Autonomy Engineer

Matternet is building the future of delivery with autonomous drone networks that move critical goods faster, cleaner, and at lower cost. We work with partners across healthcare, logistics, food, and retail to deliver everything from medical items to everyday essentials, safely and reliably. We're looking for an Autonomy Engineer to develop the onboard decision-making that lets our aircraft complete deliveries safely and reliably on autonomous Beyond-Visual-Line-of-Sight (BVLOS) missions, from open airspace to dense urban areas. Working across mission management, contingency handling, and path planning, you'll own key aircraft behaviors end to end and shape how our fleet makes decisions in flight. In this role, you will: Design and implement onboard autonomy behaviors, including mission sequencing, flight deconfliction, and contingency managementDevelop path planning and trajectory generation that respect airspace, obstacles, and vehicle limitsDevelop fault detection and safe contingency responsesIntegrate autonomy with perception and the onboard flight software stackValidate behaviors in simulation and flight test, analyze flight logs to refine them, and drive releases through to production fleetsSupport field and flight-test triage of autonomy issues and drive fixes through to the fleetCollaborate with Engineering, Operations, Flight Test, and Safety to define and refine aircraft behaviors Requirements BS or MS in Robotics, Aerospace Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field3+ years developing autonomy, planning, or decision-making software for robots, drones, or autonomous vehiclesStrong proficiency in C++ (C++11 and later) and Python, including multithreading and real-time messagingStrong Linux backgroundExperience with state machines, behavior trees, or similar frameworks for decision-makingSolid foundation in path planning and applied math (geometry, coordinate transforms, kinematics) for navigation and avoidanceExperience validating software in simulation and on real hardwareProficiency with version control and peer code review workflows (e.g., Git)Clear technical communication and strong cross-disciplinary teamwork Preferred Qualifications: Familiarity with an autopilot stack such as ArduPilot or PX4UAV, aerospace, or other safety-critical, regulated product experienceExperience with collision avoidance and deconfliction with crewed and uncrewed air trafficExperience with ROS/ROS2 and simulation environments such as GazeboExperience with distributed systems or networkingExperience with Docker and containerized build, test, and deploymentExperience using AI coding assistants to accelerate development Benefits At Matternet, we're advancing a new era of logistics, one where autonomous drones deliver what matters faster, cleaner, and more efficiently. We know our mission is challenging, but it's worth it, and we are committed to taking care of the people who make it possible. Compensation: The expected starting range for this role is $160,000-$205,000, based on San Francisco Bay Area market data. This range reflects the target starting pay for candidates who meet the minimum qualifications for the role. Final compensation will depend on factors such as your experience, skills, level, location, and potential impactTotal Rewards: In addition to base pay, our compensation packages include equity and benefits such as medical, dental, vision, life, and disability coverage, flexible spending accounts (FSA), unlimited paid time off, company holidays, and a 401(k) plan