Lead Autonomy Software Engineer - Large Air

Ssci; New Jersey; Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 196,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid Work Schedule

Health Care Plan

Retirement Plan (401k)

Life Insurance

Paid Time Off

Job summary

Scientific Systems is seeking a Lead Autonomy Software Engineer to guide a small engineering team in developing mission autonomy solutions for Group 3-5 UAS. You will integrate cutting-edge tech to enable autonomous decision-making, world modeling, and adaptive planning under uncertainty.

The role emphasizes leadership of prime and customer-facing activities, collaboration with multi-disciplinary teams, and ongoing alignment with industry best practices in mission autonomy.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science degree in a related field with 7+ years of autonomy tech experience and leadership, or a master's degree with 5+ years, or a PhD with 2+ years in a related engineering role.
• Experience leading proposals and winning contracts.
• Experience building and integrating software for edge platforms.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team to develop innovative autonomy solutions based on customer requirements.
• Serve as subject matter expert in mission autonomy technologies.
• Support or lead marketing and proposal efforts in mission autonomy.

Skills

Team leadership

C/C++

Python

Robotics

Motion planning

Edge computing

Security clearance

Education

BSc in science/engineering

MS in related field

PhD in related field

Tools

AFSIM

NGTS

Linux

Job description

The Lead Autonomy Software Engineer is a key technical contributor and excels when leading small engineering teams. In this role, you will develop and integrate cutting edge technologies into mission autonomy solutions intended for Group 3-5 unmanned aerial systems (UAS). Mission autonomy enables autonomous agents or teams to conduct strategic decision-making and coordinated actions toward longer-term operational objectives through persistent world modeling, predictive simulation, and adaptive planning under uncertainty and adversarial conditions.

Essential Functions:

• Lead a team to develop innovative solutions to address technical challenges derived from customer requirements.
• Serve as a subject matter expert in emerging mission autonomy technologies.
• Support or lead marketing and proposal efforts in mission autonomy.
• Support or lead managing and tasking team to achieve program’s milestones.
• Take primary responsibility for prime and customer-facing interactions.
• Stay current with industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices in mission autonomy and other areas relevant to Scientific Systems.
• Collaborate with multi-disciplinary teams to advance R&D roadmaps,
• The role does require the ability to sit or stand at a desk and work on a computer for prolonged periods of time.
• This role may require occasional travel when necessary.
• May require the ability to push/pull/lift up to 15 pounds.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a US DOD Security Clearance.

Requirements

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science degree in Math, Statistics, Computer Science, Engineering, Physical Science, Operations Research, Data Science, or equivalent experienceand 7+ years of developing autonomy technologies experience including team leadership in a related industry, a master’s degree and 5+ years of related engineering experience, or a Ph.D. degree and 2+ years working in a related engineering role.
• Experience working in a team leadership role in a related industry.
• Extensive experience leading proposals and winning contracts.
• Extensive experience of leading programs in the principal investigator role or similar experience.
• Experience in building and integrating software for edge platforms.
• Experience with C/C++, Python, and/or project-specific required languages (e.g. Java, Rust, etc.)
• Experience assisting with non-technical programmatic priorities as needed, including staff planning, budget estimation and tracking, and customer-facing interactions.
• Background in robotics technologies related to motion planning, behavior modeling, or decision-making and their accompanying algorithms

• Experience with simulation tools and environments (e.g., AFSIM, NGTS) for validation, verification, and training

Preferred Qualifications

• M.S. or Ph.D. degrees

• Familiarity with AI/ML standard libraries and tools.

• Experience in Linux-based development environments.

• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail

Benefits

• Salary: $150,000 - $196,000 (Depends on Experience)
• Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
• Retirement Plan (401k, IRA)
• Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
• Paid Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)
• Family Leave (Maternity, Paternity)
• Short Term & Long Term Disability
• Training & Development
• Hybrid Work Schedule
• Free Food & Snacks
• Wellness Resources
• Summer 9/80 work schedule