Principal AI Autonomy Systems Integrator (UAS / SWARMING / C2 / EDGE AI)

General Dynamics Information Technology, Inc.; United States; Remote; USD 180,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive pay and benefits

401K with company match

Comprehensive wellness packages

Job summary

General Dynamics Information Technology, Inc. seeks a Principal AI Autonomy Systems Integrator to lead end-to-end autonomy integration for UAS, swarming, C2, and edge AI in real-world mission environments.

You will drive data pipelines, edge deployments, simulation-to-field testing, and multi-domain interoperability while ensuring trusted data, resilience to degraded links, and safety gates for human-on-the-loop operations.

Qualifications

• BA/BS or equivalent in a relevant field.
• 10+ years in unmanned systems, autonomy engineering, robotics integration, or embedded AI/ML deployment.
• Direct experience integrating autonomy into UAS, drones, swarms, robotic vehicles, or similar platforms.
• Strong proficiency in C++ and Python with real-time/embedded software patterns.

Responsibilities

• Build full autonomy pipelines end-to-end from sensing through action execution.
• Deploy CV, tracking, SLAM, pattern-learning, anomaly detection, and cooperative-agent models on real unmanned systems.
• Integrate heterogeneous sensors, radios, and payloads with autonomy decision loops.
• Conduct troubleshooting and rapid problem resolution across autonomy software, embedded systems, edge clusters, and C2 interfaces.
• Translate mission problems into executable autonomy behaviors and scenario-specific workflows.
• Train teams and mission personnel on system configuration, safety, deployment, and best practices.

Skills

C++

Python

Real-time/embedded software

Education

BA/BS or equivalent

Tools

ROS/ROS2

PX4/ArduPilot

MAVLink

Gazebo

AirSim

NVIDIA Jetson

Docker

Kubernetes

GitLab CI

ArgoCD

Job description

PRINCIPAL AI AUTONOMY SYSTEMS INTEGRATOR (UAS / SWARMING / C2 / EDGE AI)

Hands‑On Engineering • Autonomous System Integration • Mission‑Thread Enablement

Itegrate autonomy software with real assets, validate behaviors in simulation and field environments, and ensure that autonomous agents act over trusted data, in real time, under real mission pressures.

MISSION & IMPACT

Autonomy Integration & System Engineering

• Integrate autonomy stacks onto UAS, multi‑vehicle swarms, and robotic platforms, including navigation, perception, cooperative behaviors, and distributed decision‑making.
• Implement real‑time autonomy pipelines that incorporate sensing, fusion, planning, and control across diverse air/ground systems.
• Adapt and optimize autonomy algorithms for constrained edge environments (embedded systems, GPUs/VPUs, tactical compute nodes).

Data‑and Knowledge‑Aligned Autonomy

• Build data pipelines and semantic alignment layers so autonomous systems operate against trusted, structured, and meaning‑preserving data representations.
• Integrate autonomy with ontology‑driven or schema‑governed data models to ensure consistent entity tracking, mission‑state representation, and decision context.
• Enable retrieval‑grounded behaviors where autonomous systems act based on authoritative, updated, and fused situational information.

Edge Deployment Across Contested Environments

• Deploy AI/ML models and autonomy services to edge compute environments (K3s/RKE2, containers, bare metal).
• Harden autonomy behaviors for degraded communications, GPS denial, EW threats, sensor loss, and variable latency.
• Implement resilient synchronization patterns between edge devices and enterprise/tactical nodes.

Simulation, Experimentation, and Field Testing

• Conduct structured field experiments with unmanned vehicles, swarms, multi‑agent behaviors, and C2 workflows.
• Validate mission‑thread performance across detection, tasking, coordination, and operator‑in‑the‑loop behaviors.

Agentic Workflow Integration

• Integrate agent frameworks enabling autonomy agents to plan, coordinate, task, and interact with mission tools and human operators.
• Define safety gates, oversight mechanisms, and deterministic tool‑use patterns that support “human‑on‑the‑loop” operations.
• Support multi‑agent cooperation through standard APIs and interoperable messaging patterns.

