Autonomy Engineer

Vatn Systems; Bristol (VA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Security clearance eligible

Job summary

Vatn Systems is seeking an Autonomy Engineer to build software for our autonomous underwater vehicles. You’ll own features end to end—from whiteboard to sea trial—and see your code run on vehicles in the water within weeks.

You’ll work with perception and sensor teams to turn outputs into safe autonomy decisions and mature prototypes into reliable, fielded behavior. U.S. citizens with Security Clearance preferred.

Qualifications

• 3+ years writing production C++, Python, or Rust in Linux.
• Strong data-driven software development.
• Ability to navigate complex codebases quickly.
• Proven results in simulation and field tests.

Responsibilities

• Develop motion, path, behavior planning, and control for autonomous underwater vehicles.
• Build autonomy capabilities: navigation, collision avoidance, target following, station keeping, and coordination.
• Make autonomy robust to degraded sensors and GNSS-denied operation.
• Own tradeoffs across performance, safety, reliability, latency, and mission needs.
• Collaborate with perception and sensor engineers to translate perception into safe autonomy decisions.
• Mature prototype autonomy into reliable, fielded behavior with time on water for tests.

Skills

C++ (production)

Python

Rust

Linux development

Data-driven software

Simulation testing

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/Engineering

Master’s or PhD in a relevant field

Tools

ROS 2

Job description

We’re looking for an Autonomy Engineer to build the software that makes our AUVs capable in the real world. You’ll own features end to end — from whiteboard to sea trial — and see your code run on vehicles in the water within weeks, not quarters. If you want tight feedback loops between what you write and what a vehicle does, this is that job.

What you’ll do

• Develop motion planning, path planning, behavior planning, and control systems for autonomous underwater vehicles
• Build autonomy capabilities spanning navigation, collision avoidance, target following, station keeping, formation behavior, and multi-vehicle coordination
• Make autonomy algorithms robust to the conditions that actually break them: degraded sensors, uncertain environments, dynamic contacts, and GNSS-denied operation
• Own technical tradeoffs across performance, safety, reliability, latency, compute constraints, and mission requirements
• Work directly with perception and sensor engineers to turn perception outputs into safe, effective autonomy decisions
• Mature autonomy from prototype capability into reliable, repeatable, fielded behavior — including time on the water supporting test and deployment

What you bring

• Strong engineering foundation — CS, Software Engineering, Robotics, Mathematics, Physics, or equivalent hands-on experience
• 3+ years writing production C++, Python, or Rust in a Linux environment
• Experience building robust data-driven software
• Ability to get up to speed quickly in complex, established codebases
• Proven results in simulation and field tests

Nice to have

• Maritime sensors, underwater acoustics, or subsea systems
• Advanced degree (Master’s or Ph.D.) in a relevant technical field
• ROS 2, or comparable robotics middleware
• Estimation and sensor fusion (INS/DVL, Kalman filtering)
• Prior startup and/or defense industry experience

Candidates must be U.S.Citizens and able to receive a Security Clearance.

Vatn is an equal opportunity employer, and we welcome candidates from all backgrounds to apply.