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Autonomy Engineer II - Robotics
full timePalo Alto, CA or Miami, Florida
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AT A GLANCE
EngineeringFull TimeFull-time (Exempt)Master’s degree required
Required
- Master’s degree
Pivotal is the leader in the emerging market of electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft. We design, develop, and manufacture light eVTOL aircraft and are renowned for the BlackFly aircraft the world's first light eVTOL to fly manned missions and enter the consumer
About the role
Pivotal is the leader in the emerging market of electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft. We design, develop, and manufacture light eVTOL aircraft and are renowned for the BlackFly aircraft the world's first light eVTOL to fly manned missions and enter the consumer market.
Efficient, compact, and simple, Pivotal aircraft are designed for a wide range of consumer, public service, and defense applications. Our distinctive tilt-aircraft architecture and scalable platform have been flying for over 10 years. Last year we announced our next-generation aircraft, the Helix, which is rapidly progressing toward general release and scalable production in 2026.
Mobility is one of the most highly-valued areas of modern technology investments. This is the right company, in the right space, the right strategy, at the right time. If you are ready for adventure, we invite you to join our amazing team and grow with us.
The Autonomy team at Pivotal develops advanced autonomy capabilities for our aircraft, enabling safe, precise, and reliable mission execution from takeoff to landing. We are seeking a autonomy robotics Engineer to support the development of next-generation perception systems for our autonomous aerial platforms, including the Helix family of systems.
About the Role
The Autonomy team develops advanced autonomous capabilities for our aerial platforms, enabling safe and intelligent mission execution from takeoff to landing. We are seeking an Autonomy Robotics Engineer to design, develop, and deploy navigation, planning, and decision-making systems that operate reliably in dynamic and uncertain environments.
Responsibilities
- Autonomy & Path Planning
- Design and develop autonomous navigation and mission planning systems for aerial robotic platforms.
- Develop trajectory generation, path planning, and obstacle avoidance algorithms for dynamic environments.
- Implement behavior planning, mission management, and autonomous decision-making frameworks.
- Develop autonomous capabilities for waypoint navigation, target tracking, landing, and mission execution.
- Evaluate and integrate state-of-the-art robotics and autonomy algorithms into operational systems.
Requirements
- Master's degree or PhD in Robotics, Aerospace Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.
- Experience with autonomous aircraft, UAVs, drones, or eVTOL systems.
- Experience with PX4, ArduPilot, or similar autopilot frameworks.
- Experience developing autonomy for multicopters, VTOL aircraft, or fixed-wing platforms.
- Knowledge of state estimation, localization, SLAM, and sensor fusion techniques.
- Experience with trajectory optimization, model predictive control (MPC), or advanced planning algorithms.
- Experience with NVIDIA Jetson, embedded Linux systems, or edge computing platforms.
- Familiarity with Gazebo, Isaac Sim, AirSim, or other robotics simulation environments.
- Experience supporting flight testing and operational deployments.
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