Senior Mission Autonomy Engineer

Modalic builds AI-powered swarm motherships for autonomous long-range strike and sensing for the US and our Allies.

We are driven by a single challenge: unlock the potential of attritable swarms. Small drones are limited by their range, payload capacity, and computational power. We are giving autonomous swarming drones near infinite reach, putting an end to this paradigm.

Modalic was founded by experts in autonomous systems and multi-domain intelligence. Our team rapidly delivers critical technology to our national security users.

As an early Modalic employee, you will get to help decide the direction of our future. We are looking for a Senior Mission Autonomy Engineer to lead the design, implementation, and fielding of a foundational collaborative autonomy software stack that includes advanced computer vision, swarm mission planning, SLAM, controls, navigation, estimation, targeting, battle damage assessment, and secure communications. You will take state‑of‑the‑art multimodal AI models from training to deployment on SWaP‑constrained edge devices using best practices in MLOps, implement GPU‑accelerated SLAM for unique sensor configurations, and develop graph algorithms for motion planning and multi‑agent collaboration. You’ll integrate with PX4 UAS flight controllers, own end‑to‑end testing and validation through flight, and collaborate across hardware, software, and product to deliver high‑quality UAS products.

• 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

• 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.
  

• 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

In compliance with International Traffic Arms Regulations (ITAR), candidates must be U.S. Citizens, U.S. Permanent Residents (Green Card holders) or individuals granted asylee/refugee status as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3).

We are committed to being an equal opportunity employer. We encourage applications from all individuals, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or disability.