Autonomy Systems Engineer

Join to apply for the Autonomy Systems Engineer role at Lunar Outpost

As a GN&C Systems Engineer, you will play a pivotal role in developing cutting-edge autonomous navigation and control systems for our lunar rovers. Working at the intersection of autonomy, robotics, and space exploration, you will aid in defining, documenting, and verifying the integrity of sophisticated software solutions that enable our rovers to operate independently on the lunar surface. Your work will not only contribute to groundbreaking missions but also to technologies that have the potential to benefit humanity on Earth.

• Work with technical leads to define and document autonomous navigation, control systems, and decision-making algorithms for lunar rovers.
• Contribute to systems engineering processes, including requirement decomposition, traceability, system interfaces, and verification & validation (V&V).
• Participate in milestone design reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR, etc.), trade studies, and technical risk assessments.
• Develop and maintain technical documentation, including ICDs and V&V plans.
• Collaborate with systems, mechanical, electrical, avionics, and thermal engineering teams to integrate and optimize autonomy software with rover hardware.
• Analyze data to improve autonomous system performance and reliability under various lunar conditions.
• Support rigorous testing campaigns to verify the safety of autonomous systems through hardware-in-the-loop simulations and field-testing.
• Identify, propose, and implement process improvements to streamline robotics development.
• Ensure software systems adhere to industry standards for safety, reliability, and performance in space exploration contexts.
• Stay at the forefront of autonomy, robotics, and control technology, incorporating the latest advancements into our projects.

• 3+ years of relevant professional experience in autonomy software for robotic or autonomous systems, with a proven track record in navigation, perception, and/or control systems.
• Experience in research and development of perception, localization, and controls in unstructured environments.
• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Robotics, Computer Science, Aerospace Engineering, or related field.
• Expertise in programming languages such as C++, Python, and familiarity with ROS (Robot Operating System).
• Hands‑on experience integrating software with sensors, actuators, or embedded systems.
• U.S. Person.

• Master’s or Ph.D. in a field relevant to autonomy, robotics, or AI, with research or projects directly applicable to autonomous navigation or robotics.
• Experience with autonomous systems in space, or other extreme, unstructured environments.
• Familiarity with GPU acceleration, FPGA integration, or real‑time OS environments.
• Experience with industry standards such as MISRA & DO-178B.
• Familiarity with SLAM, POMDPs, or other advanced planning and decision‑making frameworks.
• Demonstrated ability to work in multidisciplinary teams and communicate effectively across different engineering domains.

Any offer of employment for this position is conditional upon Lunar Outpost receiving the LTVS Phase II contract from NASA. If the contract is not awarded to Lunar Outpost, this offer will be considered null and void, without further obligation to Lunar Outpost.

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.