Software Engineer - Backend

About NominalNominal is building the software infrastructure powering the world’s most advanced hardware systems — from spacecraft and autonomous vehicles to next-generation industrial machines. Our platform ingests high-rate telemetry, validates complex autonomy software in real time, and enables engineers to iterate faster without sacrificing safety or precision. We’re a small, fast-moving team of engineers and operators who own problems end-to-end, work across disciplines, and thrive on challenges at the intersection of hardware and software.As a dual-use platform, we serve top-tier commercial and defense customers, including the U.S. Navy, United States Air Force, Shield AI, and Anduril. We’re backed by Sequoia, General Catalyst, Founders Fund, Lux Capital, and Lightspeed Ventures. Our team draws experience from SpaceX, Palantir, Anduril, Applied Intuition, and other leading companies — united by a common mission: enabling hardware engineers to push the boundaries of advanced technology with speed, safety, and precision.We're looking for a Backend Software Engineer, where you'll develop and maintain high-performance distributed systems for processing and storing telemetry data. You will also help design scalable storage solutions, optimize system performance, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver effective data solutions.🚀 About The RoleBuild and maintain distributed systems that process and store telemetry and sensor dataDesign scalable storage solutions to manage large, real-time datasetsImprove system performance and reliability, making sure everything runs smoothly at scaleWork with engineers from other parts of the company to support specific customer needsHelp set the technical direction of the backend, sharing your experience to guide early career engineersStay on top of new developments in data engineering and apply what’s useful to improve our platform⚡ Skills That Accelerate Us4+ years building and maintaining distributed systems with a focus on performance and reliabilityStrong with languages like Java, Go, or Rust, and comfortable writing clean, maintainable codePractical experience with cloud services (AWS, Azure, or GCP) and tools like Docker, Kubernetes, and TerraformUnderstanding of storage solutions—Parquet, Druid, InfluxDB, ClickHouse, TimescaleDB, or similar— and experience with real-time data and telemetry systemsFamiliarity with technologies like Apache Arrow, Kafka, Spark, or Flink, plus experience with distributed databasesAbility to explain your ideas clearly to others, whether they’re technical or non-technical✨ Benefits/Perks🏥 100% coverage of medical, dental, and vision insurance🏖️ Unlimited PTO and sick leave🍽️ Free lunch, snacks, and coffee🚀 Professional Development Stipend✈️ Annual company retreatAll qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin. ITAR RequirementsTo conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C.1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR hereWe may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.This job description is written to capture a range of experience levels from 2 years to 15+ years, which is why you’ll see a wide band listed. Your actual base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on a range of considerations, including job-related knowledge and skills, education, prior experience, and other business needs. The listed salary range represents an estimate for base compensation only. Base salary is just one part of the total rewards package. Eligible employees may also receive highly competitive equity grants in the form of stock options, allowing you to share in the company’s long-term success.