SlipstreamJobs tracks this role from the company's public career site. Apply directly on the employer's site.
Applied Intuition is a $15B Silicon Valley company (founded 2017) powering physical AI for autonomous systems across automotive, defense, trucking, construction, mining, and agriculture. Eighteen of the top 20 global automakers and the U.S. military trust their solutions.
As a Senior C++ Software Engineer on the Drone Stack team, you will design and integrate complex autonomy and vehicle intelligence systems spanning hardware and software domains. You will integrate hardware and software onto unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) platforms and deploy autonomy algorithms in simulation (SIL), hardware-in-the-loop (HIL), and live test environments. This role demands strong expertise in computer networking, code integration, and robotics systems integration.
Key responsibilities include:
- Adapt and develop modular autonomy capabilities across diverse defense problems
- Integrate and deploy autonomy solutions onto embedded Linux and other hardware platforms, interfacing with sensors and collecting data
- Troubleshoot complex integration and software issues to ensure high reliability and performance
- Integrate autonomy software with aircraft autopilots, datalinks, sensors, PNT/GPS/INS, and ground control stations
- Support live flight testing of autonomy software on Group 1–5 unmanned aerial vehicles
- Collaborate with third-party UAS vehicle vendors on integration of Applied autonomy software onto OEM hardware
- Conduct system-level setup, testing, and validation across SIL and HIL environments
- Implement service-oriented-architecture software and inter-process messaging systems for autonomous UAS
- Collaborate with DoD warfighter domain experts and vendors to develop and integrate autonomy software
- Provide customer-facing demonstrations and on-site integration support (estimated 10–20% travel)
You will work in-office at the Washington, D.C. office 5 days per week, with flexibility for occasional remote work and schedule adjustments.
REQUIREMENTS:
- BS or MS in Robotics, Computer Science, or related engineering field
- 5–10 years of hands-on experience working with robotic systems (hardware, software, and integration)
- C++ programming experience (preferred)
- Experience integrating autonomy/robotics products with Pixhawk autopilots (ArduPilot and/or PX4)
- Experience integrating with communication buses & protocols: UART/RS232/RS422/RS485, SPI/QSPI, I2C, Ethernet
- Experience developing in Docker, containerized deployment environments, and Linux-based operating systems (RHEL, Ubuntu)
- Proficiency with git, Visual Studio Code, GitLab
- Familiarity with real-time, edge computing, and safety-critical systems in SIL, HIL, test & operational environments
- Excellent communication skills and customer-oriented project delivery mindset
- Willingness to travel frequently for on-site integration and demonstrations
- Must be a U.S. Citizen
- Must be eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance
NICE TO HAVE:
- Modern C++ (2011, 2017, or 2020 standards), Bash, CMake
- FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate
- Agile development practices and CI/CD pipelines
- COTS hardware integration experience (Nvidia Jetson, Raspberry Pi)
- Active U.S. SECRET clearance
