Autonomy Engineer
Content + Source + Freshness • 12 Dec 2025 • 95% confidence
Offer value
Job holds high value due to the unique opportunity to contribute to space robotics and the potential for groundbreaking technological advancements.
- Unique role in the field of space robotics
- Contribute to cutting-edge technology that impacts Earth and beyond
- Potential for high career growth in an innovative field
Pros
- Engagement in landmark space exploration projects
- Opportunity to work with innovative technologies in extreme conditions
- Potential to impact both extraterrestrial and earthly technologies
Cons
- Job may involve substantial field work and exposure to challenging environments
- Potentially fluctuating job security inherent in space sectors
- High-level qualifications required such as MS/PhD preferred
Who it's for
Mid to Senior • On-site with potential travel
Good fit
- Experienced robotics engineers with a passion for space
- Innovators with a strong technical foundation in autonomy
- Professionals seeking a meaningful career in technology
Not recommended for
- Individuals without technical skills or education in relevant fields
- Those preferring routine tasks in a less dynamic environment
- Candidates not interested in challenging projects
Motivation fit
Key skills
About the job
Are you passionate about shaping the future of humanity's presence in space? Lunar Outpost, a trailblazer in space robotics, invites you to join our team! Lunar Outpost is dedicated to creating a sustainable presence in space, while also driving positive impacts here on Earth. We are seeking a talented, experienced Autonomy Software Engineer. As an Autonomy Software Engineer, you will play a pivotal role in developing cutting-edge autonomous navigation and control systems for our lunar rovers and orbital assets. Working at the intersection of autonomy, robotics, and space exploration, you will design, develop, and implement sophisticated software solutions that enable coordination of cross-domain autonomous systems. Your work will not only contribute to groundbreaking missions but also to technologies that have the potential to benefit humanity on Earth. Collaborating with cross-disciplinary engineering teams, you will help drive the integration of these systems into a unified, state-of-the-art autonomy stack, pushing the boundaries of what's possible in space exploration.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the design and development of decentralized navigation and decision-making algorithms for lunar rover and orbital assets
- Develop and implement robust software that enables autonomous operations in challenging lunar environments
- Collaborate with systems, mechanical, electrical, and thermal engineering teams to integrate and optimize autonomy software with asset hardware
- Utilize simulation techniques to improve autonomous system performance and reliability under various conditions in space
- Conduct field tests and simulations to validate and refine algorithms and software systems
- Ensure software systems adhere to industry standards for safety, reliability, and performance in space exploration contexts
- Develop and maintain technical documentation, including ICDs and verification plans
- Participate in design reviews, trade studies, and technical risk assessments
- Stay at the forefront of autonomy and robotics technology, incorporating the latest advancements into our projects
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree or higher in Computer Science, Robotics Engineering, or related field
- A minimum of 3 years of relevant professional experience in developing autonomy software for autonomous systems, with a proven track recordin navigation, perception, or belief space planning. Applicants should have expertise in at least one of the following areas:
- State estimation (e.g. EKF and its variants, factor graph optimization, LLS)
- Cooperative localization (e.g. range or angular based measurements, distributed estimators)
- Robust sensor fusion and outlier rejection
- Belief space planning (e.g., BRM, RRBT, POMDP solvers)
- State estimation (e.g. EKF and its variants, factor graph optimization, LLS)
- Expertise in programming languages such as C++, Python, and familiarity with ROS (Robot Operating System)
- Comfortable working in research-oriented, agile, and interdisciplinary teams
- Track record of innovation in networking, robotics, or space systems, as demonstrated by patents, publications, or significant project achievements
- Exceptional ability to communicate complex technical concepts and collaborate across various engineering disciplines
- U.S. Person
Preferred Qualifications
- M.S. or Ph.D. in a field relevant to autonomy or robotics directly applicable to autonomous navigation and guidance
- Experience with autonomous systems in space, or other extreme, unstructured, environments
- Familiarity with space operating systems (e.g., VxWorks) and software (e.g., cFS)
- Familiarity with containers (e.g., Docker) and virtualization software (e.g., VirtualBox)
- Familiarity with sensor interfaces
- Familiarity with sensor calibration and signal modelling (e.g. atmospheric effects, delays)
- Experience with the end-to-end development and deployment of network software systems in space exploration missions
Lunar Outpost is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate against protected characteristics (gender, age, sexual orientation, race, nationality, ethnicity, religion, disability, veteran status). We want all employees (including executives and HR) to treat others with respect and professionalism.
