Head of AI Sensor Fusion & Digital Twin

Aska Fly; Firebaugh (CA); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

ASKA is seeking a Head of AI Sensor Fusion & Digital Twin to lead the engineering discipline connecting perception, vehicle state, and predictive models for a vehicle serving ground and air missions. The role directs Sensor Fusion and Digital Twin teams, ensures quality of fused data, and drives measurable validation and controlled software releases.

You will collaborate with CTO and program managers across aircraft and ground-vehicle programs, recruit and mentor engineers, and guide development

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in aerospace, electrical, mechanical engineering, robotics, computer science, applied mathematics or related field, or equivalent demonstrated expertise.
• 10+ years in robotics, estimation, control, scientific computing or intelligent physical systems, including 3+ years of technical leadership.
• Demonstrated delivery of sensor-fusion, state-estimation or model-based software on physical hardware, with quantitative validation against measured data.
• Strong working knowledge across probabilistic estimation, dynamic-system modeling, uncertainty and data-driven methods; depth in at least one and demonstrated leadership across both fusion and modeling.
• Proficiency in C++ and Python sufficient to review implementation quality, performance and integration issues.
• Experience leading requirements, algorithm/model reviews, test planning and controlled releases across multiple engineering disciplines.
• Ability to build a specialist team, make evidence-based tradeoffs and turn technical risks into accountable actions.

Responsibilities

• Set technical direction for fusion of onboard and contextual information and for vehicle/mission predictive models, with clear ownership between Sensor Fusion and Digital Twin specialists.
• Translate approved engineering requirements into performance targets, interface definitions, review criteria and staged delivery plans.
• Lead reviews of probabilistic estimation, time-series processing, physical models and learned components, ensuring that assumptions and limitations are explicit.
• Define how accuracy, uncertainty, numerical stability, data quality and execution performance are measured before software release.
• Guide implementation in maintainable production code; review designs and critical changes, mentor engineers and address integration defects.
• Work with autonomy, controls, simulation, systems and test specialists to align interfaces and assemble reproducible validation evidence.
• Coordinate technical dependencies with the aircraft program manager and provide clear risk, staffing and delivery updates to the CTO.
• Recruit and develop the team, establish effective engineering practices and maintain disciplined configuration and technical documentation.
• Own the establishment and continuous improvement of evaluations for sensor fusion and digital twins, including benchmarks, independent datasets, quality metrics, acceptance criteria and regression tests.

Skills

Leadership

Robotics

Estimation

Probabilistic modeling

C++

Python

Systems engineering

Validation

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering or related field

Tools

MATLAB/Simulink

GitHub Copilot

Testing tools

Job description

Head of AI Sensor Fusion & Digital Twin

Help build the intelligence that brings autonomous driving and flying together. Lead ASKA’s AI sensor fusion and digital twin work, connecting perception, vehicle state, and predictive models to a vehicle designed to support the warfighter across ground and air.

Lead ASKA’s AI Sensor Fusion and Digital Twin engineering discipline under the CTO, connecting aircraft and ground-vehicle sensor data with vehicle condition, environmental information and authorized mission updates to support autonomous driving and flying. Guide the separate Sensor Fusion and Digital Twin engineers, own the quality of fused information and predictive models, and coordinate their use with planning and autonomy leads. This is a hands‑on technical leadership role with responsibility for measurable validation, controlled software releases and team growth.

Employment Full-time proposed

Location & work arrangement Eagle Field Airport, Firebaugh, CA · Palo Alto area or remote for eligible software and analysis work, to be defined; on‑site integration, development and test schedule to be discussed; availability for occasional testing at Eagle Field Airport required, with advance coordination

Technical direction and delivery for the AI Sensor Fusion and Digital Twin team.

Key working interfaces

Reports to the CTO. Leads the Sensor Fusion and Digital Twin specialists and coordinates assigned Perception work. Sensor Fusion owns fused observations and confidence; Digital Twin owns model content and predictions. Driving and Autonomous Flight leads own their decision/control software and execution; the simulation team owns simulator platforms. The Program Manager coordinates schedules and dependencies.

