Senior Autonomy Engineer

Leidos•Huntsville, AL

1d•$107,900 - $195,050•Hybrid

About The Position

The Contested Autonomy and Navigation Branch at Leidos develops cutting-edge autonomy and navigation technologies for GPS-denied and contested environments. Based in Huntsville, AL, this role combines technical leadership and program management for the development and deployment of autonomous systems for customers including DARPA, ONR, AFRL, and others. You'll serve as both technical lead and program manager for small, fast-moving engineering teams developing autonomy capabilities across multiple robotic platform types, including UAVs, ground vehicles, and maritime systems. This role requires expertise in guidance, navigation, and control (GN&C) and autonomy, combined with the leadership skills to guide teams, serve as primary customer interface, and manage program execution. This senior role takes ownership of entire programs from proposal through field demonstration, providing direction while maintaining hands-on involvement in critical technical challenges. Teams regularly participate in field experiments and flight tests, directly supporting customer demonstrations of new autonomy capabilities; test campaigns typically last 1-2 weeks and occur 3-6 times per year. Please note: This role is located in Huntsville, AL. There may be opportunity to telework up to 1 day/week.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, Robotics, or related field with 8+ years of experience, or Master's degree with 6+ years of experience
At least 2 years of experience in program management or technical leadership for robotics and autonomous systems programs
Demonstrated applied experience in guidance, navigation, and control
Strong presentation skills, including experience briefing technical content
Proficiency in C++, Python, or MATLAB for algorithm development and system integration
Experience with Linux operating environments and version control systems (Git)
Must be a U.S. Citizen
Must be eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. Secret security clearance

Nice To Haves

Experience with open-source autopilot systems, such as PX4 and ArduPilot
Experience with navigation techniques, such as state estimation, sensor fusion, visual-inertial odometry (VIO), or SLAM
Experience with modern autonomy or motion planning frameworks
Experience with computer vision, including object detection, obstacle avoidance, and tracking
Experience with ROS2 and Docker
Experience with sensor integration (IMUs, GPS, cameras, LiDAR, radar, etc.)

Responsibilities

Serve as technical lead and program manager for multiple autonomy and navigation programs, managing teams of 3-8 engineers
Act as primary customer interface for technical discussions, program reviews, and field demonstrations with government stakeholders
Lead the design and implementation of full-stack autonomous systems from hardware integration through algorithm development to field deployment
Lead and participate in field test campaigns, including UAV flight tests, on a variety of platforms
Manage program schedules, budgets, deliverables, and risk mitigation for multiple concurrent efforts
Support business development activities including proposal writing, white papers, customer presentations, and solution design