Role Summary
Lead the integration of autonomy codebases into synthetic testbeds and hardware-in-the-loop (HITL) setups for unmanned surface vessels (USVs). Build simulators that exercise onboard autonomy, sensors, and control loops end-to-end.
Key Responsibilities
- Integrate autonomy software — navigation, planning, control, and perception pipelines — with simulators and CI/HITL test infrastructure.
- Design, implement, and maintain physics-consistent synthetic environments that align dynamics, sensor models, state-estimation, and render/update loops for realistic closed-loop testing.
- Develop and validate sensor models (GNSS, IMU, DVL, radar, lidar, camera) and measurement noise models; tune them against real-vehicle logs.
- Implement and test state estimation (EKF/UKF/particle filters) and perception algorithms in the loop; quantify performance and failure modes.
- Create repeatable test scenarios, automated test harnesses, and performance metrics for autonomy regression testing.
- Collaborate with software, controls, and UX teams to ensure simulation outputs match onboard expectations and support debugging via replay, logging, and visualization.
- Support CI pipelines: containerized sims, scenario libraries, test orchestration, and result dashboards.
- Mentor junior engineers; produce documentation and reproducible experiment artifacts.
Required Qualifications
- BS or MS in Robotics, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or equivalent.
- 5+ years of experience in robotics, autonomy, or software integration with demonstrable work on simulation and state estimation.
- Strong C++ and/or Python proficiency; experience with ROS/ROS2 and/or middleware used in robotics systems.
- Hands-on experience with state estimation tools (EKF/UKF/particle filters), sensor fusion, and perception stacks.
- Experience building or integrating simulators (Gazebo, Webots, MuJoCo, Unity/Unreal integrations, custom C++/Python sim).
- Strong understanding of rigid-body dynamics, numerical integration, and discrete-time control loops.
- Experience with version control, CI/CD, Docker, and automated testing frameworks.
- Comfortable working with real vehicle logs, calibrations, and sensor synchronization.
Nice-to-Have
- Prior USV or maritime robotics experience.
- Experience with hardware-in-the-loop (HIL/HITL) and real-time systems.
- Familiarity with Unreal Engine or Unity for high-fidelity simulation.
- Experience with GPU-based sensor simulation (ray tracing, lidar simulation).
- Experience with data visualization and UI integrations for test playback.
Culture & Soft Skills
- Clear communicator; collaborative with product and UX teams.
- Pragmatic engineer who prioritizes reproducible, measurable tests.
- Comfortable operating in a startup or hardware-in-the-loop environment.
Pay: $150,000.00 - $185,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
