Senior Autonomy Engineer
About The Position
Blue Ops is seeking a highly skilled Senior USV Autonomy Engineer (USA) to lead the design, integration, deployment, and evolution of autonomy capabilities for Uncrewed Surface Vessels (USVs). This role involves overseeing autonomy software and hardware integration, sensor fusion, mission planning, control, and field testing. The engineer will mentor junior engineers, contribute to team development, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver reliable, scalable, and safe autonomy systems for maritime, defense, and commercial programs. The position supports the roadmap toward AI-enabled, fully autonomous maritime operations, leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning to advance situational awareness, navigation, and decision-making.
Requirements
- U.S. citizenship is required.
- Bachelor’s degree in Robotics, Computer Science, Electrical, Mechanical, or Marine Engineering from an ABET-accredited university.
- Minimum of 10 years of relevant experience in autonomy, robotics, or intelligent systems engineering.
- Strong understanding of marine platforms, navigation systems, control architectures, and sensor fusion.
- Proficiency in C++, Python, and robotics simulation environments such as ROS, Gazebo, and SIL/HIL.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to travel domestically and internationally for integration, sea trials, and customer support.
Nice To Haves
- Active Secret (or higher) security clearance preferred.
- Master’s or PhD with at least 7 years of related experience.
- Direct experience with Uncrewed Surface Vessels (USV) or autonomous maritime systems.
- Experience developing or validating COLREG-compliant navigation systems.
- Familiarity with integration and operations aboard military host vessels.
- Experience with AI/ML algorithms, mission planning, and data-driven decision frameworks.
- Experience implementing DevSecOps or CI/CD pipelines for mission-critical autonomy software.
- Experience in ITAR-controlled or defense environments.
- Experience with SWARM autonomy or multi-vehicle coordination technologies.
- Proven success transitioning autonomy research into deployed field systems.
Responsibilities
- Design, implement, and validate autonomous behaviors for USV platforms.
- Develop and integrate sensor-driven situational awareness capabilities for real-time perception, obstacle avoidance, and decision-making.
- Adapt and optimize autonomy stacks for U.S. regulatory, environmental, and safety requirements.
- Lead installation, calibration, and testing of autonomy systems on production and demonstration vessels.
- Support simulation-based development, software architecture design, and scalability across multiple platforms.
- Serve as the technical liaison between autonomy developers, marine engineering teams, systems integrators, and field operations.
- Provide mentorship and training to engineering teams on installation, operation, and troubleshooting.
- Advance development of COLREG-compliant navigation and collision-avoidance behaviors.
- Ensure compliance with ITAR/EAR, cybersecurity, and U.S. defense technology transfer regulations.
Benefits
- Salary plus generous annual equity package
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
