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Lead Autonomous Systems Engineer with Security Clearance

MITRE Corporationwright-patterson afb-fairborn, OH🇺🇸United StatesPosted 28 Aug 2026

Quick Overview

Salary
$174k - $217.5k/yr
Seniority
Mid Senior
Employment type
Internship/Student
Work mode
On Site
Location
wright-patterson afb-fairborn, OH, United States
Posted
1 week ago
Edge ComputingMachine LearningRoboticsComputer VisionDeep Learning

Job Description

At MITRE, your passion fuels work that impacts our nation and improves lives. This is where your skills strengthen national security, cybersecurity, health, transportation, and citizen services. We're a nonprofit engineering, applied research, and advanced technology organization working in the public interest. With objectivity and integrity at our core, we lead federally funded research and development centers for U.S. government agencies - collaborating with industry and academia to deliver integrated, high-impact solutions that advance our nation's health, security, and prosperity.

Our people tackle the toughest technical challenges, supported by competitive benefits, meaningful career development, and a culture of innovation, collaboration, and technical excellence. Choose MITRE for a career with purpose - and help shape the future.

Department Summary: MITRE's Artificial Intelligence Innovation Center's Robotics and Autonomous Systems Department is an innovative team of engineers focused on the development of cutting-edge autonomous systems, robotics capabilities, and AI solutions for a safer world. The Robotics and Autonomous Systems Department has a new opportunity for a strong technical candidate with a STEM degree to join an innovative team of engineers focused on developing Artificial Intelligence and/or Autonomous System solutions for sponsor needs.

The right candidate will enjoy a fast-paced team environment and work with groundbreaking technology. We are seeking a self-starter to work out of the Dayton office in support of our Air Force autonomy work. The candidate for this position will work on a wide variety of challenging activities in direct support of sponsor programs and will support MITRE's AI and autonomy efforts.

Basic Qualifications

  • Typically requires a minimum of 8 years of related experience with a Bachelor's degree; or 6 years and a Master's degree; or a PhD with 3 years' experience; or equivalent combination of related education and work experience.
  • Bachelors in technical major
  • 8+ years' applicable work experience related to Autonomy and AI
  • Experience with autonomous systems applications to operations i n the DoW, particularly as they relate to Air Force applications and Manned-Unmanned Teaming
  • Deep experience in one or more robotics-relevant fields, such as computer vision, deep learning, machine learning, agentic AI, control theory, multi-robot systems, and autonomy C2 systems
  • Ability to articulate autonomy-specific challenges (in perception, reasoning, behaviors, collaboration), understand real-world application challenges, discuss critical issues, and identify gaps
  • Familiarity with the state of the art in the field, including the use of Autonomy GRA (A-GRA)
  • Proven ability to work independently to learn new technologies, techniques, processes, languages, platforms, systems
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills along with the ability to foster relationship development with sponsors
  • Demonstrated ability to shape work with sponsors or stakeholders in the absence of given requirements
  • Demonstrated ability to lead teams, set schedules, appropriately communicate risks, and manage budget
  • Developed, proposed and executed autonomy research
  • Must have an active Top Secret U.S Government issued Security Clearance with the ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret/SCI. Per the U.S. Government's eligibility requirements, you must be a U.S Citizen to be considered for a security clearance.
  • This position requires a minimum of 4 days a week on-site.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Advanced degree in related field such as Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, etc.
  • Experience with software development in a production setting
  • Familiarity with quarterbacking concepts, collaborative effects of autonomous systems, C2 for operational systems
  • Experience with production setting software engineering environments and processes (CI/CD pipelines)
  • Knowledge of advances of Autonomy and AI evaluation capabilities in industry and academia
  • Domain knowledge of swarming systems, red teaming, counter UxS, robotic test and evaluation, agentic AI, manufacturing robotics, and/or missile defense
  • Experience with rapid prototyping featuring software components
  • Experience with field testing autonomous systems, particularly unmanned aerial systems
  • Knowledge and/or experience with edge computing, C-SWAP (compute, size, weight, and power) platforms, and/or surrogate or scaled platforms
  • Work and/or leadership of teams to implement and evaluate AI and Autonomy algorithms
  • Experience with DoW acquisition This requisition requires the candidate to have a minimum of the following clearance(s):
Top Secret This requisition requires the hired candidate to have or obtain, within one year from the date of hire, the following clearance(s):
Top Secret/SCI Salary compensation range and midpoint:
$174,000 - $217,500 - $261,000 Annual Work Location Type:
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