Security Clearance: Active Secret or Top Secret clearance required.
Location: Fully remote within the United States. Candidates located near major aerospace and defense hubs-including Huntsville, AL; Panama City Beach, FL; and Virginia Beach, VA-are strongly preferred.
Travel: Approximately 25% travel (typically one week per month) to support customer integration efforts, flight testing, demonstrations, military exercises, and deployment activities at government, defense, and test locations throughout the U.S. and occasionally internationally.
KORE1, a nationwide provider of staffing and recruiting solutions, has an immediate opening for a Senior Autonomy Integration Lead - Aerospace, Defense & Unmanned Systems | Secret Clearance | MAVLink, PX4, ArduPilot & ROS2
The Senior Autonomy Integration Lead will serve as the primary technical interface between U.S. government customers, third-party autonomy technology providers, and the company's European engineering teams. The role is responsible for integrating, validating, and operationalizing autonomy hardware and software solutions within an existing UAS platform while ensuring mission performance, airworthiness, and operational requirements are met.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead integration of third-party autonomy systems, mission software, sensors, and edge-computing hardware into the UAS platform.
- Define system architecture, interfaces, and integration requirements between flight control systems, autonomy payloads, communications systems, and mission software.
- Evaluate compatibility between ArduPilot-based flight control systems and customer-specified autonomy solutions.
- Develop Interface Control Documents (ICDs), system requirements, and integration test procedures.
- Serve as the primary technical point of contact for U.S. government customers and autonomy technology providers.
- Translate customer operational requirements into engineering requirements for European development teams.
- Support technical interchange meetings, program reviews, demonstrations, and customer workshops.
- Manage autonomy-related requirements through the systems engineering lifecycle.
- Plan and support ground and flight testing of autonomy capabilities.
- Analyze flight-test results and coordinate corrective actions.
- Coordinate activities between U.S.-based stakeholders and European engineering teams.
- Identify technical risks and develop mitigation plans.
- Produce technical reports, integration documentation, and customer deliverables.
Success Profile
- Acts as the technical bridge between government customers, autonomy technology providers, and European engineering teams.
- Understands both autonomy software and flight-control architectures sufficiently to guide integration efforts.
- Can define validation approaches, flight-test plans, and technical roadmaps for autonomy capability deployment.
- Provides credible technical leadership in customer-facing discussions while maintaining close coordination with engineering teams.
Required Qualifications
- Active U.S. Secret Security Clearance (minimum); Active Top Secret clearance strongly preferred.
- 5+ years of experience supporting autonomy, robotics, aerospace, defense, mission systems, or unmanned systems programs.
- Strong systems engineering, software integration, and mission systems background.
- Hands-on experience integrating and deploying autonomy software within aerospace, defense, robotics, or unmanned systems environments.
- Experience with MAVLink, ROS/ROS2, DDS, autonomy middleware, and mission systems integration.
- Experience with ArduPilot, PX4, MAVSDK, or comparable autonomy and flight-control ecosystems.
- Experience integrating autonomy payloads, mission systems, sensors, communications systems, or edge-compute solutions.
- Experience supporting field testing, system validation, troubleshooting, and operational deployment of complex systems.
- Strong understanding of telemetry, command-and-control systems, communications architectures, and distributed systems.
- Ability to translate operational requirements into technical autonomy solutions and integration strategies.
- Ability to communicate effectively with government stakeholders, customers, and international engineering teams.
- Willingness to travel within the U.S. and internationally as required.
Preferred Qualifications
- Active U.S. Top Secret clearance.
- Direct UAS/drone experience.
- Experience supporting U.S. Department of Defense autonomy, robotics, aerospace, or unmanned systems programs.
- Familiarity with GRTI, SPOTR, or comparable autonomy frameworks.
- Experience supporting operational testing, military exercises, flight demonstrations, or field deployments.
- Experience integrating EO/IR sensors, ISR payloads, mission computers, navigation systems, or communications systems.
- Experience with edge computing, AI/ML-enabled autonomy, computer vision, sensor fusion, or autonomous decision-making systems.
- Background working with SOCOM, Army UAS programs, DIU, AFWERX, DEVCOM, DARPA, or major defense prime contractors.
- Familiarity with open architecture initiatives, modular mission systems, and military autonomy standards.
- Prior U.S. military experience in aviation, ISR, UAS, autonomy, mission systems, or related operational fields.
Compensation depends on experience but is typically $150-250K. Contractors may be considered instead of FTEs (projected 12 months with extensions).
ABOUT KORE1
Specializing in professional and technical recruiting, KORE1 is committed to supporting top IT, Engineering, Creative, Scientific, Accounting and Finance professionals in their career paths. We build deep relationships with leading companies, connecting them to exceptional talent every day. With extensive industry expertise and unmatched opportunities, our goal is to provide a unique experience for our contractors and consultants as they prepare for their next role. We are passionate about matching the right people with the right companies.
Kore1 provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, Kore1 complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training. Kore1 expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status. Improper interference with the ability of Kore1's employees to perform their job duties may result in discipline up to and including discharge.
Education:Employment Type: FULL_TIME
