Collaborative Autonomy Engineer - Poway, CA - Clearance Eligible- Remote

Are you ready to take the helm in shaping the future of tactical mission autonomy, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with trailblazers who are turning cutting-edge dreams into tangible reality? As a vital member of the growing EpiSci team, your influence will be immediate and transformative as we propel towards a future where security and autonomy unite in unprecedented ways.  EpiSci isn't just another company; we're a rapidly ascending force of innovation, forging ahead with next-gen tactical mission autonomy technologies that span defense, aerospace, and commercial domains. At our core, we wield the latest advancements in artificial intelligence, autonomy algorithms, wireless communications, and digital signal processing to surmount the most formidable national security challenges. Our Tactical AI prowess is nothing short of extraordinary, offering robustness, dependability, and a rapid adaptability that thrives on the frontlines of emerging missions and obstacles. Picture developing AI aviators for cutting-edge aircraft like the F-22 and F-16, revolutionizing wireless tactical communication systems, and fueling the skies with swarms of autonomous UAVs supercharged by sensor fusion.   We understand and cherish the richness that diverse perspectives and backgrounds bring to the table. At EpiSci, we wholeheartedly invite every exceptional individual, regardless of their journey, to join our ranks and become a driving force behind the secure and autonomous world of tomorrow. Your future at EpiSci awaits—ignite your potential and let's redefine what's possible, together.  Don't meet every single requirement? At EpiSci, we're committed to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workforce, so if you're excited about this role but your previous experience doesn't align perfectly with every qualification, we encourage you to apply anyway! You may be the perfect candidate for this or another role at EpiSci. 

Core Responsibilities

• You will be part of a team of engineers developing collaborative autonomy behaviors for large teams of heterogenous autonomous vehicles, across different domains (e.g., surface, air), with different sensor suites (e.g., camera, radar) that work together to accomplish complex mission vignettes. Your team will continuously add capability and demonstrate the solution to customers in real-world scenarios on a variety of HW platforms. Your responsibility will primarily be designing and developing multi-agent multi-domain behavioral autonomy algorithms, but you will work with the team to make the entire system successful.  
• Adapt and develop cutting edge, modular, and agile autonomy capabilities in the fields of optimization, persistent search, and coordinated behaviors, applicable to a diverse set of Defense problems.  
• Integrate tactical autonomy solutions onto hardware platforms, interface sensors, and test and validate autonomous behaviors, including on-site demonstrations for software field testing and evaluation exercises with the US Navy. 
• Design, test, and ultimately implement software within a component-based architecture, including occasionally integrating externally developed software capabilities into the system. 
• Deploy containerized autonomy solutions to embedded Linux devices, leveraging computer-in-the-loop testing and profiling, and efficiently collecting performance data.  
• Troubleshoot and debug complex issues related to behavioral autonomy and system performance, ensuring robust and reliable operation.  
• Contribute novel engineering ideas, algorithms and concepts for new and existing research and development projects.  
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, domain experts, prior DoD warfighters, and program managers to build software solutions for military missions.  
• Effectively communicate solutions to a diverse team of engineers, program managers, executives, and sponsors.   

Minimum Qualifications

• Education
• MS or PhD in Robotic Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Optimization, or equivalent OR 5 years of relevant experience designing multi-agent autonomy 


• Technical  
• Understanding of Multi-Agent Algorithms including Ant-Colony Optimization, Swarm Particle Optimization, Stigmergy, and Wolf Pack Algorithm  
• Experience with Swarm or Multi-agent Systems and Optimization  
• Deep understanding of behavior logic frameworks (state machines, behavior trees, hierarchical task networks)  
• Experience with modern C++ development (2011, 2017, 2020, smart pointers, etc.), CMAKE, Python and Bash.  
• Comfortable in both Windows, Linux, and Docker.  
• Prior experience with remote software development, ability to handle and process large datasets, and learn new software and algorithms as needed with little supervision. 


• Nice to Haves
• Passion for solving complex problems with little supervision in a fast-paced environment.  
• Ability to balance multiple priorities in a fast-paced, highly collaborative, frequently changing, and sometimes ambiguous environment.  
• Excellent analytical, communication, and documentation skills with demonstrated ability to collaborate across multiple teams.  


• Travel   
• Must be willing to travel as projects requires, usually for SW/HW integration and/or demonstrations. Estimated average travel is every 1-2 months for 2-5 days. (10-20%).  Travel-adverse candidates are encouraged to inquire about relocation assistance to HQ in Poway, CA. 


• Security   Clearance
• (Mandatory) Must be a U.S. Citizen.  
• (Mandatory) Must be eligible for a U.S. SECRET security clearance with special access program (SAP) eligibility.



• Preferred Qualifications 
• PhD in computer science or engineering (electrical & computer, systems and industrial, mechanical, etc.).  
• Expertise in machine learning techniques, including supervised and unsupervised learning.  Preferred that candidate is also experienced with deep learning and neural architectures, such as CNNs, RNNs, GANs, and transformers.   
• Proficiency in C++, Python (including TensorFlow and Py torch), and Bash.  
• Experience with robotics SDKs, such as ROS2.  
• Experience with Docker.  
• Experience with Agile development methodologies and familiarity with CI/CD best practices.  
• Experience working with edge computing and real-time systems.  
• Integration and test experience on common COTS hardware devices (e.g., Nvidia Jetson, Xilinx RF/MPSOC).    
• Interdisciplinary background, with evidence of continual learning.
• Current U.S. SECRET security clearance.  

What will it be like to work at EpiSci? As an engineer at EpiSci, you’ll work closely with a team of diversely skilled engineers to innovate software solutions to complex problems related to networked collaborative autonomous systems. You’ll attend the occasional project briefing and regular stand-ups, but mostly you’ll be focused on writing the code necessary to level up US defensive capabilities; you’ll be asked to travel to on-site demonstrations of these integrated solutions. You’ll develop cool things that you’ll get to test with cool people in cool places.   --- EpiSci is proud to be an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. We value our differences and we’re excited to learn what you can add to our team.  Don't meet every single requirement? At EpiSci, we're committed to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workforce, so if you're excited about this role but your previous experience doesn't align perfectly with every qualification, we encourage you to apply anyway! You may be the perfect candidate for this or another role at EpiSci.