Autonomy SME, Lead

Booz Allen Hamilton; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 112,800 - 257,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and life benefits

Tuition assistance

Paid leave

Professional development programs

Job summary

Booz Allen Hamilton in Washington, D.C. seeks an Autonomy SME, Lead to design and implement AI systems for unmanned vehicles. You will guide technical teams and work with advanced autonomy frameworks.

The ideal candidate has 5+ years in software engineering, expertise in AI/ML, and a relevant degree. Strong experience with Python and C++ is required.

Comprehensive benefits and a projected salary range of $112,800 - $257,000 annually are offered.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in software engineering, including AI/ML systems.
• Ability to obtain a Secret clearance.
• Experience leading technical teams or architecture decisions.

Responsibilities

• Design and train machine learning models for perception and tracking.
• Develop reinforcement learning algorithms for navigation.
• Implement sensor fusion models combining EO, IR, and telemetry data.

Skills

Software engineering

AI/ML systems

Python

C++

Deep learning frameworks

Computer vision

Robotics middleware (ROS/ROS2)

Autonomous navigation systems

Team leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Robotics, Aerospace Engineering, or Electrical Engineering

Tools

PyTorch

TensorFlow

NVIDIA Jetson

TensorFlow

Job description

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Autonomy SME, Lead

As an Autonomy and UAS Engineer, you will design, develop, and deploy machine learning models that power intelligent behaviors on unmanned systems. You will work with advanced autonomy frameworks, including platforms such as Shield AI’s Hivemind to build resilient navigation, perception, targeting, and collaborative autonomy capabilities.

You will operate at the cutting edge of edge AI, computer vision, reinforcement learning, and real-time embedded systems, helping the military transition from human-in-the-loop control to AI-assisted and autonomous mission execution.

As a technical lead, you will guide autonomy architecture decisions, mentor engineering teams, and support the integration of autonomy capabilities into operational military systems.

What You’ll Work On:

• Design and train machine learning models for perception, object detection, tracking, and classification.
• Develop reinforcement learning and autonomy algorithms for navigation and mission execution.
• Implement sensor fusion models combining EO, IR, LiDAR, GPS-denied navigation, and telemetry data.
• Optimize AI models for deployment on edge compute platforms such as GPU, TPU, and embedded systems.
• Develop and integrate autonomy behaviors within platforms such as Hivemind.
• Implement mission planning logic and adaptive decision‑making algorithms.
• Enable collaborative autonomy between multiple UAS platforms.
• Lead the design and implementation of autonomy architectures for UAS and multi‑agent systems.
• Build simulation‑based training pipelines for autonomy validation.
• Deploy containerized AI models to airborne and ground edge nodes.
• Optimize inference latency and resource utilization.
• Conduct hardware‑in‑the‑loop (HIL) and software‑in‑the‑loop (SIL) testing.
• Develop secure software pipelines aligned to DoD cybersecurity standards.
• Integrate AI outputs into tactical networks and mission command systems.
• Implement CI/CD pipelines for rapid model iteration and field updates.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to engineers developing autonomy capabilities.
• Support flight testing, operational demonstrations, military exercises, and customer evaluations.
• Collaborate with government stakeholders, operators, and engineering teams to define autonomy requirements and roadmaps.

You Have:

• 5+ years of experience in software engineering, including AI/ML systems
• Experience with Python and C++
• Experience with deep learning frameworks, such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, and ONNX
• Experience building and deploying AI models on edge hardware, such as NVIDIA Jetson, GPUs, and embedded platforms
• Experience with robotics middleware, such as ROS or ROS2
• Experience with computer vision or autonomous navigation systems
• Experience leading technical teams, architecture decisions, or autonomy‑focused development efforts
• Experience integrating autonomous systems into operational, test, or simulation environments
• Ability to obtain a Secret clearance
• Bachelor’s degree in a Computer Science, Robotics, Aerospace Engineering, or Electrical Engineering field

Nice If You Have:

• Experience working in military exercises and war games
• Experience with autonomy frameworks such as Hivemind, PX4, ArduPilot, NVIDIA Isaac, or ROS2
• Experience with collaborative autonomy, swarming, or multi‑agent mission execution
• Ability to support flight testing and operational evaluations
• ML, AI, or Solution Architecture Certification
• Top Secret clearance
• Master’s degree

Clearance:

Applicants selected will be subject to a security investigation and may need to meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information.

Compensation

At Booz Allen, we celebrate your contributions, provide you with opportunities and choices, and support your total well‑being. Our offerings include health, life, disability, financial, and retirement benefits, as well as paid leave, professional development, tuition assistance, work‑life programs, and dependent care. Our recognition awards program acknowledges employees for exceptional performance and superior demonstration of our values. Full‑time and part‑time employees working at least 20 hours a week on a regular basis are eligible to participate in Booz Allen’s benefit programs. Individuals that do not meet the threshold are only eligible for select offerings, not inclusive of health benefits. We encourage you to learn more about our total benefits by visiting the Resource page on our Careers site and reviewing Our Employee Benefits page.

Salary at Booz Allen is determined by various factors, including but not limited to location, the individual’s particular combination of education, knowledge, skills, competencies, and experience, as well as contract‑specific affordability and organizational requirements. The projected compensation range for this position is $112,800.00 to $257,000.00 (annualized USD). The estimate displayed represents the typical salary range for this position and is just one component of Booz Allen’s total compensation package for employees. This posting will close within 90 days from the Posting Date.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to disability, status as a protected veteran or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, local, or international law.