Job Details

Autonomy Engineer

Episci

Job Description

Are you ready to take the helm in shaping the future of tactical mission autonomy, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with trailblazers who are turning cutting-edge dreams into tangible reality? As a vital member of the growing EpiSci team, your influence will be immediate and transformative as we propel towards a future where security and autonomy unite in unprecedented ways.

EpiSci isn't just another company; we're a rapidly ascending force of innovation, forging ahead with next-gen tactical mission autonomy technologies that span defense, aerospace, and commercial domains. At our core, we wield the latest advancements in artificial intelligence, autonomy algorithms, wireless communications, and digital signal processing to surmount the most formidable national security challenges. Our Tactical AI prowess is nothing short of extraordinary, offering robustness, dependability, and a rapid adaptability that thrives on the frontlines of emerging missions and obstacles. Picture developing AI aviators for cutting-edge aircraft like the F-22 and F-16, revolutionizing wireless tactical communication systems, and fueling the skies with swarms of autonomous UAVs supercharged by sensor fusion.

As an Autonomy Engineer at EpiSci, your role is pivotal, entailing dynamic endeavors that encompass designing and actualizing architectures and systems across a spectrum of Tactical autonomy applications. Here, you won't just follow the norm; you'll be crafting groundbreaking, hybrid autonomous algorithms that redefine the boundaries of both commercial and defense applications. The challenge is profound, and the rewards are immeasurable, as you build superior systems that empower our military with unrivaled capabilities.

We understand and cherish the richness that diverse perspectives and backgrounds bring to the table. At EpiSci, we wholeheartedly invite every exceptional individual, regardless of their journey, to join our ranks and become a driving force behind the secure and autonomous world of tomorrow. Your future at EpiSci awaits—ignite your potential and let's redefine what's possible, together.

Don't meet every single requirement? At EpiSci, we're committed to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workforce, so if you're excited about this role but your previous experience doesn't align perfectly with every qualification, we encourage you to apply anyway! You may be the perfect candidate for this or another role at EpiSci.

Core Responsibilities

Write software that operates real autonomous aircraft systems including F16 fighter jets, group 1-5 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), as well as simulated models to accomplish tactical military missions.

Implement, leverage and improve state-of-the-art unmanned aerial system (UAS) autonomy algorithms for the following autonomy categories to perform tactical military missions:

Autonomy loops such as: “Sense, Make Sense, Decide, Act (SMDA)”, “Observe, Orient, Decide, Act (OODA)” loops., “Perceive, Decide, Act’ (PDA)” loops.

Sense: Environment sensing and modeling, computer vision, sensor processing, classification, anomaly detection.

Make Sense: Environment mapping, data interpretation, 3D voxel grids, GeoGrids, WGS84, aerospace coordinate systems and reference frames (northeast down (NED), Geocentri & Geodetic latitudes, Earth-centered-inertial (ECI), earth centered earth fixed (ECEF)), no fly zones, keep-in/keep-out zones. Sensor fusion and target tracking, etc. Find, fix, track, target (F2T2).

Decide: State machines, behavior trees, optimization algorithms, constraint solving, classic algorithms (A*, RRT*, DFS, BFS, Branch & Bound, Random Forests), heuristics, optimization, Kalman filters, particle filters, etc. Artificial intelligence techniques such as deep reinforcement learning, reinforcement learning, machine learning, neural networks, supervised learning, unsupervised learning, generic algorithms, Bayesian networks, fuzzy logic, etc.

Act: Autonomous 2D & 3D UAS trajectory/motion planning, route planning, SLAM. Classical controls systems, optimal control systems, adaptive control systems, model predictive control systems, especially for integration of 3rd party UAS autopilots. Guidance, navigation, and controls (GNC)

Build, leverage, and improve robotic autonomy software architectures that can be deployed on real systems to accomplish military missions

Support live flight test of autonomy software on platforms such as F16s, and F16s, group 1-5 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

Collaborate with 3rd party UAS vehicle vendors on the integration of EpiSci autonomy software onto OEM UAS hardware.

Collaborate with domain experts and prior DoD warfighters (ex. DoD fighter pilots) to build software autonomy solutions for military missions.

Minimum Qualifications

Education Requirements:

Master’s degree in computer science/related engineering field.

6+years of hands-on experience developing software for autonomous robotic systems.

Technical Requirements:

Experience in developing software for autonomous robotic systems

High proficiency in Python programming language

Strong functional, procedural, data-oriented, and object-oriented programming experience employing clean code principles and good design patterns/principles.

Ability to use data visualization and debugging tools to support autonomous agent development.

Experience developing in Docker and containerized development environments, and using Linux-based operating systems (e.g., RHEL, Ubuntu)

Experience using git, Visual Studio Code, GitLab and artifact registries such as Artifactory.

Additional Requirements:

Passion for solving complex problems with little supervision in a fast-moving team.

Ability to balance multiple priorities in a fast-paced, highly collaborative, frequently changing, and sometimes ambiguous environment.

Excellent analytical, communication, and documentation skills with demonstrated ability to collaborate across multiple teams.

Travel Requirements

Must be willing to travel as projects requires. Estimated average travel is once every other month for between 2 days up to 1 week. (~20%)

Security Requirements

Must be a U.S. Citizen.

Must be eligible for a U.S. SECRET security clearance with Special Access Program Eligibility.

Preferred Qualifications

Education Requirements:

Master’s degree in computer science/related engineering field.

9+ years of experience developing software for autonomous robotic systems

Technical Requirements:

Proficiency in the Rust and C++ (version 17 and later) programming languages

Experience working with defense modeling and simulation tools such as AFSIM and NGTS

Experience working with mission system architecture frameworks such as OMS UCI

Experience working with robotics architectures such as ROS

Familiarity with software-in-the-loop (SIL) and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) development and testing.

Experience working projects related to national security for one or more government agencies.

Interdisciplinary background, with evidence of continual learning.

Security Requirements

An active U.S. SECRET security clearance with Special Access Program Eligibility.

EpiSci is proud to be an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. We value our differences and we’re excited to learn what you can add to our team.

Don't meet every single requirement? At EpiSci, we're committed to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workforce, so if you're excited about this role but your previous experience doesn't align perfectly with every qualification, we encourage you to apply anyway! You may be the perfect candidate for this or another role at EpiSci.

C++ Docker Python rust