Lead Autonomy Software Engineer

Responsibilities

• Integrate and deploy the autonomy stack on customer-bound hardware platforms and validate it in real-world conditions.
• Work across the organization and directly with end-users to deliver new behaviors, payload integrations, and emerging mission use cases.
• Optimize autonomous vehicle behavior across sensing, compute, controls, and other subsystems.
• Analyze test results, identify issues and root causes, and collaborate with engineering teams to resolve problems.
• Detect performance shortfalls, shape solution approaches, and implement enhancements to the core autonomy stack.
• Partner across business development and engineering teams to translate customer requirements into delivered autonomy capabilities.
• Travel 10–25% or 25–50%, depending on candidate preference and role placement; commute to Arlington, VA as needed.

Requirements

• 3 or more years of relevant experience.
• Bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, robotics, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience and demonstrated skills.
• Experience integrating software on hardware products.
• Strong programming skills in C++, Python, or Java.
• Strong software engineering fundamentals, including software design, unit testing, and debugging.
• Ability to consistently deliver production-quality software in a continuously integrated environment.
• Strong understanding of algorithms, data structures, and software design principles.
• Clean, maintainable code and documentation practices.
• Teamwork skills and a proactive approach to problem solving.

Preferred Qualifications

• Software development experience for robotics and autonomous systems.
• Experience with safety-critical systems such as MIL-STD-882, ISO-26262, or DO-178.
• Experience with ROS2.
• Experience with state machines and motion or path planning.
• Knowledge of navigation, mapping algorithms, and robot perception.
• Familiarity with real-time operating systems and embedded programming.
• Leadership experience on cross-functional software teams.

Compensation and Benefits

• US salary range: $150,000–$250,000.
• Equity is included in most full-time, high-demand roles.
• Premium healthcare benefits with three plan options; Forterra covers 80% of plan premiums for employees and dependents.
• Company-paid basic life/AD&D and short- and long-term disability insurance.
• Company holidays, including a winter break in December.
• 20 days of accrued paid time off per year.
• At least 7 weeks of fully paid parental leave.
• $9,000 annual tuition reimbursement or professional development stipend.
• 401(k) plan with company matching contributions up to 4%.
• The position may require eligibility to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance.