Autonomous UAV ML Systems Engineer

SCIENTIFIC APPLICATIONS & RESEARCH ASSOCIATES, INC. (SARA); Colorado Springs (CO); On-site; USD 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision, disability

Employee bonuses

401(k) match

ESOP

Job summary

Scientific Applications & Research Associates, Inc. (SARA) in Colorado Springs, CO, is seeking a Machine Learning Systems Engineer (UAS) to lead UAV flight controller integration, autonomous navigation, and AI-based edge processing.

The role spans concept to operation, with exposure to PX4/ArduPilot, ROS/MAVLink, and NVIDIA Jetson platforms. You will collaborate across hardware, software, and AI teams to advance autonomous aerial systems, deploying AI models on embedded platforms and validating

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in a relevant field; strong foundation in robotics/embedded systems.
• Experience with UAS or autonomous navigation is a plus.
• Familiarity with flight controllers, PX4/ArduPilot, and ROS/MAVLink workflows.

Responsibilities

• Configure and integrate flight controllers (PX4/ArduPilot) with UAVs.
• Develop/modify software in C++/Python for flight control and sensor processing.
• Integrate ROS/MAVLink interfaces between flight controllers, companion computers, and ground control.
• Work on computer vision/AI perception (OpenCV, TensorFlow, PyTorch, DeepStream) for onboard processing.
• Deploy/evaluate AI models on NVIDIA Jetson platforms for real-time inference.
• Support networking, telemetry, and video streaming for UAV operations.
• Participate in lab, simulation, and field tests; document results and follow safety procedures.
• Collaborate with hardware/software/AI teams to resolve integration issues.

Skills

C++

Python

UAS

ROS

MAVLink

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor’s degree in CS/Robotics/EE/AE

Master’s degree in CS/Robotics/EE/AE

Tools

PX4

ArduPilot

MAVLink

ROS

QGroundControl

Mission Planner

NVIDIA Jetson

OpenCV

TensorFlow

PyTorch

DeepStream

CUDA

Job description

Scientific Applications & Research Associates, Inc. (SARA) in Colorado Springs, CO, is seeking a Machine Learning Systems Engineer (UAS) to lead UAV flight controller integration, autonomous navigation, and AI-based edge processing.

The role spans concept to operation, with exposure to PX4/ArduPilot, ROS/MAVLink, and NVIDIA Jetson platforms. You will collaborate across hardware, software, and AI teams to advance autonomous aerial systems, deploying AI models on embedded platforms and validating