Autonomy Systems Lead Engineer

Wild West Systems is an American defense technology company with the mission to equip the civilized world with superior and affordable arms and advanced technologies – to dominate the battlefield of present and future threats, in a new era of asymmetrical warfare. We fuse versatile domain experience with novel approach and creativity to change the paradigm of defense – both for military arenas and civilian soft targets. We're an early stage startup, rapidly moving and growing.

General Qualifications

Love for America and passion for Wild West System's mission. Self-starter, capable of performing tasks as an individual as well as working well in a team. Servant-leader mentality, extreme ownership, willing to participate in different and rapidly changing projects in a dynamic environment. Bias for action. ITAR REQUIREMENT: To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.

Position Overview

We are seeking an Autonomy Systems Lead Engineer to architect and integrate the full autonomy stack – from perception through planning and control. This is a high-impact role focused on building robust, modular, production-ready autonomous systems that operate reliably on constrained edge hardware in dynamic environments.

This is not a research-only role. You will be responsible for taking systems from concept → prototype → field deployment, leading integration across hardware, software, and real-world testing.

Responsibilities

• Architect and integrate the full autonomy stack (perception → planning → control)


• Define interfaces between sensors, compute, and flight systems


• Build robust, modular, production-ready autonomy systems


• Optimize system-level performance (latency, bandwidth, compute)


• Lead integration across hardware, software, and networking

Required Skills and Experience

• Strong experience building end-to-end robotic or autonomous systems


• Experience with ROS2, ArduPilot, PX4, or similar frameworks


• Deep understanding of real-time systems and system tradeoffs


• Experience debugging across hardware/software boundaries


• Strong C++ (or Rust) systems programming skills

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Experience with distributed systems or onboard/offboard architectures


• Experience with video streaming (RTP, GStreamer)


• Experience with embedded Linux and edge compute platforms


• Experience in rapid prototyping environments

Work Location

This role is assigned onsite at our Great Neck, New York or Leander, Texas location. In-person work is required.

Benefits

We are always looking for good people! Wild West Systems is committed to providing its employees with competitive salaries and benefits to increase employee satisfaction and productivity.

Health Insurance: 100% coverage for employees, 90% for spouse/family

Vision and Dental: 100% Coverage

401(k): Available to all employees

***We do not work with staffing companies. Direct applicants only***