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Applied Intuition is a $15B Silicon Valley company (founded 2017) building digital infrastructure 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'll 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 expertise in computer networking, code integration, and robotics systems integration.
Key responsibilities:
- Adapt and develop modular autonomy capabilities across diverse defense problems
- Integrate and deploy autonomy solutions onto embedded Linux and other hardware platforms, including sensor interfacing and data collection
- 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 (SIL and HIL evaluations)
- 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
You will work in-office at the Fort Walton Beach, Florida location 5 days per week, with occasional flexibility for remote work. Travel is estimated at 10–20% for on-site integration and demonstrations. This is a customer-facing role requiring strong communication and project delivery mindset.
REQUIREMENTS:
- BS or MS in Robotics, Computer Science, or related engineering field
- 5–10 years of hands-on experience with robotic systems (hardware, software, and integration)
- Strong C++ programming experience
- Experience integrating autonomy/robotics products with Pixhawk autopilots (ArduPilot and/or PX4)
- Experience with communication buses and protocols: UART/RS232/RS422/RS485, SPI/QSPI, I2C, Ethernet
- Proficiency developing in Docker, containerized deployment environments, and Linux-based operating systems (RHEL, Ubuntu)
- Experience with git, Visual Studio Code, and GitLab
- Familiarity with real-time, edge computing, and safety-critical systems in SIL, HIL, test, and operational environments
- Excellent communication skills and customer-oriented project delivery mindset
- Willingness to travel frequently (10–20%) 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, and CMake
- FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate
- Agile development practices and CI/CD pipelines
- Prior work with COTS hardware integration (Nvidia Jetson, Raspberry Pi)
- Active U.S. SECRET clearance
