Unmanned Systems and Autonomy Subject Matter Expert

Kinetic Concepts; Tampa (FL); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

401(k) with employer match

Paid time off

Paid federal holidays

Life insurance

Short-term disability

Flexible Spending Account

Job summary

Kinetic Concepts, LLC is seeking an experienced Unmanned Systems (UxS) and Autonomy Subject Matter Expert to support the SOCOM J37 Modernization at MacDill AFB. The role covers unmanned and autonomous systems across air, ground, and maritime domains, enabling concept development, experimentation, and capability integration.

The candidate will translate operator needs into technical recommendations, coordinating across government, academia, labs, and industry while ensuring security and mission

Qualifications

• 8+ years of progressive unmanned-systems experience.
• Experience at O-4 level or equivalent civilian leadership.
• Hands-on deployment or integration of unmanned systems in at least one domain.
• Knowledge of MOD open systems interfaces and autonomy architectures.
• Experience in DoD environment and joint staff collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Serve as SME for unmanned systems across air, ground, and maritime domains.
• Advise on Group 1–3 UAS, UGVs, UAS payloads and autonomous vessels.
• Evaluate AI/ML capabilities for edge processing and data fusion.
• Coordinate with SOFWERX, labs, and industry partners.
• Develop assessment criteria, data-collection plans, and scenarios.

Skills

Unmanned systems operations

Autonomy & mission planning

Interagency coordination

Secure communications

Technical requirements translation

Team leadership

Threat assessment

Software-hardware integration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering, computer science, or related field

Tools

TS/SCI program environments

Modular Open Systems approaches

Job description

Location: MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa, Florida

Work Arrangement: On-site

Employment Type: Full-time, exempt

Travel: CONUS and OCONUS travel may be required

Security Clearance: Active Top Secret clearance with SCI eligibility required; current TS/SCI adjudication preferred

About the Position

Company: Kinetic Concepts, LLC

Location: MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa, Florida

Work Arrangement: On-site

Employment Type: Full-time, exempt

Travel: CONUS and OCONUS travel may be required

Security Clearance: Active Top Secret clearance with SCI eligibility required; current TS/SCI adjudication preferred

Kinetic Concepts, LLC is seeking an experienced Unmanned Systems (UxS) and Autonomy Subject Matter Expert to provide embedded support to the United States Special Operations Command J37 Joint Task Force–Modernization organization at MacDill Air Force Base.

The selected candidate will serve as a subject matter expert on unmanned and autonomous systems across the air, ground, and maritime domains. The position will support Special Operations Forces concept development, experimentation, capability assessment, and technology integration.

This position requires knowledge of unmanned-systems employment and autonomy technologies, including modular open systems approaches, common data interfaces, edge processing, collaborative autonomy, and decentralized control. The successful candidate must be able to translate operator requirements into technical and procedural recommendations and coordinate across government, military, academic, laboratory, and industry organizations.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as a subject matter expert for unmanned systems across the air, ground, and maritime domains.
• Advise on Group 1 through Group 3 unmanned aircraft systems, unmanned ground systems, ground robotics, and unmanned surface and undersea vessels.
• Provide expertise on collaborative and decentralized mission autonomy, swarming, peer-to-peer coordination, dynamic retasking, and operations in communications-denied environments.
• Advise on modular open systems approaches, government-owned architectures, common interfaces, and the USSOCOM Modular Payload Standard.
• Assess artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities supporting unmanned systems, including computer vision, training data, synthetic data, model evaluation, and tactical-edge processing.
• Evaluate payload modularity, sensor integration, data links, communications, resilient positioning, navigation and timing, and launch-and-recovery considerations.
• Assess unmanned-system employment in permissive, contested, and denied environments.
• Monitor counter-unmanned systems developments and their effects on friendly-system employment and survivability.
• Support experimentation events, capability assessments, technology demonstrations, exercises, and rapid-prototyping activities.
• Develop assessment criteria, measures of performance and effectiveness, data-collection plans, and operational scenarios.
• Evaluate government and industry submissions, white papers, and technical proposals for maturity, operational relevance, and compliance with applicable standards.
• Conduct after-action analyses and translate operator feedback into technical and procedural recommendations.
• Coordinate with SOFWERX, laboratories, university-affiliated research centers, academic institutions, program offices, and industry partners.
• Conduct capability-gap analyses and recommend mitigation strategies and transition paths to programs of record.
• Coordinate with SOF Acquisition, Technology and Logistics program executive offices, Service program offices, Theater Special Operations Commands, and component commands.
• Review Capability Development Documents, concepts of operation, and related capability and requirements documentation.
• Prepare white papers, technical assessments, evaluation summaries, trip reports, and senior-leader briefings.
• Support the development of tactics, techniques and procedures, user documentation, and training materials.
• Handle classified and sensitive information in accordance with all applicable security requirements.

