Autonomy and Perception Engineer

Powerus; Charlotte (NC); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Powerus is seeking an Autonomy & Perception Engineer to develop perception, navigation, and decision-making software for aircraft. You will tackle visual navigation, object detection and tracking, sensor fusion, and autonomous behaviours, moving algorithms from prototype to on-vehicle deployment and flight validation on compute-constrained edge hardware.

Based in the Charlotte, NC area, you will collaborate with GNC and embedded teams to push capabilities toward flight-ready autonomy, with

Qualifications

• Must be located in the United States, within commuting distance of Charlotte, NC.
• Experience developing perception, computer vision, or autonomy software for physical systems.
• Strong proficiency in C++ and Python.
• Working knowledge of computer vision fundamentals and modern deep learning practice.
• Experience deploying algorithms to embedded or edge compute platforms.
• Comfort working with real sensor data and its imperfections.
• U.S. Person status required (ITAR/EAR-controlled data).

Responsibilities

• Develop perception algorithms for detection, tracking, and scene understanding from onboard sensors.
• Build visual and inertial navigation capability for GPS-denied and degraded environments.
• Implement sensor fusion across cameras, IMU, and other onboard sensing.
• Optimise models and algorithms for real-time performance on constrained edge compute.
• Take capability from simulation through hardware-in-the-loop to flight validation.
• Analyse flight logs and field data to diagnose and improve autonomy performance.
• Build datasets, evaluation harnesses, and regression testing for autonomy behaviour.
• Partner with GNC and embedded teams at the boundaries between perception and control.

Skills

C++

Python

Computer vision

Autonomy software

Edge compute

Tools

TensorRT

ROS

SLAM

Job description

Powerus is building a next-generation American autonomous systems platform designed to move, protect, and sustain critical assets in high-consequence environments. The company combines advanced autonomy, manufacturing capability, operational expertise, and strategic acquisitions to support defense, national security, critical infrastructure, and commercial operations globally.

Mission

Our mission is to deliver resilient autonomous technologies that strengthen national security, improve operational safety, and expand the capabilities of organizations operating in complex environments.

Why Join Powerus

Autonomy is what separates an aircraft that needs a pilot from one that completes a mission when the link drops and GPS is denied. For Powerus that capability is the product, not a feature of it.

This role works at that edge. You will build perception and decision-making that has to hold up in contested, degraded, real-world conditions rather than in a benchmark.

Position Overview

Powerus is seeking an Autonomy & Perception Engineer to develop the perception, navigation, and decision-making software running on our aircraft. You will work on visual navigation, object detection and tracking, sensor fusion, and autonomous behaviours, taking algorithms from prototype through on-vehicle deployment and flight validation. You will work on compute-constrained edge hardware, where efficiency is a design requirement.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop perception algorithms for detection, tracking, and scene understanding from onboard sensors
• Build visual and inertial navigation capability for GPS-denied and degraded environments
• Implement sensor fusion across cameras, IMU, and other onboard sensing
• Optimise models and algorithms for real-time performance on constrained edge compute
• Take capability from simulation through hardware-in-the-loop to flight validation
• Analyse flight logs and field data to diagnose and improve autonomy performance
• Build datasets, evaluation harnesses, and regression testing for autonomy behaviour
• Partner with GNC and embedded teams at the boundaries between perception and control

Qualifications

• Must be located in the United States, within commuting distance of Charlotte, NC
• Experience developing perception, computer vision, or autonomy software for physical systems
• Strong proficiency in C++ and Python
• Working knowledge of computer vision fundamentals and modern deep learning practice
• Experience deploying algorithms to embedded or edge compute platforms
• Comfort working with real sensor data and its imperfections
• U.S. Person status required (U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or protected individual under 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)); this role involves access to ITAR- and EAR-controlled technical data

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with UAV, robotics, or autonomous vehicle systems
• Familiarity with visual-inertial odometry, SLAM, or GPS-denied navigation
• Experience with model optimisation for edge deployment such as TensorRT or quantisation
• Exposure to contested or degraded operating environments
• ROS or comparable robotics middleware experience

What We Look For

We are looking for engineers who trust flight data over benchmarks. Perception that works on a dataset and fails over a field is the central failure mode in this discipline, and the people who do well here are the ones who go to the test site. You should be rigorous about evaluation and honest about uncertainty.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Powerus is an equal opportunity employer committed to building a diverse and mission-driven workforce. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.