Autonomy Capabilities Engineer

Description:
On-site in either San Diego, CA or Washington, DC or Boston, MA or San Mateo, CA

Our client seeks an autonomy capabilities engineer to design and integrate tactical autonomy for unmanned systems across air, land, and sea domains. The role spans control laws, motion planning, multi-agent behaviors, and real-world software integration. You will deliver performant C++/Python modules, validate in simulation and flight demos, and collaborate across perception, planning, simulation, hardware, and flight test. You will analyze mission data, support defense-focused programs, and contribute to the autonomy roadmap blending classical techniques with optimization and learning methods.

Due to client requirements, applicants must be willing and able to work on a w2 basis. For our w2 consultants, we offer a great benefits package that includes Medical, Dental, and Vision benefits, 401k with company matching, and life insurance.

Rate: $70.00 to $120.00/hr. w2

JN -13

Responsibilities:

• Design tactical autonomy algorithms enabling unmanned aircraft to execute complex missions with minimal supervision.
• Develop high-performance software modules for planning, decision-making, and behavior execution in dynamic, adversarial environments.
• Implement behavior architectures for multi-agent coordination, target engagement, reconnaissance, and survivability.
• Integrate classical autonomy with learning-based methods such as reinforcement learning.
• Collaborate with perception, planning, simulation, hardware, and flight test teams for seamless platform integration.
• Deploy autonomy capabilities to real platforms and participate in field tests and flight demos.
• Analyze mission logs and performance data to diagnose issues and optimize behavior models.
• Research and prototype new algorithms and contribute to capability roadmaps.
• Support defense-focused programs and adapt solutions to evolving mission and compliance needs.
• Travel approximately 10-15% to offices, customer sites, and integration events.

Experience Requirements:

• BS/MS in Computer Science, Electrical, Mechanical, or Aerospace Engineering, or similar, or equivalent experience.
• Typically 10+ years with a Bachelor's, 9+ with a Master's, or 7+ with a PhD, or equivalent work experience.
• Proficiency in C++ and Python; familiarity with RTOS.
• Background in robotics for motion planning, behavior modeling, decision-making, or autonomous system design.
• Experience with unmanned systems and air-domain autonomy algorithms.
• Experience with AFSIM and NGTS or similar simulation environments.
• Strong troubleshooting and performance optimization skills.
• Effective communication and collaboration in multidisciplinary teams.
• Ability to obtain a SECRET clearance.
• Preferred: ML/RL in autonomy pipelines, collaborative behaviors or swarm robotics, DoD tactical behaviors, cross-domain behaviors, flight demos or live exercises, and familiarity with UCI and OMS standards.

Education Requirements:

• BS/MS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or similar, or equivalent practical experience.

Recruitment Transparency Notice



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Skills, experience, and other compensable factors will be considered when determining pay rate. The pay range provided in this posting reflects a W2 hourly rate; other employment options may be available that may result in pay outside of the provided range.

W2 employees of Eliassen Group who are regularly scheduled to work 30 or more hours per week are eligible for the following benefits: medical (choice of 3 plans), dental, vision, pre-tax accounts, other voluntary benefits including life and disability insurance, 401(k) with match, and sick time if required by law in the worked-in state/locality.
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About Eliassen Group:

Eliassen Group is a strategic consulting firm that helps organizations reach further and achieve more through our technology, business advisory, and life sciences solutions. For nearly 40 years, we have combined exceptional people, deep domain expertise, and intelligent capabilities to expand our clients' capacity and accelerate meaningful outcomes. We are driven by a purpose to positively impact the lives of our employees, clients, consultants, and the communities we serve.

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