Required Qualifications

• Active Top Secret security clearance with SCI eligibility.
• Ability to maintain the required security eligibility throughout employment.
• At least eight years of progressive experience in unmanned-systems operations, employment, integration, testing, or acquisition.
• Experience serving at the O-4, senior noncommissioned officer, or equivalent civilian level.
• Hands-on experience with the operational employment or technical integration of unmanned systems in at least one domain.
• Working familiarity with unmanned systems across the air, ground, and maritime domains.
• Demonstrated understanding of the practical distinctions between remote operation, automation, and mission autonomy.
• Knowledge of modular open systems approaches, common data interfaces, and autonomy architectures.
• Experience supporting capability development, operational assessments, experimentation, or technology integration in a Department of Defense environment.
• Experience working on a joint, combatant command, component, or Service-level staff.
• Ability to coordinate across staff directorates, program offices, military organizations, and industry.
• Working knowledge of data links, communications options, spectrum considerations, and airspace and range coordination requirements.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to produce staff-quality written products and brief general officer and senior executive audiences.
• Proficiency with government productivity and collaboration tools.
• Ability to work across NIPRNET, SIPRNET, and JWICS environments at government facilities.
• Ability to work on-site in Tampa, Florida.
• Ability to travel within and outside the continental United States as required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior service in a Special Operations Forces unit, Theater Special Operations Command, or SOF component command.
• Experience supporting USSOCOM J37 Joint Task Force–Modernization, its predecessor J7 organization, a SOF Acquisition, Technology and Logistics program executive office, or a Service experimentation organization.
• Familiarity with the USSOCOM Modular Payload Standard.
• Familiarity with government-owned autonomy baselines and reference architectures.
• Knowledge of unmanned-systems interoperability standards and profiles, including STANAG 4586, MAVLink, or Service unmanned aircraft system interoperability profiles.
• Experience with counter-unmanned systems capabilities or missions.
• Qualification as an unmanned aircraft system operator, master trainer, or comparable ground or maritime unmanned-systems operator.
• Familiarity with Department of Defense policies governing autonomy in weapon systems and associated review processes.
• Experience with rapid prototyping and nontraditional acquisition pathways, including Other Transaction Agreements and Commercial Solutions Openings.
• Experience with JCIDS documentation and DOTMLPF-P analysis.
• Experience working in TS/SCI and ACCM environments.
• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, computer science, or a technical, operational, or management discipline. Equivalent operational experience may be considered in place of a degree.

Work Environment

Work will be performed primarily on-site at government facilities in Tampa, Florida, within classified and unclassified environments. Periodic support at field experimentation and assessment locations may be required.

The position may require extended periods at computer workstations, work in secure facilities, outdoor work at test and experimentation sites, and domestic or international travel.

Continued employment is contingent upon maintaining the required security clearance, satisfactory job performance, continued contract funding, and the applicable contract period of performance.

Compensation and Benefits

• Competitive salary based on qualifications and experience
• Full-time employment supporting a multi-year contract
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) with employer match, subject to eligibility requirements
• Paid time off
• Paid federal holidays
• Life insurance
• Short-term disability coverage, subject to eligibility requirements
• Flexible Spending Account
• Reimbursable business travel in accordance with company policy

Kinetic Concepts is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other protected status. We actively support VEVRAA Protected Veterans.