Senior Autonomy Engineer - 26660 (Software Engineer 4)

HII's Mission Technologies division•Virginia Beach, VA

About The Position

This opportunity resides with Uncrewed Systems (UxS), a business group within HII’s Mission Technologies division. Uncrewed Systems comprises unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) and autonomy software. HII creates advanced unmanned solutions for defense, marine research and commercial applications. Serving customers in more than 30 countries, HII provides design, autonomy, manufacturing, testing, operations and sustainment of unmanned systems, including unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) and unmanned surface vessels (USVs). Meet HII’s Mission Technologies DivisionOur team of more than 7,000 professionals worldwide delivers all-domain expertise and advanced technologies in service of mission partners across the globe. Mission Technologies is leading the next evolution of national defense – the data evolution - by accelerating a breadth of national security solutions for government and commercial customers. Our capabilities range from C5ISR, AI and Big Data, cyber operations and synthetic training environments to fleet sustainment, environmental remediation and the largest family of unmanned underwater vehicles in every class. Find the role that’s right for you. Apply today. We look forward to meeting you. To learn more about Mission Technologies, click here for a short video: https://vimeo.com/732533072Come Join HII! Where Hard Stuff is Done Right!HII Unmanned Systems (UxS) are seeking a senior autonomy engineer to join our growing team in support of the next generation of maritime robotics to advance Autonomous and AI command and control (C2) framework within our ODYSSEY autonomy suite that is hosted on our REMUS and ROMULUS autonomous vehicles. You will be working with a world-class interdisciplinary team to deploy advanced autonomous maritime solutions for defense, marine research, and commercial applications. With HII serving unmanned system customers in more than 30 countries, the autonomy team is at the core of the solution space for unmanned platform design, autonomy and AI deployment, user interface, platform manufacturing and testing and operations and sustainment of unmanned systems and their auxiliary equipment. What you will be doing...Designs, develops, documents, tests and debugs applications software and systems that contain logical and mathematical solutions. Conducts multidisciplinary research and collaborates with equipment designers and/or hardware engineers in the planning, design, development, and utilization of electronic data processing systems for product and commercial software. Determines computer user needs; analyzes system capabilities to resolve problems on program intent, output requirements, input data acquisition, programming techniques and controls; prepares operating instructions; designs and develops compilers and assemblers, utility programs, and operating systems. Ensures software standards are met.

Requirements

9 years relevant experience with Bachelors in related field; 7 years relevant experience with Masters in related field; 4 years relevant experience with PhD or Juris Doctorate in related field; or High School Diploma or equivalent and 13 years relevant experience.
Minimum of 2 years prior engineering and team leadership experience
Thorough understanding of engineering and software programming fundamentals
Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities, decompose complex technical problems, make design decisions and take appropriate action that leads to acceptable solutions
Must be able to obtain and maintain a government clearance #LI-MH1
Adequate visual acuity and manual dexterity for meeting the requirements Software Engineer family.

Nice To Haves

Experience building complex systems, including autonomous platforms and edge devices
Experience in applying machine learning to autonomous behaviors, mission planning, and situational awareness processing
Strong Proficiency in C++ and Python; familiarity with robotics frameworks such as ROS, DDS, or similar
Experience with embedded Linux systems and embedded software development
Modular Open System Architectures (MOSA)
Unmanned Maritime Autonomy Architecture (UMAA)
Familiarity with kill chain automation concepts, including sense, control, engage
Excellent problem-solving skills and ability to work in a fast-paced startup environment
Strong communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams

Responsibilities

Designing, implementing, and validating multi-vehicle, multi-domain C2 behaviors, including collaborative contact management, sensor control, and fire control
Developing and integrating sensor-driven perception capabilities to enable autonomous situational awareness, contact tracking, and environmental understanding
Designing, implementing, and validating intelligent communication networks given operational environment challenges and mission priorities
Works with the ODYSSEY product owner and management to help define and assign tasking
Responsible for estimating and managing tasks
Ensure that design choices and verification methodologies support product requirements and product development processes are followed within program timelines
Participates in and/or leads Peer Reviews, Design Reviews, and customer meetings as needed
Works well in a multi-disciplinary team environment
Demonstrate the ability to be creative and innovative and assist in developing unique, differentiated solutions to complex problems in a continuous improvement environment
Contribute to the autonomy roadmap by researching and prototyping new algorithms, identifying tactical capability gaps, and proposing novel solutions.
Analyze mission logs and performance data to diagnose failures, optimize behavior models, and inform iterative development.
Work at the intersection of classical autonomy and machine learning, blending rule-based systems with learning-based methods such as reinforcement learning to achieve robust, adaptive behavior