Autonomy Technical Lead

Code Red Partners; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 200,000 - 300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation package

Company-paid health coverage

Equity

Job summary

Code Red Partners seeks a Technical Lead for Mission Orchestration & Swarm Autonomy in the SF Bay Area or Ann Arbor, MI, with relocation provided. This senior role owns the greenfield software architecture for multi-agent task allocation and real-time swarm coordination across heterogeneous assets.

You will remain hands-on in modern C++ (C++20), lead architectural reviews, and mentor up to 15 engineers across three sub-teams within 6–12 months, while shaping the roadmap toward Engineering

Qualifications

• 8+ years of software engineering with deep expertise in modern C++ (C++20).
• 2+ years leading system architecture, mentoring engineers, and delivering as Tech Lead or Staff Engineer.

Responsibilities

• Architect the Mission Engine: drive technical vision, software architecture, and roadmap for high-level orchestration and multi-agent coordination.
• Algorithmic Solver Development: guide and implement discrete optimization solvers and automated task planning engines for distributed real-time decision-making.
• Lead from the Front: remain hands-on in modern C++ (C++20) for core algorithms and interfaces while leading code reviews and establishing architectural patterns.
• Decompose Mission Intent: translate high-level commander intent into discrete, provably bounded tasks across heterogeneous assets under safety constraints.
• Scale Engineering Leadership: mentor senior engineers and drive roadmap to 3 sub-teams (~15 engineers) within 6–12 months.

Skills

Modern C++

Technical leadership

Tools

Gurobi

CPLEX

OR-Tools

Job description

Technical Lead – Mission Orchestration & Swarm Autonomy

Locations: Ann Arbor, MI or SF/Bay, CA (Relo Provided)

Compensation: $200k-$300k Base + Significant Equity ($400k– $600k Total Comp)

Clearance Requirement: U.S. Citizenship Required (ITAR)

Direct Career Pathway: Technical Lead to Engineering Manager (scaling to lead 3 sub-teams / ~15 engineers within 6–12 months)

About the Opportunity

We are retained by a premier, venture-backed Physical AI and Defense Autonomy market leader ($10B+ valuation) to recruit a Technical Lead – Mission Orchestration & Swarm Autonomy.

Our client builds the definitive software, synthetic environments, and real-time decision-making platforms deployed across Tier-1 commercial autonomy and mission-critical national security programs. Rather than developing single-vehicle controllers or low-level motion planning, their Defense Autonomy division is architecting the high-level distributed decision engine that sits above individual assets.

This role owns the greenfield software architecture for multi-agent task allocation (MATAL), automated mission decomposition, dynamic routing, and real-time swarm deconfliction across heterogeneous fleets (UAV, UGV, USV, UUV) operating in communication-degraded or contested environments.

Key Responsibilities

• Architect the Mission Engine: Drive the technical vision, software architecture, and roadmap for the high-level orchestration and multi-agent coordination layer.
• Algorithmic Solver Development: Guide and implement discrete mathematical optimization solvers and automated task planning engines for distributed real-time decision-making.
• Lead from the Front: Remain hands-on in modern C++ (C++20) for core algorithm and system interfaces while leading code reviews, establishing architectural patterns, and raising technical rigor across the team.
• Decompose Mission Intent: Formulate systems that translate high-level human/commander intent into discrete, provably bounded tasks across heterogeneous robotic assets under strict operational and safety constraints.
• Scale Engineering Leadership: Act as the technical anchor today, mentoring senior engineers and driving the roadmap to transition into a formal Engineering Manager role leading ~15 engineers across three sub-teams within 6 to 12 months.

Required Technical Qualifications

• Production: 8+ years of software engineering with deep expertise in modern C++
• Technical Leadership: 2+ years leading system architecture, mentoring engineers, and driving delivery as a Tech Lead or Staff Engineer.

Core Algorithmic Foundations (Must have 2+

• Automated Task Planning: Hierarchical Task Networks (HTN/HDDL), PDDL, or Behavior Trees.
• Discrete Optimization / Operations Research: Mixed-Integer Linear Programming (MILP), Constraint Programming (CP-SAT), Gurobi, CPLEX, or OR-Tools.
• Multi-Agent Systems (MAS): Multi-Agent Task Allocation (MATAL), dynamic vehicle routing (VRP), swarm deconfliction, or auction algorithms.
• Formal Logic: Temporal logic (LTL, STL, MTL) for mission constraints and safety bounds.

Desired / Differentiating Skills

• Experience with multi-agent negotiation, game theory for multi-agent coordination, or decentralized auction mechanisms.
• Background in Battle Management Command and Control (BMC2), C4ISR, or multi-domain operations (air, ground, maritime, space).
• Prior contributions to programs involving DARPA (e.g., CODE, OFFSET, ACE), Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), or collaborative robotics fleets.
• Practical familiarity with real-time optimization under compute-, energy-, or edge-constrained hardware.
• Compensation: $200k-$300k Base + Significant Equity ($400k– $600k Total Comp)
• Healthcare: 100% company-paid premium coverage for medical, dental, and vision
• Retirement: 401(k) plan with company match.
• Relocation Package: Ann Arbor, MI or the San Francisco Bay Area.
• Time Off & Support: Flexible paid time off, parental leave, continuous learning stipends, and daily on-site meals.