Staff Engineer, Autonomy Capabilities – Maritime (R5325)

Washington, D.C.full timeOn SiteseniorH1B: no

Shield Staff Engineer, Autonomy Capabilities – Maritime develops autonomy capabilities for maritime platforms including USVs, UUVs, and cooperating UAVs. Focuses on advanced single- and multi-agent teaming missions beyond conventional motion planning.

Responsibilities

Robust Motion Planning – Automate unmanned surface vehicle (USV) and/or unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) maneuvering through advanced motion planning and adherence to safety constraints including keep-out volumes, cooperative and uncooperative vehicles, and depth limitations
Localization and Tracking – Employ cutting edge approaches for passive and active localization by defining fusion modalities, sensor requirements, and observability-aware maneuvering capabilities to maximize information gleaned from single- or multi-agent sensor networks
Safe Maritime Operations – Keep vehicle safety as a central focus within autonomous behavior architectures to provide run-time assurance, ensure COLREGS adherence, and build operator trust in advanced mission autonomy
Heterogeneous Multi-Agent Collaboration – Develop distributed optimization and task allocation approaches for heterogenous teaming in order to accomplish mission objectives by maximally utilizing the diverse capabilities of agents to overall team advantage
Rigorous Software Development – Develop high-performance software modules that are well-tested, have clear interfaces and span-of-control, and are ready for mid-to-high Technology Readiness Level (TRL) insertions
Cross-Functional Collaboration – Collaborate with cross-functional teams including perception, planning, simulation, hardware, and operational test to ensure seamless integration of autonomy solutions on real-world platforms

Qualification

BS/MS in Computer ScienceStrong problem-solving skillsAbility to obtain a SECRET clearanceTemporary employee offer package

Required

BS/MS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, and/or similar degree, or equivalent practical experience
Typically requires a minimum of 7 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree; or 6 years and a Master’s degree; or 4 years with a PhD; or equivalent work experience.
Proficiency in programming languages such as C++ and Python, and familiarity with real-time operating systems (RTOS).
Significant background in robotics technologies related to motion planning, behavior modeling, decision-making, or autonomous system design.