Autonomy Test & Evaluation Engineer

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL)

Laurel (NE)

On-site

USD 120,000 - 180,000

Full time

14 days+

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Benefits offered by this job

education assistance

strong retirement contributions

a healthy work/life balance

retirement plans

paid time off

medical

dental

vision

life insurance

disability coverage

flexible spending accounts

training and development

Job summary

Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) is seeking a software professional to advance autonomous systems simulation and evaluation. The role covers requirements, architecture, implementation and validation of tools for simulation-based testing.

You will design high‑fidelity environments to assess autonomy algorithms, verify decision‑making systems, and apply data science to performance analysis.

Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in software/CS or related field.
5+ years of professional software development experience.
Interest in autonomous systems or robotics and simulation.

Responsibilities

Develop software tools for simulation-based test and evaluation of autonomous systems.
Design high-fidelity simulation environments for autonomy algorithms.
Create methods to verify/develop decision-making systems and edge cases.
Apply data science, statistics and ML to analyze performance.
Plan and support field experiments integrating real data with simulations.
Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams in an agile, rapid-prototyping setting.

Skills

5+ years software development

Python/C++

Team collaboration

Clear communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Software Eng/CS or related

Masters or PhD preferred

Tools

ROS

Gazebo

Unity

Modeling/simulation tools

Job description

Requirements

Bachelors degree in Software Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical discipline such as Robotics, Physics, or Mathematics.
At least 5 years of professional software development experience, ideally using Python and/or C++.
Background in full-lifecycle software development.
Interest in, or experience with, autonomous systems, robotics, simulation, or test and evaluation.
Experience building or using simulation environments or modeling and simulation tools.
Strong organizational and planning abilities, with a proven record of effective teamwork.
Clear written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to obtain an interim Secret clearance by the start date and ultimately qualify for Top Secret clearance; U.S. citizenship is required.
Preferred: Masters or PhD in Software Engineering, Computer Science, Robotics, or a related field.
Preferred: Experience developing or assessing autonomous systems, including decision‑making, planning, or behavior‑based autonomy.
Preferred: Experience in simulation‑based test and evaluation or modeling and simulation environments.
Preferred: Experience with verification and validation of complex or safety‑critical systems.
Preferred: Experience with machine learning approaches such as reinforcement learning, imitation learning, or online/offline learning.
Preferred: Experience integrating autonomy software into simulation frameworks such as ROS, Gazebo, Unity, or similar tools.
Preferred: Experience supporting or leading field testing of autonomous systems.
Preferred: Active Top Secret security clearance.

Responsibilities:

Develop complete software tools for simulation‑based test and evaluation of autonomous systems, from requirements definition and architecture through implementation and validation.
Design and build high‑fidelity simulation environments to assess autonomy algorithms under both normal and adverse conditions.
Create methods to verify and validate decision‑making systems, including edge cases and emergent behaviors.
Apply data science, statistics, and machine learning to analyze system performance and develop new evaluation techniques.
Plan and support field experiments, combining real‑world data with simulation‑based analysis.
Work closely with multidisciplinary teams in an agile, rapid‑prototyping setting.

Company

We are the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), where we bring world‑class expertise to critical defense, security, space, and science challenges. We foster a welcoming, collaborative culture that encourages authenticity, creativity, and bold ideas, and we support our team with generous benefits including education assistance, strong retirement contributions, and a healthy work/life balance.

Our campus is in the Baltimore‑Washington metro area, and we offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes retirement plans, paid time off, medical, dental, vision, life insurance, disability coverage, flexible spending accounts, education assistance, and training and development.