs and conditions.
Some roles may also require legal eligibility to work in a firearms environment.
Dedrone is committed to the well-being and safety of its employees as well as Dedrone's impact on the environment. All Dedrone employees must be aware of and committed to the appropriate environmental, health, and safety regulations, policies, and procedures. Dedrone employees are empowered to report safety concerns as they arise and activities potentially impacting the environment.
We are an equal opportunity employer that promotes justice, advances equity, values diversity and fosters inclusion. We're committed to hiring the best talent — regardless of race, creed, color, ancestry, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship status, marital status, disability, gender identity, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances — and empowering all of our employees so they can do their best work. If you have a disability or special need that requires assistance or accommodation during the application or the recruiting process, please email .