Robotics & Autonomy Engineer (UAV)

Ascend Engineering; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Ascend Engineering in Chicago, IL seeks a Robotics & Autonomy Engineer to develop, integrate, and validate autonomy on UAV platforms built around PX4 and ArduPilot. The role is hands-on across the full UAV stack, from embedded flight software to mission logic and field validation.

You’ll work on real-world flight tests, tune estimators and controllers, and integrate sensors and payloads. Must have permanent US residence and be ready to own engineering tasks across multiple projects.

Qualifications

• Strong robotics/autonomy fundamentals: coordinate frame transformations, Kalman filtering, and PID control.
• Strong C++ or C programming skills.
• Experience with PX4 or ArduPilot, or ability to ramp quickly on embedded autopilot codebase.
• Experience flying and testing UAV or robotic platforms.
• Familiarity with MAVLink, flight logs, and autopilot configuration.
• Experience debugging complex software and hardware interactions.
• Ability to work independently and take ownership across multiple projects.
• Strong problem-solving and practical engineering judgment.

Responsibilities

• Develop and modify PX4 or ArduPilot firmware to support new autonomy features and system capabilities
• Implement mission logic, flight behaviors, and MAVLink integrations
• Integrate sensors, cameras, radios, and payloads into UAV platforms
• Tune and analyze estimation and control performance (EKF/Kalman filtering, PID loops) across platforms
• Conduct flight testing and validate autonomous behaviors in real-world conditions
• Analyze flight logs and telemetry to diagnose and resolve issues
• Debug problems across the UAV stack including firmware, networking, hardware, and companion computers
• Collaborate with engineers to design robust UAV architectures and workflows
• Document system behavior, debugging results, and design decisions

Skills

Robotics fundamentals

Coordinate frames

State estimation

PID control analysis

C/C++ programming

PX4/ArduPilot experience

Autonomy software

UAV testing

Tools

PX4

ArduPilot

MAVLink

ROS/ROS 2

Linux

Job description

We are seeking a Robotics & Autonomy Engineer to develop, integrate, and maintain autonomy capabilities on UAV platforms built around the PX4 and ArduPilot stacks. This is a full-time role on our engineering team, working across a range of client projects — so the day-to-day emphasizes hands-on integration, debugging, and real-world flight validation more than ground-up design ownership. You'll work across the full UAV stack, from embedded flight software and state estimation through mission logic and system integration, with a strong focus on reliability and practical field performance.

This position suits someone who enjoys both software development and hands-on hardware work, and who's comfortable owning problems across shifting project contexts. The ideal candidate brings solid robotics and autonomy fundamentals — estimation, controls, and coordinate frames — and is eager to grow deep expertise in the PX4 autopilot stack, including VIO, map matching, and GPS-denied navigation.

MUST HAVE PERMANENT RESIDENCE IN US

Responsibilities

• Develop and modify PX4 or ArduPilot firmware to support new autonomy features and system capabilities


• Implement mission logic, flight behaviors, and MAVLink integrations


• Integrate sensors, cameras, radios, and payloads into UAV platforms


• Tune and analyze estimation and control performance (EKF/Kalman filtering, PID loops) across platforms


• Conduct flight testing and validate autonomous behaviors in real-world conditions


• Analyze flight logs and telemetry to diagnose and resolve issues


• Debug problems across the UAV stack including firmware, networking, hardware, and companion computers


• Collaborate with engineers to design robust UAV architectures and workflows


• Document system behavior, debugging results, and design decisions

Required Qualifications

• Strong robotics/autonomy fundamentals: coordinate frame transformations, state estimation (Kalman filtering / sensor fusion), and PID control analysis


• Strong C++ or C programming skills


• Experience with PX4 or ArduPilot — or demonstrated ability to ramp quickly on a complex embedded autopilot codebase


• Experience flying and testing UAV or robotic platforms


• Familiarity with MAVLink, flight logs, and autopilot configuration


• Experience debugging complex software and hardware interactions


• Ability to work independently and take ownership of engineering tasks across multiple projects


• Strong problem-solving skills and practical engineering judgment

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with ROS/ROS 2 and Nav2


• Experience with visual-inertial odometry (VIO), map matching, or GPS-denied navigation


• Experience building or configuring drones from components


• Familiarity with companion computers (Linux), MAVSDK, or ROS


• Experience integrating sensors such as LiDAR, cameras, or GPS systems


• Experience with embedded systems or hardware debugging


• Experience analyzing flight logs and tuning flight controllers


• Personal robotics, UAV, or embedded systems projects

What We Value

• Engineers who build and experiment outside of work


• Strong ownership and accountability for outcomes


• Practical, hands-on problem solving


• Clear communication and collaboration within small teams