Principal Forward Deployed Autonomous Systems Engineer

Mach Industries•Huntington Beach, CA

2h•$180,000 - $210,000•Onsite

About The Position

Mach Industries is seeking a Principal Forward Deployed Autonomous Systems Engineer (FDASE) to lead the fielding, operation, and continued development of autonomous defense platforms. This role sits at the intersection of engineering, flight operations, product development, and customer engagement. You will be responsible for ensuring that complex autonomous systems can be deployed, operated, maintained, and scaled successfully in demanding real-world environments. As a Principal FDASE, you will establish operating standards, determine operational readiness, advise leadership on deployment risk, and translate field experience into actionable product improvements. You will lead customer engagements for Flight Operations, own internal and external training programs, and help transition emerging prototypes into repeatable, supportable products. This is a hands-on technical leadership role. You will be expected to understand complete system architectures, diagnose complex multidisciplinary problems, and remain directly engaged with aircraft, ground systems, personnel, and field operations. You will also lead and develop other Forward Deployed Autonomous Systems Engineers, setting the technical and operational standard for the team. This is not primarily a pilot role. Success requires deep technical judgment, operational credibility, decisive leadership, and the ability to connect engineering decisions with deployment outcomes.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in robotics, aerospace engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, computer science, or another relevant STEM discipline; or equivalent hands-on technical experience
Extensive experience operating, integrating, testing, or fielding unmanned aircraft, autonomous systems, robotics, or similarly complex electromechanical systems
Demonstrated experience leading technical field operations, deployments, flight-test activities, or customer demonstrations
Strong understanding of complete system architectures and subsystem interactions
Advanced troubleshooting ability across several disciplines, including mechanical systems, avionics, radio-frequency systems, networking, flight controls, and software
Experience determining operational readiness and making risk-informed go/no-go recommendations
Experience developing technical procedures, checklists, operating standards, training materials, or maintenance practices
Experience training technical personnel and developing other instructors
Demonstrated ability to translate operational findings into actionable product or engineering improvements
Experience working directly with customers, government sponsors, military units, or test ranges
Strong technical documentation and written communication skills
Demonstrated ability to lead, mentor, and hold technical personnel accountable
Ability to communicate technical risk clearly to engineering teams, customers, and company leadership
Ability to travel frequently and lead multi-day domestic and international deployments
Ability to operate effectively in austere field environments and during high-tempo test campaigns
Ability to meet any security, export-control, or customer-access requirements associated with the role

Nice To Haves

Experience transitioning an autonomous system from prototype development into a repeatable operational product
Experience developing operational concepts of employment for unmanned or autonomous systems
Experience supporting international military operations, foreign military demonstrations, or partner-nation training
Experience owning the operational readiness of a vehicle program or product family
Experience managing or formally leading a team of field engineers, operators, or technicians
Experience with stratospheric, long-endurance, high-speed, or other high-performance autonomous vehicles
Advanced experience with PX4, ArduPilot, QGroundControl, Mission Planner, or comparable flight-control ecosystems
Experience analyzing system logs and leading structured root-cause investigations
Experience with Linux, Git, Python, C++, Rust, Bash, or other relevant engineering tools
Experience with tactical radios, MIMO or mesh networks, companion computers, embedded systems, sensors, or specialized test equipment
Experience developing customer-facing technical documentation and training curricula
Experience advising senior leadership on operational readiness, deployment risk, and program priorities
FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate
Active or previously held U.S. security clearance

Responsibilities

Establish and maintain operating standards for autonomous vehicles and their supporting systems
Determine the operational readiness of vehicles, personnel, equipment, procedures, and deployment packages
Own operational readiness for an assigned vehicle family, including stratospheric or high-performance autonomous platforms
Lead Flight Operations engagement with military customers, government sponsors, ranges, and other external stakeholders
Advise company leadership on deployment readiness, technical risk, personnel requirements, and operational constraints
Drive product improvements by translating test, deployment, operator, and customer feedback into clear engineering priorities
Partner with engineering and program teams to transition prototype systems into reliable, repeatable, and supportable products
Develop operational concepts of employment, deployment models, and field-support strategies
Own internal training programs and customer-facing training materials
Develop instructors and ensure training can be delivered consistently across the organization
Lead the development and approval of operational procedures, checklists, maintenance practices, and readiness criteria
Provide technical leadership during flight tests, demonstrations, deployments, and complex troubleshooting efforts
Diagnose multidisciplinary issues involving mechanical systems, avionics, communications, networking, flight controls, payloads, and ground systems
Lead or support international operations and foreign military engagements
Manage, mentor, and develop Forward Deployed Autonomous Systems Engineers
Establish expectations for technical proficiency, operational discipline, documentation, and field performance
Collaborate across Flight Operations, Engineering, Flight Test, Manufacturing, Logistics, Programs, and Business Development
Support mission planning, flight-readiness reviews, test execution, and post-mission analysis as required
Ensure lessons learned from field operations are captured, communicated, and incorporated into products and procedures