C2, Networks, and Cross‑Domain Integration

• Integrate autonomous systems with tactical C2 platforms, data links, secure communications, and multi‑domain operational workflows.
• Implement open standards (MOSA, SOSA, CMOSS, open messaging protocols) for plug‑and‑play component integration.
• Enable interoperability across joint, partner‑nation, and coalition environments with appropriate policy controls.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

• Build full autonomy pipelines end‑to‑end, from sensing through action execution.
• Deploy CV, tracking, SLAM, pattern‑learning, anomaly detection, and cooperative‑agent models on real unmanned systems.
• Integrate heterogeneous sensors, radios, and payloads with autonomy decision loops.
• Conduct troubleshooting and rapid problem resolution across autonomy software, embedded systems, edge clusters, and C2 interfaces.
• Translate mission problems into executable autonomy behaviors and scenario‑specific workflows.
• Train teams and mission personnel on system configuration, safety, deployment, and best practices.

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE

Core Background

• Education: BA/BS or equivalent
• Experience: 10+ years in unmanned systems, autonomy engineering, robotics integration, or embedded AI/ML deployment.
• Direct experience integrating autonomy into UAS, drones, swarms, robotic vehicles, or similar platforms.
• Strong proficiency in C++, Python, and real‑time/embedded software patterns.

Technical Expertise

• Autonomy functions: motion planning, cooperative behaviors, obstacle avoidance, distributed coordination, sensor fusion, and real‑time decision‑making.
• Robotics frameworks: ROS/ROS2, PX4/ArduPilot, MAVLink, simulation tools (Gazebo, AirSim, custom environments).
• AI/ML frameworks: PyTorch, TensorFlow, ONNX, JAX.
• Edge compute: NVIDIA Jetson, VPUs, ruggedized x86 nodes, tactical accelerators.
• Containerization and DevSecOps: Docker, Kubernetes (K3s/RKE2), GitLab CI, ArgoCD.
• Interoperability standards: open architectures, modular interfaces, secure API design.

Domain Understanding

• Experience supporting C2 integration, tactical networks, and degraded-communication workflows.
• Understanding of multi‑domain mission threads such as ISR, counter‑UAS, logistics autonomy, multi-agent coordination, and decision-support.
• Experience designing resilient behavior under environmental, adversarial, and operational stressors.

Security Requirements

• U.S. Citizenship required.
• Top Secret/SCI Required to start

DESIRED EXPERIENCE

• Experience with distributed track fusion, detection/classification pipelines, or multi-sensor correlation.
• Familiarity with mission‑partner interoperability and cross‑domain data release patterns.
• Experience implementing provenance, auditability, and safety‑bounded autonomy behaviors.
• Background in private 5G, tactical mesh networking, or mobile operations centers.

WHY THIS ROLE IS UNIQUE

This Principal-level role is tailored for someone who:

• Builds autonomy that works in real field conditions, not just in demos.
• Bridges AI models, mission data, and real unmanned systems.
• Ensures autonomous behaviors are grounded in trusted, structured information.
• Understands both the engineering and the operational realities of deploying autonomy at scale.
• Can integrate across sensors, payloads, compute, C2, and enterprise systems.

You are the person who makes autonomous systems reliable, interoperable, safe, and mission-ready.

GDIT IS YOUR PLACE
At GDIT, the mission is our purpose, and our people are at the center of everything we do.
Growth: AI-powered career tool that identifies career steps and learning opportunities
Support: An internal mobility team focused on helping you achieve your career goals
Rewards: Comprehensive benefits and wellness packages, 401K with company match, and competitive pay and paid time off
Community: Award-winning culture of innovation and a military-friendly workplace
OWN YOUR OPPORTUNITY
Explore a career at GDIT and you’ll find endless opportunities to grow alongside colleagues who share your sense of ownership and pride in the meaningful work we do.