Senior Autonomy Engineer

Austin, Remote. Posted 3 months ago

The role

This person will design and implement the autonomy stack for adaptive multi-vehicle orchestration. They will work on mission planning, path generation, behavior execution, and task allocation across heterogeneous fleets.

What you will do

Design and implement autonomy modules including path planning, task allocation, behavior trees, and reactive execution models
Develop and maintain the autonomy framework that integrates with orchestration and world modeling
Ensure AI-generated plans are executable, explainable, and safe across multi-domain robotic platforms
Implement and validate navigation, control, and autonomy behaviors for UAVs, USVs, and UUVs
Profile and optimize autonomy performance for edge compute hardware
Conduct simulation-in-loop and hardware-in-loop testing
Contribute to safety, reliability, and compliance practices for autonomy in defense-relevant missions
Collaborate across AI, networking, and systems engineering teams

Required qualifications

6+ years experience developing autonomy or robotics systems
Proficiency in C++ and Python for real-time autonomy development
Strong hands-on experience with event-driven/pub-sub middleware (Zenoh, MQTT, DDS, or similar)
Background in motion planning, navigation, and control systems
Experience with state estimation, sensor fusion, and autonomy validation
Familiarity with behavior trees, task allocation, or symbolic planners
Knowledge of simulation environments (Gazebo, Isaac Sim, AirSim, or equivalent)
U.S. citizenship is required
Ability to obtain and maintain a DoD security clearance

Nice to have

Proficiency in Rust for systems-level/real-time autonomy development
Experience with multi-agent coordination and swarm robotics
Exposure to autonomous vehicle domains (UAVs, UUVs, USVs)
Familiarity with MAVLink, JAUS, or STANAG 4586 protocols
Background in AI planning, reinforcement learning, or constraint solvers
Experience optimizing autonomy for embedded/real-time performance
Prior exposure to defense or aerospace autonomy systems
Contributions to open-source robotics or autonomy projects

Benefits

Premium medical, dental, and vision coverage with zero paycheck premiums for you and your family
401(k) Retirement Savings Plan with Company match
Equity grants for new hires
Unlimited PTO
11 Paid holidays
Extremely generous company holiday calendar, including a holiday hiatus in November, & December
Generous Parental Leave
Military Leave for annual training or service requirements
FSA
DCFSA
HSA
Professional Development Opportunities

Before you apply

U.S. citizenship is required due to ITAR regulations
Ability to obtain and maintain a DoD security clearance

About the company

NODA is a veteran-owned, venture-backed technology company that is transforming how unmanned systems collaborate in complex, mission-critical environments. They develop solutions for the autonomous orchestration of heterogeneous unmanned systems across air, sea, land, and space.