Tactical Communications, Networking Engineer

Noda

Design and optimize the communication stack for fleets of unmanned systems at NODA AI. Collaborate with engineers to ensure reliable connectivity and mission success.

Posted 4/20/2026full-timeAustin • Texas • 🇺🇸 United StatesMid-LevelSeniorWebsite

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

Distributed SystemsPythonTCP/IP

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Design and optimize the full communication stack that keeps fleets of unmanned systems coordinated in real time.
Physically configure and validate tactical radios, integrate communications hardware into unmanned platforms, and ensure reliable connectivity.
Collaborate closely with autonomy and AI engineers to ensure networking becomes a force multiplier for mission planning, dynamic task allocation, and swarm-level decision-making.
Perform physical bring-up, configuration, and validation of tactical radios.
Configure RF link parameters to achieve reliable connectivity.
Establish and validate communication links based on different hardware configurations.
Design and implement software-defined networking features for constrained networks.
Debug RF and physical layer issues including interference and connectivity loss.
Author and maintain field networking runbooks and documentation for exercises and live events.

Requirements

What you’ll need

3+ years of professional experience in networking, communications engineering, or distributed systems.
Expertise in OSI/TCP/IP stack, multicast/unicast, and routing protocols.
Hands-on experience physically configuring and troubleshooting radios and RF links — not limited to software or API integration.
Experience with wireless/RF networking (mesh, ad hoc, MANET) including behavior under degraded or contested conditions.
Experience with satellite communications (Starlink, SATCOM) and cellular networks (LTE/5G) in field or operational environments.
Familiarity with tactical data protocols and systems such as Cursor-on-Target (CoT), TAK (ATAK/WinTAK), and TAK Server — including setup, configuration, and integration with networked platforms.
Ability to bring up a radio-to-host communication link from scratch, including hardware connections, IP configuration, and multi-device static routing across heterogeneous platforms.
Working knowledge of pub-sub middleware internals — understanding what goes on the wire, why, and how to reason about routing decisions relative to network state.
Proficiency in Python and/or C++ for protocol design, scripting, and field automation.
U.S. Citizenship with the ability to obtain a clearance.

Benefits

Comp & perks

Hybrid work environment
Competitive pay
Flexible time off and generous PTO
Federal holidays
401(k)
Comprehensive health, dental, and vision benefits
Free One Medical membership

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Hard Skills & Tools

networkingcommunications engineeringdistributed systemsOSI stackTCP/IProuting protocolsRF link configurationwireless networkingsatellite communicationsPython