Swarm Aero is redefining air power, building the largest swarming UAV and the most versatile swarming aircraft network in the world. The company is moving quickly to launch the first aircraft designed specifically for swarming, as well as the Command & Control software to mobilize swarms of thousands of heterogeneous autonomous assets and empower human operators to achieve superhuman results.
The team has created and exited multiple startups, negotiated defense deals worth billions of dollars, and designed and built 30+ novel aircraft, with aerospace experience from Scaled Composites, Airbus, Archer Aviation, Blue Origin, and Boom Supersonic.
About the Role
We're looking for a Perception & Sensor Fusion Engineer to develop the algorithms that give the largest drone swarm in the world an accurate, shared picture of the battlespace. This is a deep algorithm role for someone who lives in the details of detection, tracking, and estimation, and wants to see their work fly.
What You'll Do
Train, tune, and test automatic target recognition and track management systems using the latest advancements in neural networks.
Develop multi-sensor fusion and state estimation algorithms (Kalman filters, particle filters, multi-target tracking) running onboard resource-constrained vehicles.
Design distributed fusion approaches that combine tracks across the swarm into a single coherent picture.
Rigorously characterize algorithm performance against real-world flight data and simulation.
Optimize models and estimators for real-time inference on edge compute.
Write clean, maintainable, and efficient code.
Travel up to 25% of the time for onsite test and integration events.
Basic Qualifications
MS or PhD in Robotics, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Applied Math, or related field, or equivalent depth of applied experience.
Demonstrated expertise in estimation theory and multi-target tracking (Kalman/particle filters, JPDA, MHT, random finite sets, or similar).
Hands-on deep learning experience (training, evaluation, and deployment of neural networks for detection or classification).
Strong programming skills in C++, Rust, Go, and/or Python.
Track record of taking algorithms from research to deployment on a real system.
Preferred Qualifications
Publications or deployed work in ATR, multi-sensor fusion, or distributed estimation.
Experience with EO/IR, radar, or RF sensor processing on aerial platforms.
Experience deploying ML models to embedded or edge hardware (TensorRT, ONNX, quantization).
Familiarity with defense sensing and tracking problem domains.
ITAR requirement
To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.
Swarm Aero is an equal opportunity employer. We value diverse backgrounds and experiences and make employment decisions without regard to race, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, or disability.
What We Offer
Meaningful equity in a high-growth defense technology company
Competitive base salary commensurate with experience
Medical, dental, vision, and 401k
PTO and paid sick leave
Monthly wellness stipend
Daily catered lunch (office)
Paid parental leave
Direct impact on a critical national security mission
A world-class team of engineers and operators solving genuinely hard problems
Skills Required
- MS or PhD in Robotics, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Applied Math, or related field (or equivalent experience).
- Demonstrated expertise in estimation theory and multi-target tracking (Kalman/particle filters, JPDA, MHT, random finite sets, or similar).
- Hands-on deep learning experience (training, evaluation, and deployment of neural networks for detection or classification).
- Strong programming skills in C++, Rust, Go, and/or Python.
- Track record of taking algorithms from research to deployment on a real system.
- Publications or deployed work in ATR, multi-sensor fusion, or distributed estimation.
- Experience with EO/IR, radar, or RF sensor processing on aerial platforms.
- Experience deploying ML models to embedded or edge hardware (TensorRT, ONNX, quantization).
- Familiarity with defense sensing and tracking problem domains.
What We Do
Swarm Aero is an aerospace and defense company that develops large-scale unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) swarms for defense and missions. The company focuses on redefining air power through collaborative autonomy and the production of large uncrewed aircraft designed for mission-level operations in contested environments, empowering small teams to mobilize thousands of vehicles in communications-limited settings.