What you’ll do

• Set technical direction for fusion of onboard and contextual information and for vehicle/mission predictive models, with clear ownership between Sensor Fusion and Digital Twin specialists.
• Translate approved engineering requirements into performance targets, interface definitions, review criteria and staged delivery plans.
• Lead reviews of probabilistic estimation, time-series processing, physical models and learned components, ensuring that assumptions and limitations are explicit.
• Define how accuracy, uncertainty, numerical stability, data quality and execution performance are measured before software release.
• Guide implementation in maintainable production code; review designs and critical changes, mentor engineers and address integration defects.
• Work with autonomy, controls, simulation, systems and test specialists to align interfaces and assemble reproducible validation evidence.
• Coordinate technical dependencies with the aircraft program manager and provide clear risk, staffing and delivery updates to the CTO.
• Recruit and develop the team, establish effective engineering practices and maintain disciplined configuration and technical documentation.
• Own the establishment and continuous improvement of evaluations for sensor fusion and digital twins, including benchmarks, independent datasets, quality metrics, acceptance criteria and regression tests; use observed failures and coverage gaps to improve how the team measures progress.

Required qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in aerospace, electrical or mechanical engineering, robotics, computer science, applied mathematics or a related field, or equivalent demonstrated expertise.
• 10+ years in robotics, estimation, control, scientific computing or intelligent physical systems, including 3+ years of technical leadership.
• Demonstrated delivery of sensor-fusion, state-estimation or model-based software on physical hardware, with quantitative validation against measured data.
• Strong working knowledge across probabilistic estimation, dynamic-system modeling, uncertainty and data-driven methods; depth in at least one and demonstrated leadership across both fusion and modeling.
• Proficiency in C++ and Python sufficient to review implementation quality, performance and integration issues.
• Experience leading requirements, algorithm/model reviews, test planning and controlled releases across multiple engineering disciplines.
• Ability to build a specialist team, make evidence-based tradeoffs and turn technical risks into accountable actions.

Preferred qualifications

Advanced degree; experience with model-based engineering, real-time deployment, learned model validation and safety-critical development. Familiarity with MATLAB/Simulink, physics-based modeling, robotics middleware and hardware-in-the-loop verification.

AI tools and automation: Strongly preferred where programming is a substantial part of the role: hands‑on use of Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot or equivalent tools for development, debugging, test automation, code review or analysis scripts. Include relevant Python, MATLAB or other scripting experience. Provide a specific example, your contribution, any measured time saved or quality improvement, and how you verified the result. Equivalent tools are welcome.

We welcome transferable experience from related industries. You do not need to meet every preferred qualification. Tell us what you have delivered and how your skills apply to this role.

Location & working arrangements

Eagle Field Airport · 11100 W Eagle Ave, Firebaugh, CA 93622

Eagle Field Airport is our primary development and manufacturing location. Palo Alto area or remote arrangements may be considered for engineering work that does not require hands‑on access. All current openings require availability to participate in development and flight-testing activities at Eagle Field Airport from time to time, with advance coordination. Flight‑test roles require on‑site availability for preparation and campaigns. Scheduling and travel arrangements will be discussed for each role.

About ASKA

At ASKA, we are on a mission to build the world’s first AI sensor fusion and digital twin system that manages autonomous driving and autonomous flying in one vehicle. We are bringing ground and air autonomy together to support the warfighter—moving critical supplies, reaching people in need, and reducing exposure in dangerous environments. Our team works across aircraft engineering, intelligent software, electric propulsion, and advanced manufacturing, with development and testing at Eagle Field Airport in California. Bring your expertise. Take ownership. Help build technology that matters.

ASKA welcomes applicants with diverse backgrounds and relevant experience. For questions or application accommodations, message the recruiting team .