Lead, Mission Autonomy

Hermeus

Atlanta (GA)

On-site

USD 180,000 - 240,000

Full time

14 days+

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Benefits offered by this job

100% employer-paid health care

401k & retirement plans

Unlimited PTO

Weekly paid office lunches

Fully stocked breakrooms

Stock options

Paid Parental Leave

Job summary

An aerospace technology firm in Atlanta seeks a Lead, Mission Autonomy to develop and integrate mission autonomy capabilities for high-speed aircraft. This role encompasses technical leadership over a team, ensuring mission-level decision logic and behavior sequencing align with operational workflows. Candidates should possess a Bachelor’s degree in a related field and over 5 years of experience in autonomy or mission systems. This position offers strong compensation and comprehensive benefits.

Qualifications

5+ years of experience in autonomy and mission-critical software.
Experience in system-of-systems architecture integration.
Demonstrated ability to lead cross-disciplinary teams.
Experience interfacing autonomy software with vehicle control systems.

Responsibilities

Ensure reliable, repeatable mission autonomy for the aircraft.
Lead the development of mission-level decision-making and sequencing.
Manage technical risks and verify mission autonomy capabilities.
Define interfaces between MMS, VMS, avionics, sensors, and ground systems.
Drive autonomy-related integration and system bring‑up as required.
Ensure reliability and repeatability of mission autonomy across flight tests.

Skills

Leadership in technical execution

Mission systems understanding

Autonomy architecture knowledge

Strong communication skills

Systems integration experience

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in a relevant technical field

Master’s degree or PhD in a relevant discipline

Tools

MMS

VMS

Autonomy frameworks

Job description

Hermeus is a high-speed aircraft manufacturer focused on the rapid design, build, and test of high‑Mach and hypersonic aircraft for the national interest. Working directly with the Department of Defense, Hermeus delivers capabilities that will ensure that our nation, and our allies, maintain an asymmetric advantage over any and all potential adversaries.

The Lead, Mission Autonomy is responsible for delivering reliable, repeatable mission behavior for the aircraft by developing, integrating, and validating mission autonomy capabilities that reside within the Mission Management System (MMS). This role owns the mission‑level decision logic, behavior sequencing, and autonomy functions within the MMS, and their coupling to the Vehicle Management System (VMS), onboard sensors, avionics, and ground command‑and‑control systems.

This role focuses on how, when, and in what order the aircraft is commanded to act to accomplish mission objectives. It ensures that mission autonomy capabilities within the MMS correctly orchestrate vehicle actions via the VMS across all phases of operation, enabling complex, end‑to‑end mission execution.

As a first‑level people leader, the Lead, Mission Autonomy provides technical leadership and execution ownership for engineers working on mission autonomy software, avionics integration, and mission behavior. This role remains hands‑on while also owning integration, test readiness, and mission execution outcomes.

Responsibilities

Own end‑to‑end technical outcomes for mission autonomy capabilities within the MMS, from design through integration, test, and flight readiness
Lead the development and integration of mission‑level decision‑making and behavior sequencing within the MMS, tightly coupling autonomy functions with the Vehicle Management System (VMS), integrating sensor and perception systems to support mission behavior, and enabling execution of complex mission flows across multiple flight phases
Define, implement, and validate interfaces between MMS autonomy components, VMS, avionics, sensors, and ground systems
Lead development of aircraft‑specific autonomy extensions, orchestration logic, and integration software within the MMS required to enable mission‑ready operation
Drive autonomy‑related avionics and sensor integration and system bring‑up as required
Ensure mission autonomy behavior is reliable, repeatable, and compatible with operational workflows across ground and flight test environments
Own autonomy integration testing, validation strategies, and participation in ground and flight test campaigns
Identify system‑level mission behavior and integration risks early and lead mitigation across software, avionics, sensor, and vehicle interfaces
Provide day‑to‑day technical leadership, mentorship, and feedback to engineers within the Mission Autonomy scope
Coordinate closely with the Air Segment, Ground Segment, and Flight Sciences / VMS teams to resolve dependencies, integration challenges, and interface issues
Communicate autonomy integration status, risks, and tradeoffs clearly to engineering leadership and program stakeholders; define, implement, and validate interfaces between mission autonomy, the airborne mission platform (MMS), sensors, avionics, and ground systems

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Robotics, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field
5+ years of experience working with autonomy, mission systems, avionics, or mission‑critical vehicle software
Experience developing or integrating mission‑level software within a larger system‑of‑systems architecture
Experience interfacing autonomy or mission software with vehicle management or control systems through well‑defined interfaces
Strong understanding of mission systems, autonomy architectures, and system integration
Experience integrating sensors and perception systems into operational workflows
Demonstrated ability to own and deliver system‑level behavior on a vehicle platform
Proven ability to lead technical execution across multidisciplinary teams
Comfortable operating in a fast‑paced development and test environment
Strong communication skills and ability to make and defend technical decisions

Preferred Skills & Experience

Master’s degree or PhD in a relevant technical discipline
Experience integrating commercial or government‑provided autonomy solutions into a mission system
Familiarity with Mission Management Systems (MMS), Vehicle Management Systems (VMS), and autonomy orchestration frameworks
Experience with autonomy system validation, test frameworks, and operational evaluation
Background in aerospace, defense, or autonomous vehicle programs
Prior experience as a technical lead or first‑level people leader
Experience working across geographically distributed teams

U.S. EXPORT CONTROL COMPLIANCE STATUS

The person hired will have access to information and items subject to U.S. export controls, and therefore, must either be a "U.S. person" as defined by 22 C.F.R. 120.62 or otherwise eligible for deemed export licensing.

U.S. persons include U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, lawful permanent residents (green card holders), and asylees and refugees with such status granted, not pending

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

Hermeus is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions at Hermeus are based solely on merit, competence, and qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability, or any other legally protected status.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.

The salary information provided is a general guideline only. Hermeus takes various factors into account, including, but not limited to, the position’s scope and responsibilities, the candidate’s professional background, education and training, essential skills, and market and business considerations, when presenting a job offer.

Compensation