Head of Autonomy

Airbotics Talent; United States; On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus

ESOP

Job summary

Airbotics Talent seeks a Head of Autonomy to establish and lead a unified autonomy capability across UAV and robotics platforms. You will own autonomy strategy, architecture and the embedded software to deploy capabilities across aircraft, balancing common standards with platform-specific requirements.

Initially hands-on, you will lay the technical foundations and then build a dedicated autonomy organization as the group scales, partnering with software, systems, electronics, and flight controls

Qualifications

• Degree-qualified in Computer Science, Robotics, Software Engineering, Aerospace Engineering or related discipline.
• Deep technical experience developing and architecting autonomous systems across UAVs, robotics or comparable platforms.
• Strong understanding across autonomy stack: perception, navigation, planning and control.
• Experience deploying autonomy onto real-world platforms beyond research or simulation.
• Hands-on software engineering foundations with modern C++ and Python.

Responsibilities

• Define long-term autonomy strategy and architecture for a portfolio of UAVs and robotics platforms.
• Develop a common autonomy framework deployable across multiple aircraft and missions.
• Drive direction across perception, sensor fusion, localization, planning and autonomous behaviours.
• Define simulation, verification and validation approaches for autonomy at scale.
• Guide integration of autonomy algorithms with embedded, real-time and flight-control systems.
• Review architecture decisions and stay hands-on to provide meaningful leadership.
• Collaborate with software, systems, electronics, flight controls and product engineering teams.
• Build and lead a dedicated autonomy capability with a roadmap and engineering culture.

Skills

Autonomy architecture

ROS/ROS2

C++ & Python

UAV systems

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science/Robotics/Engineering

Tools

PX4

ArduPilot

NVIDIA Jetson

Job description

Salary: Highly competitive + bonus + ESOP

Airbotics Talent are partnered with a rapidly expanding UAV and robotics group developing advanced autonomous systems across both commercial and defense markets.

As the organisation continues to grow, they are seeking a Head of Autonomy to establish and lead a unified autonomy capability across a growing portfolio of UAV and robotics platforms.

This is a rare opportunity to define the technical direction of autonomy across multiple aircraft and product lines, establishing a common autonomy architecture spanning perception, localisation and navigation, planning, decision-making, control and simulation.

The successful candidate will determine how these capabilities are developed, validated and deployed across multiple UAV platforms, balancing common technology and architecture with platform-specific requirements.

Initially operating as a highly technical individual contributor, the successful candidate will establish the technical foundations of the capability before building and leading a dedicated autonomy organisation as the group continues to scale.

The Role

Reporting directly to executive leadership, this appointment will take technical ownership of autonomy strategy and architecture across multiple UAV platforms.

The successful candidate will define the common autonomy architecture underpinning future product development, spanning perception, localisation and navigation, planning and decision-making, flight autonomy, simulation and validation, and the embedded software required to deploy these capabilities onto operational aircraft.

Working closely with software, systems, electronics, flight controls and product engineering teams, the role combines deep technical leadership, autonomy architecture and hands-on engineering within a fast-growing organisation developing advanced autonomous technologies.

Key Responsibilities

• Define the long-term autonomy strategy and technical architecture across a portfolio of UAV and robotics platforms
• Establish and evolve a common autonomy framework that can be deployed across multiple aircraft, products and mission sets
• Drive technical direction across perception, sensor fusion, localisation and navigation, planning, decision-making and autonomous behaviours
• Define the approach to simulation, verification and validation of autonomous capabilities at scale
• Guide the integration of autonomy algorithms with embedded, real-time and flight-control systems
• Review architecture and critical technical decisions, remaining sufficiently hands-on to provide meaningful technical leadership
• Work across existing engineering organisations to identify reusable technologies and establish common autonomy standards and interfaces
• Build and ultimately lead a dedicated autonomy capability, establishing the technical roadmap, organisational structure and engineering culture required to scale

The Person

Applicants should demonstrate deep technical experience architecting and deploying autonomous systems operating in complex, real-world environments.

This is not a generalist software leadership position; candidates should bring direct technical depth across autonomous systems and experience taking autonomy beyond research or prototype environments into operational products.

The ideal candidate will bring:

• Degree qualified in Computer Science, Robotics, Software Engineering, Aerospace Engineering or a related discipline
• Deep technical experience developing and architecting autonomous systems, ideally within UAVs, robotics, autonomous vehicles, defense, space or comparable platforms
• Strong understanding across multiple areas of the autonomy stack, including perception, sensor fusion, localisation and navigation, planning, decision-making and control
• Experience deploying autonomy onto real-world robotic or aerospace platforms rather than solely within research or simulation environments
• Strong understanding of embedded and real-time software and the interaction between autonomy algorithms, flight controls, sensors and onboard compute
• Experience developing or scaling simulation, SIL/HIL, testing and validation environments for autonomous systems
• Strong hands-on software engineering foundations, ideally including modern C++ and Python
• Experience with relevant autonomy and robotics technologies such as ROS/ROS2, PX4, ArduPilot, NVIDIA Jetson or comparable frameworks and compute platforms would be advantageous
• Experience developing systems for safety-critical or mission-critical applications
• Previous technical leadership across multidisciplinary autonomy, robotics or software engineering teams
• Experience within defence or UAV systems would be highly advantageous
• Eligibility to obtain a US Secret Security Clearance is required

This appointment offers the opportunity to define the autonomy strategy and architecture for a rapidly expanding UAV group, establishing a common technical capability that will underpin the next generation of autonomous systems across multiple products, platforms and markets.

Airbotics Talent are committed to providing Equal Employment Opportunities. All candidates are assessed solely on suitability for our clients' requirements without regard to age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, disability, medical history or marital status.