Title:  Senior Full Stack Autonomy Engineer 1

Job Title: Senior Specialist, Software Engineering

Job Code : 26887

Job Location: Herndon, VA; Palm Bay, FL; Camden NJ

Schedule: 9/80 Reg

Job Description:

We are seeking a highly experienced Senior Full Stack Autonomy Engineer to lead the design, implementation, and integration of advanced autonomy capabilities across unmanned and autonomous platforms. This role requires extensive technical expertise in autonomy stack integration—including perception, planning, and control layers as well as significant experience with microservices, embedded systems, and secure, scalable software deployment using containerization and Kubernetes. The ideal candidate is an expert across the full autonomy software pipeline, from low-level hardware interfaces to high-level cloud-edge orchestration, and is dedicated to delivering resilient, mission-ready solutions in dynamic, resource-constrained environments. You will work in a fast-paced, agile development environment, leading multi-disciplinary teams, and shaping the future of autonomous systems for national defense.

Essential Functions:

•       Lead the design, build, and deployment of a robust Autonomy DevSecOps environment to support continuous development, testing, security scanning, and deployment of autonomy software across multiple programs, platforms, and security domains.
•     Serve as a key member of a multi-discipline engineering team to architect, develop, integrate, and test full-stack autonomy capabilities—including perception, decision-making, control, and user interface layers.
•     Establish and optimize automation pipelines to support AI/ML model training, validation, and deployment (MLOps), ensuring secure and efficient delivery to edge platforms.
•     Collaborate closely with Systems Engineering and SI&T teams to align sprint tasks and deliverables with system-level milestones and integration priorities.
•     Oversee and coordinate software development and integration across autonomy, sensor fusion, and mission planning components, including subcontractors and mission partners.
•     Lead system-level test events, including lab-based testing (SIL, HIL), and field/operational demonstrations.
•     Travel independently to customer and test sites to support field integration, platform validation, and mission demonstrations.
•     Mentor and provide technical guidance to junior engineers and team members, fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement.

Qualifications: 

•      Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, or related field, with a minimum of 9 years of prior relevant experience (or Master’s with a minimum of 7 years of prior related experience; or 13 years in lieu of a degree).
•     Ability to obtain a US TS/SCI Clearance which requires US Citizenship
•     Demonstrated experience in integrating autonomy software into physical platforms (air, ground, maritime (surface or subsurface), or space).
•     Extensive hands-on experience building DevSecOps environments for complex software systems, preferably in autonomy or mission-critical applications.
•     Proven experience deploying and maintaining CI/CD pipelines in classified or secure environments.
•     Deep familiarity with autonomy testing and integration environments, including SIL/HIL and real-world test campaigns.
•     Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to convey technical content to both engineering and non-technical audiences.
•     Strong leadership skills with a proven track record of leading complex projects and teams.

Preferred Additional Skills:

•       Extensive software engineering background with experience in building and deploying full-stack autonomy solutions.
•     Advanced experience with autonomy technologies such as AI/ML, perception, planning, control systems, and sensor fusion.
•     In-depth understanding of DevSecOps principles and extensive experience implementing CI/CD pipelines using tools such as GitLab CI, Jenkins, Docker, Kubernetes, or ArgoCD.
•     Advanced experience with robotics and autonomy middleware (e.g., ROS, DDS, RTI, or custom message frameworks).
•     Proficiency in modern programming languages such as Python, Java, C++, and scripting for automation and orchestration.
•     Exceptional communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively across engineering, program management, and customer teams.
•     Demonstrated ability to influence and drive strategic initiatives within an organization.