Modalic · 1 month ago
Senior Mission Autonomy Engineer
Fairfax, Virginia
Full-time
Onsite
Mid, Senior Level
3+ years expModalic builds AI-powered swarm motherships for autonomous long-range strike and sensing for the US and our Allies. The Senior Mission Autonomy Engineer will lead the design and implementation of a collaborative autonomy software stack, working with advanced technologies in computer vision, swarm mission planning, and more.
Defense & Space
No H1B
U.S. Citizen Only
Responsibilities
Contribute to Modalic’s foundational collaborative autonomy software stack that includes advanced computer vision, swarm mission planning, SLAM, controls, navigation, estimation, targeting, battle damage assessment, and secure communications
Deploy state-of-the-art multimodal AI models, from training to deployment on edge devices using best practices in MLOps
Develop graph algorithms for motion planning and multi-agent collaboration; contribute to the design and implementation of multi-agent coordination systems for UAS
Contribute to real-time flight systems including SLAM, navigation, simulation engines, and more
Participate in the full software development lifecycle, from concept and design through testing and deployment
Design and implement control algorithms for PX4 flight controllers (Quadcopter and Fixed Wing)
Conduct comprehensive system testing, validation, and safety analysis through hardware-in-the-loop and live flight testing
Collaborate with cross-functional teams and wear different hats as necessary to deliver high-quality UAS products, including hardware engineering, full stack software development, and product manager
Keep up to date on the latest advancements in UAS autonomy
Fly autonomous UAS you have designed, built, and will deliver to customers
Contribute to Modalic’s capabilities in UAS hardware and test engineering to solve some of the hardest problems facing our customers
Supporting field exercises and demonstrations with US military units
Qualification
Required
BS in Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field
3+ years of professional experience in autonomous systems
Proven experience working with Rust in a Linux development environment
Expert-level proficiency in data structures, algorithms, and systems-level optimization
Proficiency with version control, debugging, and test-driven development practices
Experience in one or more of the following: motion planning, perception, localization, mapping, controls, and related system performance metrics
Professional experience with geometric computer vision (SLAM, Camera Calibration, Stereo Vision, Photogrammetry, or similar)
Experience applying ML/RL techniques in autonomy pipelines
Experience programming for embedded and physical devices
Hands-on experience testing and validating integrated electrical/mechanical/software systems
Experience deploying perception software on SWaP-constrained platforms
Proven ability to validate perception systems during flight test events or operational environments
Demonstrated success supporting live flight demos or operational exercises
Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance
Preferred
MS or PhD in Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field
7+ years of professional experience in autonomous systems
Professional experience developing rust applications
Expert-level experience with PX4 flight stack architecture and custom module development
Advanced expertise in convex optimization and graph algorithms for multi-agent systems
Deep understanding of the OSI model and tactical radio communications (MANET, mesh networking)
Expertise with mathematical camera models, bundle adjustment, and photogrammetry
Proven ability to develop hardware-accelerated (CUDA/TensorRT) computer vision pipelines
Extensive experience with fixed-wing UAS dynamics and control
Advanced experience developing and tuning statistical models for state estimation (EKF, UKF, particle filters, factor graphs)
Deep understanding of sensing challenges and mitigation strategies in GPS-denied and EW-contested environments
Company
Modalic
Modalic builds AI-powered swarm motherships for autonomous long-range strike and sensing.
2-10 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Early StageCompany data provided by crunchbase