Systems Engineer - Robotics

Applied Intuition•Arlington, VA

17h•$140,000 - $180,000•Onsite

About The Position

As a Systems Engineer, you will play a critical role in defining system requirements, designing architectures, and integrating Applied Intuition’s technology onto autonomous vehicles and defense systems. This role combines systems engineering, robotics, software deployment, architecture, integration, and real-world testing. You will work across both office and field-based environments, with significant time spent deploying, testing, and validating software on autonomous systems in dynamic, operationally relevant settings. You will collaborate closely with software engineers, autonomy engineers, perception teams, data scientists, and field operators to ensure systems are robust, reliable, and ready for deployment.

Requirements

MS or PhD in Robotic Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Optimization, or equivalent OR 5 years of relevant experience designing multi-agent autonomy
Strong proficiency in Linux and command-line tools
Strong proficiency in Python and/or C++
Hands-on experience with robotic systems, sensors (such as RADAR, cameras, radar), and vehicle autopilots (e.g., PX4, ROS) -> something out of those
Knowledge of communication protocols for inter-vehicle communications (e.g., DDS, ROS 2, or similar)
Experience in integrating third-party software and APIs
Experience with standards such as PYRAMID, FACE, ARP 4754A, DO-178C, or similar.
Systems architecturing and requirements writing experience
Ability to work in field environments, troubleshooting, testing, and deploying systems in challenging conditions
Must be willing to travel as projects requires; average travel varies, but can be up to once a month for up to 1 week (~50%)
Must hold or be eligible to obtain and maintain a US security clearance

Nice To Haves

Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to document processes and communicate technical concepts to cross-disciplinary teams
Experience working on autonomy, robotics, aerospace, defence, mission systems, or safety-critical systems
Experience working directly with customers, operators, or end users in field-based environments
Ability to work in a fast-paced, evolving environment, including under challenging conditions in remote or field locations
References who will describe them as low-ego, highly motivated, thoughtfully opinionated, strong communicators and curious listeners

Responsibilities

Define system requirements from user needs on operational concepts
Define system and system-of-systems architectures and align with open standards such as PYRAMID, FCADE, etc.
Design and build out reference architectures for multiple systems of interest including autonomy systems, mission systems, and weapon systems
Lead the development of system engineering models and artifacts to capture key design decisions
Develop, deploy, and validate software systems on autonomous vehicles, focusing on robotics, sensors, and vehicle autopilots
Participate in hands-on fieldwork, deploying software on vehicles and ensuring proper functionality in dynamic, real-world environments
Work with the Perception and Autonomy teams to deploy and optimize perception pipelines (Vision, Radar, Fusion) and vehicle autonomy SW, ensuring robust and safe vehicle operation
Address inter-vehicle communication, ensuring seamless data exchange between vehicles for collaborative autonomous operations
Leverage simulation environments to test vehicle systems, validating software behavior in various scenarios before field deployment
Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including software engineers, data scientists, and field operators, to ensure the successful deployment of systems. Document processes and provide updates on system status and improvements