As an experienced Lead Engineer with expertise in flight control systems and companion compute platforms, your leading role will be in designing, implementing, and maintaining software solutions across NXP-based PX4 flight controllers and Nvidia-based and Qualcomm-based mission computers. You will optimize solutions for reliability, safety, and performance in complex UAV operations. This position requires a deep understanding of real-time embedded systems, proficiency in PX4 autopilot software, and the ability to integrate high-performance applications on NVIDIA & Qualcomm IQ9 platforms. As a leader in our UAV development projects, you will play a key role in shaping our autonomy stack, ensuring scalability, safety, and secure communication across the system. Lead engineer will take ownership in developing SW features and productization of the company Secure Software Platform for large-scale defense UxV (Unmanned Vehicle) mission computer applications.
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Functional Activities
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Autonomy Software Development:
- Integrate robotics applications on NVIDIA & Qualcomm IQ9 platforms for perception, planning, and navigation.
- Develop and integrate ROS2-based nodes and middleware to support modular autonomy stacks.
- Optimize GPU-based AI/ML workloads for real-time inference, sensor fusion, and decision-making.
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System Integration and Middleware:
- Experience implementing secure application-level network protocols (NATS, ACL, DDS, etc.) between robotic platforms and Ground Control Station applications.
- Develop tools and APIs for efficient data exchange across mission-critical components.
- Support multi-sensor integration (camera, LiDAR, GNSS, IMU) with ROS2 middleware.
- Ability to work with Flight Controller hardware, FPGA, security, and systems teams to validate end-to-end integration across Mission Computer, Flight Controller, Ground Control Station, and unmanned vehicle platforms.
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Security and Reliability:
- Design and enforce cybersecurity measures for UAV autonomy software (secure boot, encrypted comms, sandboxing).
- Implement identity management and access control for mission software deployments.
- Conduct threat modeling, vulnerability assessments, and apply secure coding practices.
- Ensure compliance with aerospace cybersecurity frameworks (ISO 27001, DO-326A).
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Automation and DevOps:
- Build CI/CD pipelines for deployment of ROS2 and AI workloads on NVIDIA Jetson and Qualcomm IQ9.
- Use containerization (Docker) and orchestration tools for reproducible autonomous flight stacks.
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Engineering Process Optimization:
- Implement telemetry, logging, and diagnostics for real-time system monitoring.
- Define and enforce best practices in software development lifecycle (SDLC) for autonomy stack.
- Organize regular code reviews, technical retrospectives, and knowledge-sharing sessions.
Necessary Knowledge and Experience
- 10+ years of experience in robotics, autonomous systems, or safety-critical UxV platform development, preferably in defense or aerospace environments.
- Proficiency in real-time embedded systems and Python for automation, AI/ML workflows, testing, and data pipelines.
- Strong experience with ROS2, XRCE-DDS, MAVLink, and modular autonomy stack architecture on NVIDIA Jetson and Qualcomm-based mission computer platforms.
Education and Certification Requirements
- Experience in UAV or aerospace autonomy projects.
- Familiarity with standards (ISO 27001, DO-178C, DO-326A, IEC 61508).
Location
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
