Senior Software Engineer, PubSec

About Ditto:

Ditto is redefining how data moves at the edge. Our mission is to make it seamless for developers to build resilient, real-time applications, regardless of network conditions. Whether you're in a stadium, airplane, or remote military base, Ditto's peer-to-peer sync engine ensures devices stay connected and data stays consistent, even without internet. With more than $145 million in funding and trusted by organizations like Chick-fil-A, Delta Airlines, and the U.S. military, Ditto powers mission-critical experiences across aviation, retail, travel, hospitality, defense, and more. As a globally distributed, fast-growing startup, we’re committed to building a diverse and inclusive team that reflects the wide range of perspectives needed to solve the world’s hardest connectivity problems.

About the Position

As a Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE), you are the technical tip of the spear. FDEs are elite, versatile engineers who work shoulder-to-shoulder with our most critical users to solve complex challenges in real time. Your primary mission is to radically decrease the time-to-value of our software by integrating it directly into the user's operational environment.

Because you see firsthand how our technology performs in the wild, you will also act as a crucial conduit, feeding technical insights and feature requirements back to our core product engineering team. This role requires a highly adaptable problem-solver who is comfortable moving fast, navigating ambiguity, and figuring things out quickly in high-stakes environments.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and Extend ATAK Plugins: Lead the design, development, and field deployment of custom ATAK (Android Team Awareness Kit) plugins that integrate our platform's data synchronization capabilities directly into the warfighter's primary situational awareness tool.

• Build Android-Native Integrations: Architect and develop performant Android applications and services that run on tactical end-user devices, ensuring reliable operation in disconnected, intermittent, and low-bandwidth (DIL) environments.

• Design Integration Architectures: Own the end-to-end integration design between our platform and the broader TAK ecosystem, defining data contracts, API boundaries, and synchronization patterns that enable seamless interoperability with third-party systems and services.

• Solve Problems in Real-Time: Act as the first line of technical defense, rapidly diagnosing and resolving application, integration, and data-flow issues as they arise on end-user devices in live operational environments.

• Bridge the Gap: Translate the unique realities of mobile tactical software—device fragmentation, power constraints, user workflow requirements—into actionable technical requirements for the core product development team.

What You'll Need

• Clearance Requirement: Must hold an active Secret clearance (Due to federal security clearance requirements, U.S. Citizenship is strictly required for this role).

• 5+ years of experience in software engineering, including hands-on experience building, shipping, and maintaining production applications. You should be comfortable working across the full stack but possess deep strength in at least one area.

• 2+ years of technical experience with Android application development, including familiarity with the Android SDK, Kotlin and/or Java, and the practical challenges of building reliable software for diverse mobile hardware.

• Prior experience with ATAK plugin development or deep familiarity with the TAK ecosystem, including CoT messaging, TAK Server integration, and the plugin architecture.

• Strong integration design skills, including the ability to define clean API contracts, design data synchronization patterns, and architect loosely coupled systems that interoperate reliably across organizational and technical boundaries.

• A highly adaptable, problem-solving mindset, with the ability to navigate ambiguity, move fast, and balance immediate operational fixes with long-term technical fidelity.

• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal. As the crucial bridge between the operational edge and our core development team, you must be able to translate complex, edge-case technical realities and user workflows into clear, actionable requirements for product engineers.

Nice to Haves

• Prior experience with CRDTs (Conflict-free Replicated Data Types) or local-first software architectures to manage complex data synchronization without a central server.

• Experience with cross-platform mobile development frameworks or strategies for maintaining parity between Android and other platform targets.

• Familiarity with tactical networking concepts, including how mobile devices operate over constrained, mesh, or MANET radio networks.

• Experience with SQLite, Realm, or other embedded databases and offline-first data persistence strategies for mobile applications.

• Direct experience operating at the tactical edge, including deploying and supporting software on end-user devices in field exercises or operational environments.

• Previous experience working directly with SOCOM, DoD, or federal customers, with an understanding of navigating secure or classified network environments.

• A background in backend or systems development (e.g., Go, Rust, Python) in addition to Android, enabling rapid prototyping of integration middleware or data translation services.

The Benefits of Building with Us

We offer competitive salaries and meaningful equity. We believe everyone on the team should have a stake in what we’re building. Benefits vary by region to make sure you're covered in the ways that matter most. In the US, that includes health, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance, plus a 401(k) and flexible spending accounts.

Regardless of where you live, everyone at Ditto can utilize flexible time off. And while we work remotely, our Atlanta and San Francisco offices are open if you ever want a place to work or meet up with teammates.

Apply Anyway

At Ditto, we know game-changers don’t always come wrapped in a “perfect” resume. Years of experience? Every single bullet point checked? Meh. That’s not what drives us.

What does matter?

• Grit.

• Curiosity.

• Adaptability.

• And a genuine spark for what we’re building.

So if you’re fired up about our mission but not sure you tick every box - hit that apply button anyway. Use your application to show us how you’ll make an impact here.

We’re always on the lookout for exceptional humans who want to grow, stretch, and build something meaningful with us.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Ditto is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. We do not discriminate in hiring or any employment decision based on race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. Ditto is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please let us know.