Lead Autonomy Engineer for UAV/UGV/USV Platforms

Syos Aerospace; Mount Maunganui; Remote; NZD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

SYOS Aerospace is seeking a Senior Autonomy Engineer to shape the autonomy capability behind our next generation of autonomous vehicles. You will mentor the autonomy team and lead across GNC, perception, sensor fusion, ML and computer vision.

You will translate ambitious ideas into robust, deployable systems, work across modelling, simulation, embedded implementation and real‑world testing, and collaborate with Systems Engineering to ensure seamless integration.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in autonomy engineering and robotics.
• Experience on complex autonomous systems and cross-disciplinary collaboration.
• Proven senior technical contributor or lead.
• Strong understanding of navigation, control, perception, sensor fusion and autonomous decision‑making.
• Experience with UAV/UGV/USV autonomous platforms.
• Foundations in systems engineering and requirements management.
• Track record mentoring engineers.

Responsibilities

• Act as a trusted technical expert and mentor within the autonomy engineering team.
• Provide technical leadership across autonomy, GNC, perception, sensor fusion, ML and computer vision.
• Guide engineers through complex technical challenges and support sound engineering decisions.
• Develop and improve autonomy solutions for UAV, UGV and USV platforms.
• Contribute to system architecture and technical direction across multiple autonomous platforms.
• Work from modelling and simulation through embedded implementation, integration, testing and real-world deployment.
• Apply systems-level thinking to understand requirements, interfaces, dependencies and interactions across the vehicle.
• Work closely with Systems Engineering to ensure autonomy solutions integrate with the broader system.
• Help establish engineering best practices, standards and ways of working across autonomy.
• Partner with Software, Systems, Mechatronics, Electronics and Flight Test teams to solve multidisciplinary problems.
• Review and challenge technical approaches, designs and engineering decisions.
• Support the development of engineers through mentoring, coaching and knowledge sharing.
• Stay across emerging autonomy technologies and identify opportunities to improve SYOS capability.
• Get hands‑on when required on complex technical problems, integration and testing.
• Help translate ambitious ideas into reliable technology that performs in the real world.

Skills

Autonomy engineering

Robotics

GNC

Systems thinking

Mentoring

Hands-on engineering

Education

BS/MS in Aerospace/Robotics/EE/CE/Mechatronics

Tools

ROS/ROS2

PX4

ArduPilot

MATLAB/Simulink

C++

Python

Job description

SYOS Aerospace is seeking a Senior Autonomy Engineer to shape the autonomy capability behind our next generation of autonomous vehicles. You will mentor the autonomy team and lead across GNC, perception, sensor fusion, ML and computer vision.

You will translate ambitious ideas into robust, deployable systems, work across modelling, simulation, embedded implementation and real‑world testing, and collaborate with Systems Engineering to ensure seamless integration.