Robotics Software Engineer

Job Description About the Company Pixels on Target builds high-performance thermal imaging systems that push the limits of what’s possible at the edge. We combine advanced sensing, embedded systems, and AI/ML to deliver real-time intelligence in the most constrained environments. Our focus is speed, performance, and delivering systems that work—reliably—when it matters most. About the Role We’re looking for a Robotics Software Engineer focused on autonomous drone systems and real-time edge intelligence. This role sits at the intersection of robotics, perception, autonomy, embedded systems, and AI/ML. You will design and develop autonomy software that enables UAV platforms to perceive, navigate, track, and make decisions in complex environments with minimal operator input. This is a highly hands-on engineering role where you will work across perception pipelines, sensor fusion, flight systems, and real-time compute constraints. Expect to work in a fast-moving environment with aggressive timelines, rapid iteration cycles, and evolving mission requirements. Responsibilities Design and develop autonomy software for UAV and robotic platforms. Build real-time perception, navigation, tracking, and decision-making systems for edge-deployed drones. Develop sensor fusion pipelines integrating thermal, EO/IR, IMU, GPS, LiDAR, and other onboard sensors. Implement and optimize SLAM, visual odometry, object detection, tracking, and path-planning algorithms. Develop robust autonomy behaviors including waypoint navigation, obstacle avoidance, target following, and autonomous mission execution. Integrate and develop MAVLink-based communication, telemetry, command, and control interfaces for UAV systems. Work with PX4, ArduPilot, and BetaFlight ecosystems to integrate autonomy capabilities with flight controllers and ground control systems. Integrate AI/ML models into embedded robotics systems under strict SWaP (size, weight, and power) constraints. Optimize software performance for real-time execution on embedded GPU and edge-compute platforms. Work closely with hardware, embedded, and perception teams to integrate autonomy capabilities into deployed systems. Build simulation and test environments for autonomy validation and rapid iteration. Support field testing, flight operations, debugging, and system bring-up. Develop tools for telemetry, diagnostics, replay, and autonomous mission analysis. Contribute to architecture decisions, software reliability, and deployment pipelines. Drive rapid prototyping and transition concepts into production-ready systems. Qualifications 5+ years of experience in robotics, autonomy, or UAV software engineering. Master’s degree in Robotics, Computer Science, or related technical field. Required Skills Strong C++ and Python programming skills. Experience with ROS/ROS2 and robotics middleware. Strong understanding of drone autonomy, navigation, and robotic perception systems. Hands-on experience with MAVLink protocol development, integration, and debugging. Experience with PX4, ArduPilot, MAVSDK, QGroundControl, or related UAV ecosystems. Experience with SLAM, sensor fusion, path planning, localization, or computer vision systems. Experience integrating AI/ML inference into robotics or embedded platforms. Experience with GPU-accelerated compute platforms such as NVIDIA Jetson or similar edge AI hardware. Strong debugging skills across software, hardware, and sensor interfaces. Experience working with real-world robotic systems and field deployments. Familiarity with simulation environments such as Gazebo, Isaac Sim, AirSim, or similar platforms. Understanding of real-time systems, embedded Linux, and performance optimization. Ability to operate effectively in fast-paced, ambiguous environments. High ownership mindset with strong execution and problem-solving ability. Experience with defense, ISR, autonomous systems, or tactical robotics is a strong plus. Eligibility Requirement Must be a U.S. Citizen or U.S. Permanent Resident (Green Card holder).