Robotics Engineer

Role : Staff Robotics Engineer (Autonomy)

Code Red Partners | United States (Remote w/ 25% Travel)

Salary: $300,000 + Equity + Full Benefits

Location: Remote (US-Based)

The Challenge

Our client, a venture-backed defense tech startup founded by aerospace veterans is building class 5 Autonomous drones and worlds first command-and-control (C2) software. They operate on airborne compute in contested, RF-denied environments with delayed telemetry and noisy sensors. We are seeking a hands-on Robotics Engineer to own and scale the core autonomy stack across real aircraft hardware and live swarming deployments.

Key Responsibilities

• Autonomy Stack Execution: Develop, implement, and refine onboard perception, path planning, and control algorithms for multi-agent UAV swarms.
• Resilient Communications: Integrate inter-robot and C2 protocols to ensure reliable tactical edge decision-making under degraded or contested communications.
• Edge Architecture & Tradeoffs: Balance onboard vs. offboard compute, sensor bandwidth, and state estimation tradeoffs as software scales onto physical flight hardware.
• Sensor Fusion & Tracking: Build and validate production algorithms for state estimation, multi-sensor data association, and target tracking ( e.g., Kalman filters, SLAM ).
• Hardware-in-the-Loop & Flight Testing: Transition code from simulation to hardware integration, debugging embedded systems and closing the feedback loop using live telemetry.

Basic Qualifications

• Experience: Hands-on experience developing, deploying, and validating software on physical robotics or autonomous vehicles (airborne systems preferred).
• Systems Languages: Strong proficiency in C/C++, Rust, or Golang .
• Robotics Algorithms: Solid foundation in core autonomy concepts ( SLAM, Kalman/particle filters, Dubins path planning, A , behavior trees, RL*).
• Hardware & Diagnostic Fundamentals: Practical working knowledge of embedded interfaces ( SPI, I2C, serial ) and diagnostic tools ( logic analyzers, oscilloscopes ).

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with robotics middleware ( ROS2/DDS, ZeroMQ, gRPC ) and serialization ( Protobuf ).
• Hands-on familiarity with perception systems, sensor fusion, or multi-target tracking ( JPDA, MHT ).
• Practical electronics skills ( schematic interpretation, soldering, breadboarding ).
• Familiarity with government UxS standards ( OMS/UCI, STANAG 4586, FACE ) or ability to obtain a U.S. Secret Security Clearance.

What’s on Offer

• Comp & Equity: Up to $300,000 base salary + competitive equity in a high-growth defense startup.
• Benefits: Full health/dental/vision coverage, 401(k), PTO, and monthly wellness stipend.
• Impact: Direct, hands-on contribution to critical national security hardware and autonomous flight software.