Sr. UAV Autonomy Engineer - Drone Stack (AI2529)

SiMa•San Jose, CA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

SiMa.ai builds power-efficient edge AI chips and autonomy software for drones and robots. Our Modalix MLSoC and ONE Platform enable full perception and autonomy within strict SWaP (size, weight, and power) constraints. We are seeking a hands-on UAV Autonomy Engineer to build the core of SiMa’s drone stack. You will own GPS-denied navigation and autonomous docking, developing the perception, localization, and control software required for aircraft to sense, avoid obstacles, and land accurately without GNSS on embedded hardware.

Requirements

5+ years building autonomy software flown on real aircraft (multirotor, fixed-wing, or VTOL).
Integrated flight stacks (PX4/ArduPilot) via MAVLink.
Hands-on expertise in VIO/SLAM, multi-sensor fusion, state estimation, and closed-loop control.
Fluent in modern C++, Python, and ROS 2.
Strong grasp of 3D geometry and rigid-body dynamics.
BS/MS in Robotics, Aerospace, CS, EE, or a related field.

Nice To Haves

Certification to DO-178C/DO-254 or familiarity with AMC 20-193 (neural network assurance).
Experience with edge accelerators (Jetson, etc.) and Factor-graph optimization (GTSAM/Ceres).
FAA Part 107 certification and field flight-test experience.

Responsibilities

Lead the development of our core drone autonomy stack.
Maintain flight stability and precise positioning in environments where GNSS is unavailable (GPS-Denied Navigation & Localization).
Build reliable systems for repeatable docking to stations in challenging conditions (Autonomous Docking & Precision Landing).
Implement real-time obstacle avoidance and path planning algorithms for smooth, collision-free flight (Perception & Motion Planning).
Optimize the autonomy stack for SiMa’s embedded hardware under strict power/weight limits (Edge Deployment).
Manage camera-IMU calibration, SIL/HIL rigs, and flight testing to close the sim-to-real gap (Systems & Test).