Lead Autonomous Systems Engineer

The MITRE Corporation•New Bedford, MA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Why choose between doing meaningful work and having a fulfilling life? At MITRE, you can have both. That's because MITRE people are committed to tackling our nation's toughest challenges—and we're committed to the long-term well-being of our employees. MITRE is different from most technology companies. We are a not-for-profit corporation chartered to work for the public interest, with no commercial conflicts to influence what we do. The R&D centers we operate for the government create lasting impact in fields as diverse as cybersecurity, healthcare, aviation, defense, and enterprise transformation. We're making a difference every day—working for a safer, healthier, and more secure nation and world. Our workplace reflects our values. We offer competitive benefits, exceptional professional development opportunities for career growth, and a culture of innovation that embraces adaptability, collaboration, technical excellence, and people in partnership. If this sounds like the choice you want to make, then choose MITRE - and make a difference with us. Department Summary: MITRE’s Artificial Intelligence Innovation Center's Robotics and Autonomous Systems Department is an innovative team of engineers focused on the development of cutting-edge autonomous systems, robotics capabilities, and AI solutions for a safer world. The Robotics and Autonomous Systems Department has a new opportunity for a strong technical candidate with a STEM degree to join an innovative team of engineers focused on developing Artificial Intelligence and/or Autonomous System solutions for sponsor needs. The right candidate will enjoy a fast-paced team environment and working with groundbreaking technology. We are seeking a self-starter that assists in building robotics and artificial intelligence projects. The candidate for this position will work a wide variety of challenging activities in direct support of sponsor programs and will support MITRE’s AI and autonomy efforts.

Requirements

Typically requires a minimum of 8 years of related experience related to Autonomy and AI with a Bachelor’s degree or 6 years with a Master’s degree or a PhD with 3 years of experience
Broad understanding of autonomous systems across multiple domains (Department of War, Services, Intelligence Community, DHS, industry, and academia)
Deep experience in one or more robotics-relevant fields such as computer vision, deep learning, machine learning, control theory, human–machine teaming, or multi-robot systems
Ability to clearly articulate autonomy-specific challenges (perception, reasoning, behaviors, collaboration), understand real-world application constraints, discuss critical issues, and identify capability gaps
Familiarity with state-of-the-art autonomy research and tools, including ROS 2 and Docker
Proven ability to work independently to rapidly learn new technologies, techniques, processes, languages, platforms, and systems
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to build and maintain strong relationships with sponsors and stakeholders
Demonstrated ability to shape and define work in collaboration with sponsors or stakeholders, even in the absence of fully defined requirements
Demonstrated leadership skills, including leading teams, developing, and managing schedules, communicating risks, and managing budgets
Experience developing, proposing, and executing autonomy-focused research initiatives
Per the U.S. Governments eligibility requirements, you must be a U.S. Citizen to be considered for a security clearance
This position requires a minimum of 50% hybrid on-site

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree in related field such as Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, etc.
Experience with software development in a production setting
Knowledge of advances of Autonomy and AI evaluation capabilities in industry and academia
Domain knowledge of swarming systems, red teaming, counter UxS, robotic test and evaluation, agentic AI, manufacturing robotics, and/or missile defense
Experience with configuring and writing software for open-source flight controllers (ArduPilot, PX4. Mission Planner, QGroundControl, etc)
Experience with rapid prototyping, including fabrication and electronics
Experience with field testing autonomous systems, particularly unmanned aerial systems
Knowledge and/or experience with edge computing, C-SWAP (compute, size, weight, and power) platforms, and/or surrogate or scaled platforms
Work and/or leadership of teams to implement and evaluate AI and Autonomy algorithms
Secret Clearance