Staff R&D Autonomy Perception Engineer

1 Month ago • 8 Years + • $192,173 PA - $226,085 PA

Job Summary

Job Description

The Staff R&D Autonomy Perception Engineer will design and develop perception algorithms for autonomous flight, including sensor fusion, obstacle avoidance, terrain mapping, and landing zone detection. The role involves conducting flight tests, integrating software, automating deployment, and working with systems engineers to understand requirements. The engineer will also develop test plans and mentor junior engineers. The position requires experience in software development, embedded systems, and project management, with a focus on creating safe, all-electric, autonomous flight solutions.

Must have:

Design and integrate perception algorithms for autonomous flight.
Develop algorithms for obstacle detection and avoidance.
Generate accurate 3D maps of the environment.
Develop algorithms for landing zone detection.
Proficiency in Python and object-oriented programming.
Strong understanding of embedded software concepts.
Experience with project management and bug tracking tools.
Experience with Linux, configuration management, and scripting.
Experience with Docker or containerization.

Good to have:

Experience with real-time operating systems (RTOS).
Experience with MATLAB/Simulink Model-Based Design.
C/C++ programming experience with the GNU Toolchain.
Familiarity with flight simulators.
Familiarity with Agile software development.
Familiarity with flight test operations.
Familiarity with aviation industry sensors.
Familiarity with embedded systems communication protocols.

Perks:

Competitive base salary
Annual bonus
Long term incentive
401K
Health benefits

15 skills required

15 skills required for this role

Add these skills to join the top 1% applicants for this job

algorithms

shell

jira

wireshark

object-detection

python

docker

matlab

linux

oops

communication

team-player

agile-development

bug-tracking

quality-control

Job Details

At Wisk, we're transforming the future of urban mobility through safe, all-electric, autonomous flight. We are a passionate team working together toward a sustainable future, solving high-impact problems that have never been solved before. By delivering everyday flight for everyone, we're making it possible to spend less time getting there and more time being there. If you want to be part of shaping the future of mobility, then read on!

We are looking for a Staff R&D Autonomy Perception Engineer to join our R&D team.

The R&D team is responsible for rapid evaluation of autonomy systems in a flight environment, and the development of future technologies that enable autonomous eVTOL operations.

This is a hybrid work opportunity. At Wisk, this means working onsite at our Mountain View and/or Hollister offices 3 days per week with flexibility for the remainder of the days.

The goal of this position is to facilitate the development of autonomous systems through the use of surrogate platforms like helicopters, and simulation. This position will facilitate the integration of new software modules in our helicopter platform & bench setups, develop software architectures that enable rapid test and evaluation, automate software deployment, and automate data extraction and validation.

What you will do:

Design, develop, and integrate perception algorithms for autonomous flight, including:
-Sensor Fusion: Combine data from various sensors (e.g., LiDAR, cameras, radar, GPS) for accurate and robust object detection and tracking.
-Obstacle Avoidance: Develop algorithms for real-time detection and avoidance of static and dynamic obstacles (e.g., buildings, vehicles, pedestrians, drones) to include Airborne Detection and Avoidance (ACAS) and Terrain Awareness & Warning Systems (TAWS) performance criteria
-Terrain Mapping: Generate accurate 3D maps of the environment for navigation and planning.
-Landing Zone Detection: Develop algorithms for automatic detection and assessment of suitable landing zones.
Conduct rigorous flight tests to evaluate the performance of perception systems in real-world scenarios.
Be responsible for developing software used in the end-to-end testing of embedded sensors from simulation to flight test.
Work with the systems engineers to understand the functional and performance requirements for the confliction detection, navigation, & flight path management system and subsystems.
Work with the R&D team to develop test plans specifying flight tests that need to be performed, the sensor and ground truth data that needs to be collected, and the expected results.
You will plan and execute mentorship programs for junior Software Engineers.

What you have done:

B.S. in Computer Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, STEM, or equivalent real-world experience and 8+ years industry experience Networking Software development.
You have demonstrable proficiency in Python and other object oriented programming languages for embedded systems, robotics or network-based services.
Development of safety-critical and real-time software using model based design tools.
You have a strong understanding of basic embedded software concepts such as signal analysis, hardware abstraction layers, firmware drivers, and memory allocation.
You have experience with commonly used project management, bug tracking, continuous integration tools e.g., JIRA.
You have experience with capturing, monitoring and analyzing network traffic, e.g., Wireshark, tcpdump, iPerf.
You have experience with Linux, e.g., configuration management, shell scripting.
You have experience with Docker or experience with containerization in general.
You have experience with the Google Cloud Products and BigQuery is a plus.

Desired:

You have experience with real time operating systems (RTOS), and other low-level C/C++ software.
You have experience with MATLAB/Simulink Model-Based Design.
You have C/C++ programming experience with the GNU Toolchain (gcc, gdb).
You have familiarity with flight simulators leveraging both software and hardware “in-the-loop” testing strategies
You are familiar with Agile software development, unit Testing and test driven development.
You have familiarity with flight test operations.
You have familiarity with sensors used in the aviation industry, e.g., ADS-B, GPS, INS, radios, etc.
You have familiarity with embedded systems communication protocols, e.g., CAN, ARINC, I2C, SPI

Who you are:

You are a highly motivated, self starting individual with a broad set of skills and never afraid of facing complex technical challenges.
You are a solution oriented individual with a strong analytical mindset.
You have strong communication skills and can easily tailor your communications to suit the audience.
You can adapt quickly or propose changes needed to achieve early results in a timely fashion.
You embrace challenges and take commitments and deliver results within reasonable expectations.
You are a positive team player.

Compensation and Benefits:

In addition to offering a great work environment and the opportunity to be part of the team making electric autonomous flight a reality, at Wisk, we offer excellent total rewards which include a competitive base salary, annual bonus, long term incentive, 401K, health benefits and much more.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay Range the Company expects to pay: $192,173 - $226,085 per year - The starting base salary within this range for this role varies based on factors such as your geographical location, and your relevant job-related experience that is consistent with a business necessity.