Technical Lead - Autonomous & Unmanned Systems (FedD179)

About this role

EMPLOYER IS A CONTRACTOR FOR THE U.S. GOVERNMENT. THIS POSITION REQUIRES U.S. CITIZENSHIP.

Role Description:

Defense Unicorns seeks a Senior-level Engineer to lead the development and implementation of Defense Unicorns’ Autonomy and Unmanned Systems Domain. This role will work closely with fellow platform engineers, software engineers, and warfighters.

What You’ll Work On:

• Deliver interfaces for managing individual assets and large fleets of autonomous and unmanned systems.

• Design and implement data-rich UIs that reflect real-time and distributed system state.

• Work with stakeholders to develop workflows for deploying, updating, and monitoring systems across edge, remote, and disconnected environments.

• Handle complex state management and asynchronous data flows.

• Integrate frontend applications with backend APIs, platform services, and communications technologies.

• Improve usability and clarity for technically complex operational workflows.

• Partner with UX to translate complex system behavior into intuitive user experiences.

Responsibilities:

• Lead the technical staff and technical baseline of Defense Unicorns’ Autonomous and Unmanned Systems Domain, mentoring and growing a team of software engineers and DevSecOps engineers.

• Own architectural decisions that align with secure software development practices, application security, and CI/CD best practices.

• Mentor and develop engineers across the team, fostering technical excellence and continuous learning.

• Communicate technical priorities with product management while advocating for thoughtful management of technical complexity, scalability, and long-term maintainability.

• Work closely with peers to ensure cohesive architecture across Defense Unicorns capabilities and seamless integration with the common platform baseline.

• Translate operational imperatives into product capabilities and guide development toward solutions that meet or exceed mission objectives.

• Serve as the technical leader across software, communications, and platform technologies, helping bridge engineering teams and operational mission requirements.

• Continually implement features and functionality that improve mission effectiveness and user experience.

• Develop and execute comprehensive unit, integration, and user acceptance testing strategies to ensure reliable, resilient software.

• Work directly with Mission Heroes (customers) and product stakeholders to define a technical roadmap aligned with mission objectives and company goals.

• Evaluate new technologies and products, assessing their impact on mission capability, technical architecture, and security posture.

• Support customer integrations, demonstrations, testing events, and operational exercises as required.

• Communicate and execute effectively in an asynchronous, fully remote environment.

The listed responsibilities are not exhaustive and additional responsibilities may be assigned based on the evolving needs of the organization. We are seeking a dynamic individual who is able to adapt and take on new responsibilities as they arise.

Required Experience and Qualifications:

• Proven experience leading technical teams developing complex software systems.

• Expertise solving highly technical problems spanning multiple knowledge domains.

• Hands-on technical depth in at least two of the following areas:

• Autonomous systems / unmanned platforms

• Tactical-edge networking (BLE mesh networking, DIL/MANET, mesh radios)

• Distributed systems (CRDTs, gossip protocols, eventual consistency)

• Container and software supply chain tooling (Kubernetes, OCI, Zarf/UDS)

• Working familiarity with the autonomy and tactical-edge ecosystem, including ROS2/DDS, MAVLink, CoT/TAK, and at least one relevant interoperability standard (STANAG 4586/4817, JAUS, Link16/TADL-J, OMS/UCI, or MOSA/SOSA).

• Experience leading remote engineering teams and collaborating across distributed organizations.

• Experience defining technical roadmaps and partnering with product management.

• Expertise in analyzing complex problems, proposing innovative solutions, and implementing them effectively.

• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, including the ability to communicate technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

• Ability to work independently, manage competing priorities, and thrive in a fast-paced, fully remote environment.

• U.S. Citizenship and the ability to obtain and maintain a TS/SCI security clearance.

Preferred Experience and Qualifications:

• Expertise and established credibility in Special Operations-specific processes, vernacular, organization, challenges, and technical solutions.

• Experience integrating software with tactical communications, radio systems, or edge networking technologies supporting autonomous systems.

• Familiarity with TAK Server administration, CoT message schemas, and ATAK plugin development.

• Experience with edge AI hardware (NVIDIA Jetson, Intel NUC, Raspberry Pi, or ruggedized compute platforms) in tactical deployments.

• Experience developing or supporting Authorization to Operate (ATO) systems within the Department of Defense.

• Experience with automated testing, including infrastructure, integration, and system testing.

• Knowledge of Agile software development methodologies.

• Experience with container orchestration platforms such as Kubernetes.

• Active Secret or Top Secret security clearance.

Full compensation packages are based on candidate experience. Compensation ranges are established using national benchmarking data and apply across all geographic locations within the United States.

Remote - USA $178,500 — $241,500 USD

Who We Are

Defense Unicorns delivers mission value by streamlining software delivery so our customers can focus on the most important challenges. We share a vision of freedom and security for the advancement of progress and innovation. Our commitment to this vision,

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