Autonomy Engineer III - Space Systems

Eras of humanity can often be defined by a dominant transportation mode - horse drawn chariots, ocean going boats, or aircraft. These were spurred by a small group of people rigorously focused on building technology to achieve faster access to more of the world.  We seek to usher in a new era of humanity defined by universal access to the whole globe free of borders and the presence of a routine way from space to Earth. To do this, we are building highly maneuverable re-entry vehicles that can loiter in orbit before precision landing back on Earth. 

What You’ll Do: As an Autonomy Engineer, you will help shape the intelligence that controls our spacecraft, ensuring they safely navigate all phases of flight—from orbit through reentry to accurate landing. Your role will involve developing deterministic autonomy algorithms, safety-critical fault detection and response systems, autonomous command arbitration, and mode transition logic. You’ll integrate these systems into comprehensive simulations to rigorously validate mission safety and operational reliability. This role is essential to delivering autonomous capabilities that ensure customer, operator, and vehicle safety, providing a robust, reliable, and testable autonomy platform.

Responsibilities:

• Develop and deploy deterministic planning and control algorithms for spacecraft reentry and multi-vehicle coordination.
• Architect fault detection, command arbitration, and robust autonomous mode-switching systems.
• Integrate and test autonomy software within high-fidelity simulation environments (SITL, HITL).
• Implement comprehensive autonomous safety measures for all interactions: operator, integration teams, flight operations, and customers.
• Work collaboratively across diverse teams (flight software, systems engineering, hardware integration) to ensure seamless autonomy integration and team success.
• Debug and diagnose vehicle systems impacted by autonomy software, ensuring reliability and performance.
• Develop autonomy infrastructure to command, control, and monitor spacecraft systems.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in a technical field such as Aerospace Engineering, Robotics, Computer Science, or related discipline, or equivalent practical experience in a highly technical environment.
• Minimum 5 years of professional experience in autonomy, robotics software, aerospace software engineering, or an equivalent track record developing complex software systems across industries.
• Demonstrated expertise developing deterministic algorithms for autonomous operations and/or real-time planning.
• Strong proficiency in Linux-based distributed systems and programming in Python, C, or Rust.
• Familiarity with machine learning concepts, particularly deterministic techniques; exposure to CNNs, transformers, or other ML architectures is beneficial.
• Proven ability to operate effectively within safety-critical, complex system environments.
• Exceptional communication skills with a strong ability to communicate early and often, providing clarity in technical discussions and a commitment to fostering a respectful, inclusive, and compassionate team environment.
• Demonstrated proficiency in creating diagrams and delivering thoughtful presentations suitable for diverse audiences.
• Ability to produce professional documentation and effectively organize complex information for team-wide use.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with spacecraft, autonomous aircraft, or high-performance autonomous vehicles or machines.
• Familiarity with aerospace regulatory standards, compliance, and safety protocols.
• Exposure to concept design and design review practices.
• Experience in software-in-the-loop (SITL) and hardware-in-the-loop (HITL) testing and validation.
• Comfort in rapidly iterating new autonomy strategies and collaborating in a fast-paced, innovative team environment.
• Experience gained through industry, research, startups, community projects, maker spaces, or other non-traditional paths.

Why Join Us:

• Lead groundbreaking projects at the forefront of aerospace technology.
• Directly contribute to the world's first reentry vehicle designed for routine space-to-Earth transportation.
• Join a dedicated, visionary team working to redefine humanity's access to space.
• Benefit from an inclusive, supportive team culture focused on mentorship, personal growth, and continuous learning.
• Grow within an environment that values diverse experiences and pathways, and supports every team member's continued technical and leadership development.

Our office headquarters is located in Playa Vista, CA. This position requires in office presence.

The California annual base salary for this role is currently $120,000 - $144,000.  Pay Grades are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data.  Individual pay will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: interviews and an assessment of several factors that are unique to each candidate, job-related skills, relevant education and experience, certifications, abilities of the candidate and internal equity.