Senior Backend Engineer

Red 6 • Santa Monica, CA

4d

About The Position

Red 6 is seeking a highly experienced Senior Backend Software Engineer to join our dynamic team in Santa Monica, CA. The Senior Backend Software Engineer will develop the services, APIs, and core system components that power ATARS, Red 6’s augmented reality system that integrates synthetic, threat-relevant training into live flights for fighter pilots.
This role focuses on building the backend systems that support the desktop applications used to plan and configure AR training scenarios and to debrief ATARS flights. The engineer will develop production services responsible for scenario planning, real-time session state management, telemetry ingestion, and the data platforms that enable post-flight review and analysis.
In addition to core backend engineering responsibilities such as authentication, data modeling, performance optimization, and system monitoring, the Senior Backend Software Engineer will productionize LLM-enabled capabilities when appropriate. These capabilities may include tool and action execution, workflow orchestration, retrieval systems, and tracing for AI-assisted workflows. The role requires close collaboration with cross-functional engineering teams to deliver reliable, secure, and high-performance backend systems supporting mission-critical pilot training environments.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related technical discipline.
• 5+ years of professional experience as a Backend or Full Stack Software Engineer.
• Demonstrated experience and strong conviction around AI coding agents/tools (e.g., Codex, Claude Code).
• Experience shipping production backend features using AI tools in a professional PR and CI workflow.
• Strong backend proficiency in Python, including experience building performant, reliable, and scalable systems.
• Proven experience developing and maintaining RESTful services, backend APIs, and data-driven application logic.
• Strong debugging and troubleshooting skills in backend and distributed systems.
• Proficiency using Git version control.
• Qualified candidate must have the ability to obtain a security clearance. This requires U.S. Citizenship

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree or PhD in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related technical discipline.
• Experience building AI-native backend capabilities, including LLM-backed services with tool and action execution, workflow orchestration, tracing, monitoring, evaluation frameworks, and quality metrics.
• Experience implementing safe rollout mechanisms such as feature flags and kill switches.
• Proficiency in JavaScript/TypeScript and single-page application frameworks such as React.
• Experience developing and operating software in Linux environments.
• Experience building systems for military, aerospace, or defense environments.
• Experience with model fine-tuning and reinforcement learning (RL).
• Experience with containerization technologies, preferably Docker.
• Experience with geospatial data systems.
• Experience with augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR) platforms.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop backend services, APIs, and core system components that support ATARS training operations.
• Build and maintain production systems for scenario planning, real-time session state management, and telemetry ingestion.
• Develop backend data services and infrastructure that power post-flight training review and analysis workflows.
• Design and implement secure, scalable backend architectures including authentication systems, data models, and service integrations.
• Productionize LLM-enabled backend capabilities such as tool and action execution, workflow orchestration, and retrieval systems.
• Implement robust observability and tracing capabilities for AI-assisted workflows and backend services.
• Ensure backend services meet high standards for performance, reliability, and security in mission-critical environments.
• Collaborate with frontend, platform, and systems engineering teams to integrate backend services with ATARS training systems.
• Identify and resolve defects in backend systems and distributed service architectures.
• Support CI/CD workflows and modern development practices for production software delivery.

Benefits

• Healthcare, Dental, and Vision (100% coverage for Employees)
• Paid time off, including vacation, sick, paid holidays, and parental leave
• Short and Long-Term Disability
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
• 401(k) Retirement Plan
• Voluntary Worksite Benefits (Accident, Critical Illness, and Hospital Indemnity)

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level