Lead, Mission Autonomy

Hermeus is a high-speed aircraft manufacturer focused on the rapid design, build, and test of high-Mach and hypersonic aircraft for the national interest. Working directly with the Department of Defense, Hermeus delivers capabilities that will ensure that our nation, and our allies, maintain an asymmetric advantage over any and all potential adversaries.

The Lead, Mission Autonomy is responsible for delivering reliable, repeatable aircraft mission behavior by integrating, adapting, and validating mission autonomy capabilities within the aircraft system. This role owns mission autonomy integration, GNC coupling, sensor integration, and mission decision-making behavior, ensuring autonomy operates correctly within the aircraft’s mission, avionics, and operational context. 

This role focuses on integrating, adapting, and validating mission autonomy capabilities within the aircraft system, including the development of aircraft-specific software, avionics, and sensor integrations required to achieve mission-ready behavior. 

As a first-level people leader, the Lead, Mission Autonomy provides technical leadership and execution ownership for engineers working on autonomy integration, avionics, and mission behavior. This role remains hands-on while owning integration, test readiness, and mission execution outcomes. 

• Own end-to-end technical outcomes for mission autonomy integration and execution, from design through integration, test, and flight readiness 
• Lead the integration and adaptation of mission autonomy capabilities into the aircraft, including mission autonomy and decision-making logic, guidance, navigation and control (GNC) integration, sensor and perception system integration, and mission-level behavior execution. 
• Define, implement, and validate interfaces between mission autonomy, the airborne mission platform (MMS), sensors, avionics, and ground systems 
• Lead development of aircraft-specific autonomy extensions, supporting software, and integration logic required to enable mission-ready operation 
• Drive autonomy-related avionics hardware integration, sensor selection, and system bring-up as required 
• Ensure mission autonomy behavior is reliable, repeatable, and compatible with operational workflows across ground and flight test environments 
• Own autonomy integration testing, validation strategies, and participation in ground and flight test campaigns 
• Identify autonomy integration risks early and lead mitigation efforts across software, avionics, sensor, and system boundaries 
• Provide day-to-day technical leadership, mentorship, and feedback to engineers within the Mission Autonomy scope 
• Coordinate closely with Air Segment and Ground Segment leads to resolve dependencies, integration challenges, and interface issues 
• Communicate autonomy integration status, risks, and tradeoffs clearly to engineering leadership and program stakeholders 

• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Robotics, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field 
• 5+ years of experience working with autonomy, GNC, avionics, or mission-critical vehicle systems 
• Experience integrating complex software systems into a vehicle or mission platform 
• Strong understanding of guidance, navigation, and control concepts and their interaction with mission systems 
• Experience integrating sensors, avionics, or perception systems into operational workflows 
• Demonstrated ability to own and deliver system-level behavior on a vehicle platform 
• Proven ability to lead technical execution across multidisciplinary teams 
• Comfortable operating in a fast-paced development and test environment 
• Strong communication skills and ability to make and defend technical decisions 

• Master’s degree or PhD in a relevant technical discipline 
• Experience integrating commercial or government-provided autonomy solutions 
• Familiarity with autonomy system validation, test frameworks, and operational evaluation 
• Experience with avionics hardware integration or sensor selection and bring-up 
• Background in aerospace, defense, or autonomous vehicle programs 
• Prior experience as a technical lead or first-level people leader 
• Experience working across geographically distributed teams 

U.S. EXPORT CONTROL COMPLIANCE STATUS 

The person hired will have access to information and items subject to U.S. export controls, and therefore, must either be a “U.S. person” as defined by 22 C.F.R. § 120.62 or otherwise eligible for deemed export licensing. US persons include U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, lawful permanent residents (green card holders), and asylees and refugees with such status granted, not pending. 

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

Hermeus is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions at Hermeus are based solely on merit, competence, and qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability, or any other legally protected status.