Autonomy Engineer - Flight Autonomy / Defense Robotics / Autonomous Drones / Ground Robots (On-site)

Autonomy Engineer – Flight Autonomy / Defense Robotics / Autonomous Drones / Ground Robots (On-site)$100,000 – $210,000 base + equity (dependent on experience, seniority, location)The CompanyMy client is a venture-funded robotics start-up building autonomy stacks for aerial and ground robots used in real-world missions.The company has raised ~$15m to date and generates ~$5m in revenue from live government and industrial projects.Core applications include drone logistics, delivery, surveillance, wildfire monitoring, and environmental change detection for government customers.The company develops software from its US R&D hub and manufactures / deploys hardware via drone factories and engineering teams in Asia.They are an official contributor in a major open-source autopilot ecosystem and host education events and conferences around that community.Why Join?Work end-to-end on autonomy that is already flying on drones and operating ground robots in the field, not just in simulation.Join a ~30-person, high-density engineering team where you own architecture, implementation, and deployment of core autonomy capabilities.Collaborate directly with leading autopilot firmware contributors, ML/RL researchers, and hardware engineers across the US and Asia.Shape the autonomy roadmap in a fast-moving defense / dual-use market with strong demand and meaningful real-world impact.The RoleA technical, hands-on role where you will:Design and implement autonomy stacks (perception, SLAM/VSLAM, mapping, navigation) for aerial and ground robots operating outdoors.Develop visual odometry and VSLAM pipelines and integrate them into real-time navigation and localization on embedded Linux platforms.Build 3D mapping and reconstruction capabilities (e.g. NeRF, Gaussian Splatting) for localization, situational awareness, and planning.Implement obstacle detection and avoidance in static and dynamic environments plus local path planning and behavior logic.Design and tune state estimation systems (sensor fusion, EKF or similar) and classical control strategies (e.g. MPC, LQR) for UAVs or mobile robots.Integrate autonomy modules with autopilot firmware (ArduPilot/PX4) including custom flight modes, features, parameters, and mission behaviors.Design MAVLink or ROS2 interfaces and mission APIs for command, telemetry, video, and mission execution workflows.Define flight data collection strategies (logging structure, triggers, formats), analyze flight logs/telemetry, and build tools for rapid iteration.Build and maintain simulation environments (e.g. ArduPilot + Gazebo), SITL/HITL pipelines, scripted missions, and regression test suites.Partner with platform, ML/RL, hardware, and firmware teams in both the US and Asia to deploy autonomy features on real vehicles and test sites.The Essential Requirements5+ years' experience developing robotics autonomy systems (UAVs, mobile robots, or autonomous vehicles).Strong programming skills in C++ and Python, with real-time robotics software experience on embedded Linux.Hands-on experience with ArduPilot, PX4, or similar autopilot firmware, plus familiarity with MAVLink and SITL workflows.Deep expertise in at least two of: VSLAM / visual odometry; 3D mapping / reconstruction; motion planning / navigation; state estimation and control (EKF/MPC/LQR).Comfortable running experiments on real hardware, iterating from flight data, and spending short periods at overseas test sites when required.What Will Make You Stand OutExperience integrating perception, planning, and control using ROS or ROS2 in production autonomy systems.Track record building HITL infrastructure, realistic simulation environments, and automated regression testing pipelines.Exposure to reinforcement learning for robotics or use of AI/LLM-assisted development tools to accelerate robotics software development.If you are interested in this role, please apply with your resume through this site.DisclaimerNo terminology in this advert is intended to discriminate on the grounds of age, sex, race, religion or belief, disability, pregnancy and maternity, marriage and civil partnership, sexual orientation, gender, and/or gender reassignment, and we confirm that we are happy to accept applications from anyone for this role. Attis Global Ltd operates as an employment agency and employment business. More information can be found at attisglobal.com.Keywords for Search (SEO)Autonomy Engineer, Flight Autonomy, Robotics Software Engineer, UAV Software, Drone Autonomy, SLAM Engineer, VSLAM Developer, Visual Odometry, 3D Mapping, NeRF, Gaussian Splatting, Motion Planning, Navigation, State Estimation, EKF, MPC, LQR, C++ Developer, Python Engineer, ArduPilot, PX4, MAVLink, ROS2, Embedded Linux, SITL, HITL, Gazebo, Autonomous Robots, Mobile Robotics, Defense Robotics, Dual Use Robotics, Drone Logistics, Loitering Munition AutonomyJ-18808-Ljbffr