Senior Autonomy Engineer (AI) - NODA AILocation: Austin, TX (Hybrid on-site, with up to 20% travel)
Clearance Requirement: U.S. Citizen with the ability to obtain a security clearance
The RoleWe are seeking a
Senior Autonomy Engineer to design and implement the autonomy stack that powers adaptive multi-vehicle orchestration. This role focuses on mission planning, path generation, behavior execution, and task allocation across heterogeneous fleets.
You will work at the intersection of AI reasoning frameworks, event-driven autonomy stacks (e.g., Zenoh, MQTT), and distributed multi-agent systems, ensuring mission intent can be reliably executed and adapted in real-world conditions. Success in this role requires strong technical foundations in robotics, practical systems thinking, and a passion for delivering robust autonomy where reliability is non-negotiable.
Key Responsibilities- Design and implement autonomy modules including path planning, task allocation, behavior trees, and reactive execution models
- Develop and maintain the autonomy framework that integrates with orchestration (AI-driven mission planning) and world modeling
- Ensure AI-generated plans are executable, explainable, and safe across multi-domain robotic platforms
- Implement and validate navigation, control, and autonomy behaviors for UAVs, USVs, and UUVs using event-driven middleware (Zenoh, MQTT, or similar) and simulation environments
- Profile and optimize autonomy performance for edge compute hardware (Jetson, Raspberry Pi-class devices)
- Conduct simulation-in-loop and hardware-in-loop testing to validate autonomy behaviors before live field deployment
- Contribute to safety, reliability, and compliance practices for autonomy in defense-relevant missions
- Collaborate across AI, networking, and systems engineering teams to ensure seamless orchestration of multi-vehicle operations
Required Qualifications- 6+ years experience developing autonomy or robotics systems
- Proficiency in C++ and Python for real-time autonomy development
- Strong hands-on experience with event-driven/pub-sub middleware (Zenoh, MQTT, DDS, or similar)
- Background in motion planning, navigation, and control systems
- Experience with state estimation, sensor fusion, and autonomy validation
- Familiarity with behavior trees, task allocation, or symbolic planners
- Knowledge of simulation environments (Gazebo, Isaac Sim, AirSim, or equivalent)
- U.S. Citizenship with ability to obtain a clearance
Preferred Qualifications- Proficiency in Rust for systems-level/real-time autonomy development
- Experience with multi-agent coordination and swarm robotics
- Exposure to autonomous vehicle domains (UAVs, UUVs, USVs)
- Familiarity with MAVLink, JAUS, or STANAG 4586 protocols
- Background in AI planning, reinforcement learning, or constraint solvers
- Experience optimizing autonomy for embedded/real-time performance
- Prior exposure to defense or aerospace autonomy systems
- Contributions to open-source robotics or autonomy projects
Skills & Attributes- Systems thinker: able to connect autonomy layers with AI reasoning and orchestration.
- Strong problem-solving and debugging skills in both simulation and field environments.
- Cross-disciplinary collaborator, comfortable working with AI, networking, and data engineering teams.
- Thrives in ambiguous, mission-driven problem spaces.
- Detail-oriented and safety-focused, with commitment to reliable autonomy in critical missions.
Benefits & PerksOur culture fosters collaboration, respect, and trust, empowering passionate people to do their best work. We offer a competitive salary, comprehensive benefits, and opportunities for career growth. In addition to an opportunity to take part in an innovative, collaborative and fast-growing business with a highly motivated and skilled team, we also take pride in taking care of our employees. Here are just a few ways that we show our appreciation:
- We offer comprehensive medical, dental, and visions plans
- 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan to invest in your long-term retirement goals + Company match
- Equity grants for new hires
- Unlimited PTO
- 11 Paid holidays
- Extremely generous company holiday calendar, including a holiday hiatus in November, & December.
- Generous Parental Leave
- Military Leave for annual training or service requirements
- FSA
- DCFSA
- HSA
- Professional Development Opportunities
- Access to One Medical
- Mental Health Resources: We provide free mental health resources 24/7 including therapy and more. Additional work-life services, such as free legal and financial support, are available to you as well.
Growth Path at NODA- Senior Autonomy Engineer - lead development of autonomy modules and mentor engineers.
- Staff/Principal Engineer - drive cross-domain autonomy integration, standards, and frameworks.
- Autonomy Lead - own the autonomy stack and guide integration with AI-driven orchestration at scale.
