Lead Robotics Engineer

Valinor Enterprises, Inc.•Nashville, TN

About The Position

Dispatch is seeking a Lead Robotics Engineer to own the autonomy stack end to end, from computer vision and flight control to robotic manipulation, behind its ruggedized, field-deployable UxS charging infrastructure for defense applications. This is a hands-on technical leadership role for someone who can set architectural direction, work shoulder-to-shoulder with mechanical, electrical, and software teams, and mentor a small group of engineers building the next generation of autonomous and robotic platforms. You'll drive the system from concept through field deployment and establish the technical standards the team will build on.

Requirements

Bachelor's or Master's in Robotics, EE/ME, Aerospace Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a closely related field.
5+ years of experience building robotics/autonomy systems, with 2+ years in a technical lead or team-lead capacity on mission-critical or fielded systems (defense, aerospace, drones, or similar).
Strong proficiency in C++ and Python, with solid real-time and embedded systems fundamentals.
Demonstrated depth across the full stack: perception/CV, state estimation (EKF/factor graphs, VIO/SLAM), motion and path planning, and control (PID through MPC).
Hands-on experience with flight control stacks (PX4/ArduPilot or equivalent) and tuning controllers on real hardware.
Experience designing and deploying 6DOF manipulation systems, including kinematics, motion planning (MoveIt/OMPL-class), and grasping.
Proficiency with ROS/ROS2 and robotics simulation tooling (Gazebo, Isaac Sim, or similar), plus hardware-in-the-loop testing.
Track record of shipping autonomous systems to the real world, not just simulation or research, with sound judgment on sim-to-real and field reliability.
This role requires candidates to be a US Person and eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance. Active clearance preferred, but not required.

Nice To Haves

Robot learning (imitation/RL, VLA models), CUDA/edge deployment, and experience operating in rugged or contested environments a plus.

Responsibilities

Architect and own the full autonomy stack (perception, state estimation, planning, and control) across autonomous aerial platforms and robotic manipulators, from concept through field deployment.
Lead integration and tuning of flight control software (PX4/ArduPilot-class or in-house controllers), including attitude and position loops for stability and reliable performance in real-world and contested environments.
Design, develop, and bring up robotic arm systems including kinematics, dynamics, motion planning, and manipulation behaviors, with sim-to-real validation and on-hardware tuning.
Develop computer vision and sensor-fusion pipelines (camera/IMU/LiDAR) for navigation, target detection, alignment, and autonomous docking and retention tasks.
Work closely with mechanical, electrical, and software teams to ensure seamless integration of sensors, electronics, and electromechanical components into deployable systems.
Establish standards for simulation, testing, and safe field operation. Drive technical direction through design reviews and architecture decisions.
Mentor a small team of robotics and software engineers. Lead prototype bring-up, testing, and refinement in lab and field environments.