Lead Autonomy, Software & GNC Engineer

UDD Tech USA is seeking a Lead Autonomy, Software & Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) Engineer to lead U.S. flight software, autonomous mission, navigation, and control development across UDD/F-Drones systems. This role will be central to future counter-UAS, swarm, maritime, and joint-force opportunities requiring greater autonomy, resilient navigation, multi-vehicle coordination, target tracking, and integration with U.S. autonomy partners., * Own U.S. flight software, autonomy, guidance, navigation, and control development and technical configuration control.

• Develop and integrate mission planning, guidance laws, flight control, state estimation, sensor fusion, terminal guidance, target tracking, geofencing, lost-link behavior, and fail-safe logic.
• Improve operation in GNSS-denied, communications-degraded, and electronically contested environments.
• Support computer-vision, visual-navigation, target-recognition, and AI-enabled mission capabilities.
• Develop APIs and integration pathways for external autonomy, mission-computing, command-and-control, and Government systems.
• Integrate UDD platforms with third-party autonomy and orchestration partners, including U.S. commercial and defense technology providers.
• Support heterogeneous multi-UAS, collaborative autonomy, and swarm architectures where required by Government programs.
• Support interoperability with MAVLink, TAK, and other Government or open-system interfaces as applicable.
• Build and maintain simulation, software-in-the-loop, hardware-in-the-loop, regression-test, and flight-test environments.
• Work closely with avionics/RF engineering on datalink behavior, navigation sensors, mission computers, and communications-loss modes.
• Work closely with Test & Integration to verify software releases and maintain traceability from requirements to test evidence.
• Deploy with field teams to diagnose software and integration issues during competitions, demonstrations, exercises, and customer evaluations.

• Bachelor’s or advanced degree in aerospace engineering, robotics, computer science, electrical engineering, controls, or a related field.
• 7+ years of experience in autonomy, robotics, embedded software, flight controls, guidance/navigation/control, or unmanned systems.
• Strong proficiency in C/C++, Python, or comparable embedded/robotics software languages.
• Strong understanding of controls, state estimation, navigation, sensor fusion, and real-time autonomous systems.
• Experience integrating software with real sensors, actuators, flight controllers, and fielded hardware.
• Disciplined software version control, release management, test, and debugging practices.
• Ability and willingness to travel domestically and internationally for periods of up to two weeks., * PX4, ArduPilot, or similar autopilot experience.
• ROS/ROS2 or other robotics middleware experience.
• Computer vision, AI/ML integration, or autonomous target tracking.
• Swarming, multi-agent autonomy, or collaborative mission-planning experience.
• GPS/GNSS-denied navigation and resilient PNT experience.
• Counter-UAS, autonomous interceptor, or high-speed guidance experience.
• TAK, MAVLink, modular open-systems, or hardware-in-the-loop integration experience.

This is a hands-on defense engineering role. Domestic and international travel is required, including travel to Europe and to U.S. Government exercises, demonstrations, test events, customer evaluations, and onsite training. Individual trips may last up to two weeks and may involve military installations, test ranges, austere field locations, or maritime sites.

Export Control and Government Access

UDD Tech USA develops and manufactures systems subject to U.S. export-control and Government-contracting requirements. Candidates must be eligible to access technical information and facilities required for their assigned duties under applicable U.S. law and must be able to obtain any customer, installation, range, or program access required for the position.

Operating Environment

UDD operates at the intersection of rapid product development and high-rate defense manufacturing. These roles require engineers who are comfortable working at a design workstation, on a production floor, at a flight range, and alongside operators during a Government exercise. The objective is not simply to build prototypes, but to develop systems that can be manufactured at scale, repeatedly pass acceptance testing, and perform reliably in demanding operational environments.

Pay: $130,000.00 - $160,000.00 per year, * 401(k)

• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Paid time off

UDD Tech USA is building a U.S. engineering, production, integration, and field-support organization around combat-proven unmanned systems. Our work spans unmanned aircraft, counter-UAS, autonomy, communications, payload integration, maritime employment, high-rate manufacturing, and U.S. Government testing and fielding. The engineering team will work closely with F-Drones technical personnel in Europe while establishing configuration-controlled U.S. products, domestic supply-chain alternatives, and new U.S.-developed capabilities.