Autonomous Quadcopter Software Engineer

Our Mission

Enhance the lethality and capabilities of Warfighters in U.S. and Allied forces.

Role Description

Were seeking an exceptional Autonomous Quadcopter Software Engineer to lead the development of flight control and autonomy software for our quadcopter platform. This is a foundational engineering role where youll have significant ownership over our core software architecture autonomy algorithms and system integration.

This role offers the unique opportunity to shape our technical direction from the ground up work on problems at the intersection of computer vision embedded systems and robotics and see your code fly in operational scenarios.

Core Responsibilities

• Design and implement autonomous flight software for our semi-autonomous quadcopter platform including flight mode development parameter tuning and stability optimization
• Develop computer vision and machine learning algorithms for object detection perception navigation obstacle avoidance target tracking and situational awareness in GPS-denied and GPS-enabled environments
• Build real-time embedded software that operates reliably under resource constraints ensuring low-latency performance for critical flight operations
• Use and/or develop sensor fusion algorithms combining IMU camera GPS and other sensor data for robust state estimation and navigation
• Optimize software performance for power efficiency computational constraints and real-time responsiveness on embedded processors
• Conduct simulation hardware-in-the-loop testing and field testing in realistic but safe scenarios to validate software reliability and safety
• Collaborate with hardware engineers to define requirements troubleshoot system integration issues and optimize hardware-software performance

Required Qualifications

• Bachelors Masters or PhD in Computer Science Electrical Engineering Aerospace Engineering Robotics or related field
• 3 years of professional software development experience preferred or recent graduate (Masters/PhD) with significant hands-on experience in autonomous systems robotics or embedded systems during graduate studies
• Expert-level proficiency in C with experience in modern C standards memory management and performance optimization
• Strong computer vision background with hands-on experience implementing vision algorithms (OpenCV camera calibration feature detection/tracking pose estimation)
• Embedded systems programming experience including real-time constraints hardware interfaces interrupt handling and resource-limited computing
• Deep understanding of robotics fundamentals including kinematics dynamics control theory and state estimation
• Strong debugging and problem-solving skills with experience in troubleshooting hardware-software integration issues

Highly Desired Qualifications

• Hands-on experience with PX4 autopilot including firmware customization flight mode development and parameter tuning
• Experience with machine learning frameworks (TensorFlow ONNX PyTorch) for deploying models for object detection and tracking
• Knowledge of sensor fusion techniques (Kalman filters EKF particle filters) and SLAM algorithms
• Proficiency in Python for rapid prototyping simulation and tooling
• Experience with simulation environments such as Gazebo AirSim or custom flight simulators

Personal Attributes

• Mission-driven mindset
• Startup mentality
• Detail-oriented and quality-focused
• Adaptable and eager to learn
• Security-conscious

What We Offer

• Competitive startup compensation including salary and meaningful equity stake
• Opportunity to be an early team member with significant impact on company direction
• Work on cutting-edge technology at the intersection of AI robotics and autonomous systems
• The satisfaction of building systems that enhance the capabilities of those who serve & protect our freedom!