Senior Software Engineer (C++ / Real-Time Systems)

Derq is an MIT spinoff building AI-powered traffic safety and smart infrastructure. We’re a team of passionate innovators, leveraging the latest in AI and technology to transform the future of mobility. Our platform enhances road safety and traffic management by turning real-time data into actionable insights for cities and road operators. Our patented technology collects and analyzes data from connected sensors like cameras, radar, and traffic signal controllers to help predict and prevent road incidents. We deploy edge and cloud solutions that make intersections and highways safer and smarter. Role Overview Ever wanted to see your code directly impact the physical world? As a Senior Software Engineer at Derq, you will design, develop, and optimize the core production systems that power our real‑time traffic and safety solutions. This is a 100% hands-on engineering role with full ownership of code, performance, and system behavior from initial development straight through to deployment. This position sits at the sweet spot between software engineering and systems engineering . You will work directly on performance‑critical, edge‑deployed systems - improving efficiency, reliability, and scalability under unpredictable, real‑world conditions. Our focus is strictly on shipping production‑ready solutions. The Stack: Standard C++ on Linux The Environment: Make-based builds, shared libraries, and deployment patterns optimized for production roadside and edge hardware. Key Responsibilities Design, develop, and maintain production‑grade software systems with a focus on performance, reliability, and scalability Optimize system behavior for real‑time, low‑latency environments, including edge and cloud components Design, implement, and refine core system logic that improves platform performance, reliability, and scalability under real‑world conditions. Profile, analyze, and optimize system performance across CPU, memory, I/O, and networking Improve system observability through logging, monitoring, and diagnostics Work on end‑to‑end development, from design and implementation to testing, deployment, and support Collaborate with Deployment, ML, and Systems teams to validate and support improvements in production‑like and live environments. Debug and resolve complex production issues involving distributed or real‑time systems Write clean, maintainable, and well‑tested code following engineering best practices Participate in code reviews and contribute to improving engineering standards and tooling Support production systems post‑deployment and assist with performance tuning and issue resolution Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field 10+ years of professional experience in software engineering, systems engineering, or performance‑critical systems Strong hands‑on experience with modern C++ Solid experience working with Linux‑based systems Experience building and optimizing real‑time, high‑throughput, or low‑latency systems Strong understanding of: Data structures and algorithms System performance and resource optimization Debugging complex system behavior Experience with automated testing, system validation, and production debugging Familiarity with distributed systems concepts and system reliability Strong problem‑solving skills and ownership mindset