Senior UAV Autonomy Engineer - On-Site Drone Stack

SiMa.ai; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 121,000 - 193,000; Full time

Job summary

SiMa.ai seeks a Senior UAV Autonomy Engineer to build the core drone stack for GPS-denied navigation, perception, localization, and autonomous docking on embedded hardware in San Jose, CA. The role emphasizes end‑to‑end flight autonomy, real‑time obstacle avoidance, and robust control on power‑constrained hardware.

You will own perception, localization, and control software, FPGA/embedded optimizations, and flight‑test validation to close the sim‑to‑real gap, collaborating with a

Qualifications

• Hands-on experience developing autonomy software for UAVs or drones.
• Experience with GNSS-denied navigation and docking.
• Strong C++, Python, ROS 2 proficiency and 3D geometry knowledge.

Responsibilities

• GPS-denied navigation and localization for onboard autonomy.
• Autonomous docking and precision landing in challenging environments.
• Perception and motion planning for obstacle avoidance and safe flight.
• Edge deployment on embedded hardware with power/weight constraints.
• Systems verification, SIL/HIL testing, and flight testing.

Skills

Flight autonomy software

MAVLink/flight stacks

VIO/SLAM & sensor fusion

C++ & Python

ROS 2

Education

BS/MS in Robotics/Aerospace/CS/EE

Tools

PX4/ArduPilot

Jetson edge hardware

GTSAM/Ceres

Job description

SiMa.ai seeks a Senior UAV Autonomy Engineer to build the core drone stack for GPS-denied navigation, perception, localization, and autonomous docking on embedded hardware in San Jose, CA. The role emphasizes end‑to‑end flight autonomy, real‑time obstacle avoidance, and robust control on power‑constrained hardware.

You will own perception, localization, and control software, FPGA/embedded optimizations, and flight‑test validation to close the sim‑to‑real gap, collaborating with a