About the position

Sightline Intelligence - Murarrie, Brisbane

Are you a passionate Senior Software Engineer with a focus on C++ looking to make a real impact in the world of AI? Sightline Intelligence, formerly Athena AI, is a cutting-edge Defence Technology company at the forefront of artificial intelligence innovation.

We are seeking a highly skilled Senior Software Engineer to join our dynamic team in Brisbane. As a Senior Software Engineer at Sightline, you'll work alongside a talented group of engineers, data scientists, and product managers to develop high-performance software solutions that power our AI innovations. If you’re ready to take your career to the next level and work on projects that push the boundaries of technology, we want to hear from you!

About Sightline Intelligence

Sightline Intelligence (formerly Athena Artificial Intelligence) develops cutting‑edge Defence AI capabilities for international partners. We are one of the few Australian companies delivering vision-based AI, geospatial analytics, and AI‑augmented decision support systems into real operational environments. Our technology supports real missions with real consequences - and demands the highest calibre of engineering.

Position Summary The Senior Software Engineer is responsible for providing strategic technical leadership across multiple teams while defining engineering standards to drive innovation. This role will balance high-level technical vision with hands-on contribution and team development.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Leadership & Delivery

- Take end-to-end technical ownership of major features and software subsystems, from requirements and design through implementation, testing, deployment, and ongoing support.
- Design and develop high-performance, scalable, and maintainable software primarily using modern C++.
- Make and clearly communicate architectural and technical decisions, including trade-offs related to performance, reliability, complexity, and delivery timelines.
- Break down complex technical problems, define implementation approaches, identify risks, and provide realistic estimates.




- Investigate and resolve complex software defects, performance bottlenecks, integration issues, and production failures.
- Establish appropriate testing, validation, and quality assurance strategies for mission-critical software.
- Improve software architecture, development practices, tooling, building systems, and deployment processes.
- Evaluate new technologies and development approaches based on their practical value, technical risk, and suitability for our products.

Engineering Standards and Mentoring

- Lead design discussions and code reviews, helping maintain a high standard of software quality across the team.
- Mentor and support other engineers through technical guidance, constructive feedback, and knowledge sharing.
- Promote strong engineering practices relating to maintainability, testing, documentation, performance, and reliability.
- Identify opportunities to reduce technical debt and improve existing systems without disrupting product delivery.
- Contribute to shared coding standards, architectural principles, and engineering processes.

Collaboration

- Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including machine learning engineers, data scientists, system engineers, product managers, and hardware specialists.
- Translate product and operational requirements into practical software designs.
- Communicate complex technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
- Work across teams to resolve dependencies, algin technical approaches, and support successful product delivery.
- Contribute technical insight into product planning and longer-term engineering priorities.
- Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in software engineering, computer science, or equivalent field.




- Proven experience in software development with a strong focus on C++.
- Demonstrated experience designing and delivering complex production software.
- Strong understanding of modern C++, object-orientation design, software architecture, concurrency, memory management, and performance optimization.
- Strong problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and a proactive approach to overcoming challenges. Ability to work effectively in a team environment.
- *Worker Eligibility: Due to the nature of our work, Sightline’s Australian employees must be eligible for Australian Government Security clearance. This security clearance may only be granted to Australian citizens.

Highly Desirable:

- Experience deploying software to constrained or edge-computing platforms, including NVIDIA Jetson or Qualcomm platforms.
- Experience with multithread, real-time, distributed, or performance-sensitive systems.
- Experience developing software for defence, robotics, autonomous systems, computer vision, or other mission-critical applications.

Compliance: Note that due to the nature of our projects, applicants must be an Australian Citizen to be considered for this position. Our roles require an Australian Government Security Clearance, or the ability to obtain one. Security clearances may only be granted to Australian citizens.

Applicants who accept a conditional offer of employment may be subject to government security investigation(s) and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information.

Why Join Us?

- Cutting-Edge Projects: Work on real-world, high-impact AI applications at the forefront of defence innovation.
- Competitive Package: Strong salary and benefits. AGSVA clearance to baseline or NV1 included for the right applicant.
- Excellent Location: Murarrie office - near the CBD without the traffic.

We welcome applicants from diverse backgrounds, even if you don’t meet every criterion listed. At Sightline Intelligence, we value the unique perspectives and skills that each candidate brings to the team.

📌 Senior Software Engineer (Murarrie)
🏢 Athena Artificial Intelligence
📍 Murarrie