Software and Autonomy Engineering Lead

Wild West Systems, Inc.; Leander (TX); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Wild West Systems, Inc. is seeking a Software and Autonomy Engineering Lead to own the technical direction for the full autonomy software stack, from embedded firmware through perception, to targeting behavior.

You will lead the engineering team, set architecture standards, and drive perception and autonomy development for constrained edge hardware in dynamic environments. You will mentor engineers, guide build vs.

Qualifications

• Leadership experience overseeing firmware and software teams.
• Experience developing perception and autonomy systems.
• Familiarity with edge computing and real-time constraints.

Responsibilities

• Set technical direction for firmware and autonomy software.
• Lead and mentor a small engineering team.
• Decide build vs. buy and partner options for perception/autonomy components.
• Collaborate with hardware and program management on system tradeoffs.
• Develop real-time object detection, classification, and tracking for small targets.
• Oversee firmware architecture for sensors, RTOS, and hardware controls.

Skills

Leadership

Embedded systems

Computer vision

Sensor fusion

Edge deployment

Architecture standards

Job description

Company Overview

Wild West Systems is an American defense technology company with the mission to equip the civilized world with superior and affordable arms and advanced technologies – to dominate the battlefield of present and future threats, in a new era of asymmetrical warfare. We fuse versatile domain experience with novel approach and creativity to change the paradigm of defense – both for military arenas and civilian soft targets. We're an early-stage startup, rapidly moving and growing.

Company Overview

Wild West Systems is an American defense technology company with the mission to equip the civilized world with superior and affordable arms and advanced technologies – to dominate the battlefield of present and future threats, in a new era of asymmetrical warfare. We fuse versatile domain experience with novel approach and creativity to change the paradigm of defense – both for military arenas and civilian soft targets. We're an early-stage startup, rapidly moving and growing.

General Qualifications

Love for America and passion for Wild West System's mission. Self-starter, capable of performing tasks as an individual as well as working well in a team. Bias for action. ITAR REQUIREMENT: To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

• 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C.
• 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

Position Overview

We are seeking a Software and Autonomy Engineering Lead to own technical direction for our full autonomy software stack from embedded firmware through perception and into higher autonomous targeting behaviors. This role leads the engineering team building computer vision, sensor fusion, targeting, and control systems that operate on constrained edge hardware in dynamic, contested environments.

You will set architecture and coding standards across firmware and software, mentor and grow the engineering team, and personally develop perception and autonomy systems from prototyping through field deployment.

Responsibilities

Technical Leadership

• Set technical direction and architecture standards spanning firmware and autonomy software
• Lead, mentor, and help grow a small team of firmware and software engineers
• Own build vs. buy and make vs. partner decisions for perception and autonomy components
• Partner with hardware and program management on system-level tradeoffs

Perception & Autonomy

• Develop and deploy real-time object detection, classification, and tracking systems for small, fast-moving aerial and ground targets
• Optimize models for edge deployment in constrained environments
• Build multi-sensor perception pipelines that enable sensor fusion
• Build robustness for real-world conditions
• Integrate perception outputs into downstream tracking and effector control systems

Firmware & Systems Integration

• Oversee firmware architecture for sensor drivers, real-time OS scheduling, and hardware controls
• Ensure clean interfaces between firmware, perception, and targeting layers
• Support field testing, integration, and troubleshooting across the full stack