Senior Software Engineer – Autonomous UAV
Role summary
A remote Senior Software Engineer role in the Aerospace industry, focusing on Autonomous Systems. The position requires expertise in Visual-Inertial Odometry (VIO) and state estimation for robotics or aerospace applications, with 3-6 years of experience. The engineer will lead the end-to-end development of the core navigation stack, including architecture, research, and hands-on development, aiming to replace external dependencies with an internal solution. Responsibilities include analyzing flight data, optimizing multi-sensor fusion pipelines, and translating advanced algorithms into production-grade embedded systems. This is a highly technical individual contributor role that also involves guiding a small team and collaborating with cross-functional robotics and flight software teams.
Role: Senior Software Engineer – Navigation & State Estimation
Location: Remote - USA
Compensation: $180k-$210k + Equity
About the Role
My client is looking for a Senior Software Engineer with deep expertise in state estimation and visual-inertial odometry (VIO) to lead the in-house development of their core navigation stack. This person will own the technical direction for their next-generation visual navigation systems, replacing external dependencies with a fully internal solution.
You'll operate as a highly technical individual contributor — responsible for architecture, research, and hands-on development — while guiding a small team to bring systems into production. This role sits at the intersection of theory and real-world deployment, solving complex navigation problems in GPS-denied, contested environments.
What You'll Do
- Own the VIO stack end-to-end
— lead the research, architecture, and development of a fully in-house visual-inertial odometry system
- Drive technical direction through real-world data
— analyze flight data to diagnose failures, improve robustness, and iterate quickly on system performance
- Build and scale state estimation systems
— design and optimize multi-sensor fusion pipelines for autonomous UAV/UAS navigation
- Bridge research → production
— prototype advanced algorithms and translate them into production-grade, real-time embedded systems
- Lead through technical execution
— work cross-functionally with robotics, perception, and flight software teams while guiding a small team on implementation
What We're Looking For
- 3–6 years of experience in visual-inertial odometry (VIO) and state estimation for robotics or aerospace applications
If you want to learn more, please apply below and I will be in contact to discuss the position further.