Principal Autonomy Engineer

Principal Autonomy Engineer

Denver, CO or Long Beach, CA

Space is a warfighting domain. True Anomaly seeks those with the talent and ambition to build the technology that secures it.

Our Mission

True Anomaly delivers decisive capabilities for space superiority. We build autonomous spacecraft, advanced payloads, mission software, and space-based interceptors — enabling the U.S. and its Allies to secure the space environment and counter threats from the ultimate high ground.

Our Values

• Be the Offset. We create asymmetric advantages with creativity and ingenuity.
• What Would It Take? We challenge assumptions to deliver ambitious results.
• It's The People. Our team is our competitive advantage and we are better together.

Your Mission

As a key member of the Applied Algorithms and Autonomy team, you will be responsible for developing and implementing True Anomaly's autonomy roadmap. You will work with a talented cross-functional team to advance cutting-edge technology at the intersection of artificial intelligence, machine learning and classical optimization. This will involve executing across various areas including vehicle autonomy, mission planning, wargaming, threat implication and uncooperative RPO capabilities. You are a first principles engineer and will have ownership of the future of autonomy at True Anomaly.

Responsibilities

• Build the roadmap for integrating increased autonomy capability into the next generation of Jackal spacecraft and Mosaic ground software
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to translate requirements and stakeholder expectations into actionable strategies for autonomy implementation
• Drive the autonomy architecture and design, implement, and verify robust algorithms that enable autonomous spacecraft planning, tasking, and decision-making
• Test and verify your algorithms via statistical analysis, software testing, and hardware in the loop simulation

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, robotics, or a similar discipline
• Proficient in C/C++ and Python
• Strong understanding of statistics, optimization, and reasoning under uncertainty
• 8+ years of experience with implementing algorithms for autonomous planning and decision-making deployed in real-world systems
• Demonstrated ability to work in a multidisciplinary team and solve complex problems with first principles approaches
• Passion for spaceflight and advancing capabilities related to space domain awareness and space security
• Track record of solving complex problems in autonomy in a fast-moving team

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Master's or PhD in computer science, robotics, or a similar discipline
• 4+ years of professional experience writing high-reliability, production C/C++ code
• Experience with edge computing and real-time processing constraints
• Deep technical expertise in one or more of the following: convex optimization, dynamic programming, search algorithms, reinforcement learning, decision theory

Compensation

• Base Salary: $230,000 - $390,000
• Equity + Benefits: including Health, Dental, Vision, HRA/HSA options, PTO and paid holidays, 401K, Parental Leave

Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, location, and experience.

Additional Requirements

• Work Location: This is a fully onsite role. Candidates must be based in or able to commute to our Denver or Long Beach office daily.
• Work Environment: The work environment; temperature, noise level, inside or outside, or other factors that will affect the person's working conditions while performing the job.
• Physical Demands: The physical demands of the job, including bending, sitting, lifting and driving.

This position will be open until it is successfully filled.