Chief Engineer, Autonomy (UAS)

Location: On-site in Washington, DC; San Diego, California; or Dallas, Texas

Salary: $200,319–$300,479 per year, plus bonus, benefits, and equity for regular employees

Company

hirify.global is a venture-backed defense-tech company developing intelligent systems, including Hivemind autonomy software, unmanned aircraft, and simulation technologies.

What you will do

• Serve as Chief Engineer for projects developing and deploying autonomy solutions on unmanned aircraft systems.
• Lead 6–20 engineers advancing Hivemind Autonomy and shaping Department of Defense autonomy architectures.
• Define technical objectives, assign engineering work, make key system decisions, and ensure the quality of technical deliverables.
• Own system architecture, design, development, risk mitigation, product quality, and integration across aircraft platforms.
• Provide technical leadership for internal research and development initiatives and Department of Defense contracts.
• Contribute to government contract proposal writing and customer-facing engineering activities.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in computer science, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or a similar field.
• 10+ years of industry experience in autonomy and/or unmanned aircraft systems, including defense technology or comparable domains.
• 7+ years of delivering software into production or certifiable high-reliability environments.
• Understanding of guidance, control and navigation, including controls, estimation, and planning.
• Understanding of robotics software stacks, software development processes, and effective software deployment.
• Experience defining technical scope, managing technical requirements, and developing product architectures, interface control documents, and system-level design documentation.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, problem-solving, and leadership skills.

Culture & Benefits

• Full-time regular employee package includes salary within the stated range, bonus, benefits, and equity.
• Offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check.
• Work supports both defense contracts and internally funded development programs.
• Equal opportunity workplace with reasonable accommodations available for disabilities or special needs.