Robotics/UAS Project Engineer

Job Description

Job Description

We believe people should love what they do. In this role you will be responsible for:

• Apply advanced technical principles, theories, and concepts to architect, lead, and execute the integration of UAS platforms with mission-critical subsystems—including automated target recognition (ATR), navigation and control algorithms, communication systems, and diverse payloads.
• Work on complex technical problems and develop highly innovative solutions that enable seamless interoperability across hardware, software, autonomy, and mission-system components.
• Lead end-to-end integration activities that bring together third-party sensors, autonomy modules, onboard computing, and communication links to transform baseline UAS into complete mission-ready systems.
• Oversee the development and integration of advanced mission payloads, including EO/IR and AI-enabled perception systems, ensuring compatibility with onboard processing, data pathways, and vehicle command-and-control.
• Direct the implementation and tuning of navigation, guidance, and control algorithms, resilient navigation approaches, and closed-loop system validation.
• Manage system-level communications integration, ensuring robust data links, network interoperability, and compliance with operational and security requirements.
• Establish and refine integration processes, technical standards, and system verification strategies for complex UAS mission architectures.
• Lead simulation-based system validation, including high-fidelity modeling of autonomy, sensor performance, communication networks, and mission workflows to reduce risk prior to flight testing.
• Oversee test planning and execution across laboratory, hardware-in-the-loop (HIL), field-test, and flight-test environments to validate integrated system performance under realistic operational conditions.
• Conduct sophisticated diagnostics and root-cause analyses across mechanical, electrical, software, and algorithmic domains to rapidly resolve integration challenges.
• Provide technical leadership in cross-functional design reviews and ensure alignment of mission requirements, system architecture, and verification plans across all UAS subsystems.
• Mentor engineering staff, guide technical development roadmaps, and serve as a senior technical liaison with customers, leadership, and multidisciplinary partners.

Qualifications

• B.S. in Robotics, Mechatronics, Aerospace Engineering, or related field; 18+ years of experience in UAS system integration, mission-system development, and validation
• M.S. in Robotics, Mechatronics, Aerospace Engineering, or related field; 20+ years of experience in UAS system integration, mission-system development, and validation preferred.
• Demonstrated expertise applying advanced engineering principles to develop highly innovative solutions for complex unmanned system integration challenges.
• Proven leadership in integrating UAS with advanced subsystems such as ATR systems, onboard AI/ML modules, navigation and control algorithms, communication architectures, and mission payloads.
• Extensive experience with embedded systems, onboard computing, middleware, and hardware/software co-design for mission-critical UAS applications.
• Strong proficiency in autonomy frameworks (ROS/ROS2, PX4, ArduPilot), including customization, tuning, and algorithm integration.
• Deep understanding of modeling, simulation, virtual testing, and hardware-in-the-loop validation methods for autonomy, sensor processing, and mission execution.
• Significant experience managing flight-test operations, system evaluations, data analysis, and verification/validation across multi-sensor, multi-domain UAS configurations.
• Ability to influence technical direction, drive architectural decisions, and communicate complex system interactions to executive stakeholders, customers, and engineering teams.
• Possesses or has ability to obtain a Secret level security clearance.