Technical Lead - Autonomous & Unmanned Systems (FedD179)

Defense Unicorns is seeking a Senior-level Engineer to lead the development and implementation of its Autonomy and Unmanned Systems Domain. The role involves leading the technical staff and baseline, owning architectural decisions, and mentoring a team of software and DevSecOps engineers. The engineer will work closely with platform engineers, software engineers, and warfighters to deliver interfaces for managing autonomous systems, design data-rich UIs, and integrate frontend applications with backend APIs and communications technologies. The position requires U.S. citizenship and the ability to obtain and maintain a TS/SCI security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Deliver interfaces for managing individual assets and large fleets of autonomous and unmanned systems.
• Design and implement data-rich UIs that reflect real-time and distributed system state.
• Work with stakeholders to develop workflows for deploying, updating, and monitoring systems across edge, remote, and disconnected environments.
• Handle complex state management and asynchronous data flows.
• Integrate frontend applications with backend APIs, platform services, and communications technologies.
• Improve usability and clarity for technically complex operational workflows.
• Partner with UX to translate complex system behavior into intuitive user experiences.
• Lead the technical staff and technical baseline of Defense Unicorns’ Autonomous and Unmanned Systems Domain, mentoring and growing a team of software engineers and DevSecOps engineers.
• Own architectural decisions that align with secure software development practices, application security, and CI/CD best practices.
• Mentor and develop engineers across the team, fostering technical excellence and continuous learning.
• Communicate technical priorities with product management while advocating for thoughtful management of technical complexity, scalability, and long-term maintainability.
• Work closely with peers to ensure cohesive architecture across Defense Unicorns capabilities and seamless integration with the common platform baseline.
• Translate operational imperatives into product capabilities and guide development toward solutions that meet or exceed mission objectives.
• Serve as the technical leader across software, communications, and platform technologies, helping bridge engineering teams and operational mission requirements.
• Continually implement features and functionality that improve mission effectiveness and user experience.
• Develop and execute comprehensive unit, integration, and user acceptance testing strategies to ensure reliable, resilient software.
• Work directly with Mission Heroes (customers) and product stakeholders to define a technical roadmap aligned with mission objectives and company goals.
• Evaluate new technologies and products, assessing their impact on mission capability, technical architecture, and security posture.
• Support customer integrations, demonstrations, testing events, and operational exercises as required.
• Communicate and execute effectively in an asynchronous, fully remote environment.

Requirements

• Proven experience leading technical teams developing complex software systems.
• Expertise solving highly technical problems spanning multiple knowledge domains.
• Hands-on technical depth in at least two of the following areas:
• Autonomous systems / unmanned platforms
• Tactical-edge networking (BLE mesh networking, DIL/MANET, mesh radios)
• Distributed systems (CRDTs, gossip protocols, eventual consistency)
• Container and software supply chain tooling (Kubernetes, OCI, Zarf/UDS)
• Working familiarity with the autonomy and tactical-edge ecosystem, including ROS2/DDS, MAVLink, CoT/TAK, and at least one relevant interoperability standard (STANAG 4586/4817, JAUS, Link16/TADL-J, OMS/UCI, or MOSA/SOSA).
• Experience leading remote engineering teams and collaborating across distributed organizations.
• Experience defining technical roadmaps and partnering with product management.
• Expertise in analyzing complex problems, proposing innovative solutions, and implementing them effectively.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, including the ability to communicate technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Ability to work independently, manage competing priorities, and thrive in a fast-paced, fully remote environment.
• U.S. Citizenship and the ability to obtain and maintain a TS/SCI security clearance.

Nice to have

• Expertise and established credibility in Special Operations-specific processes, vernacular, organization, challenges, and technical solutions.
• Experience integrating software with tactical communications, radio systems, or edge networking technologies supporting autonomous systems.
• Familiarity with TAK Server administration, CoT message schemas, and ATAK plugin development.
• Experience with edge AI hardware (NVIDIA Jetson, Intel NUC, Raspberry Pi, or ruggedized compute platforms) in tactical deployments.
• Experience developing or supporting Authorization to Operate (ATO) systems within the Department of Defense.
• Experience with automated testing, including infrastructure, integration, and system testing.
• Knowledge of Agile software development methodologies.
• Experience with container orchestration platforms such as Kubernetes.
• Active Secret or Top Secret security clearance.

Benefits

• Medical/Dental/Vision
• Premiums are 100% Company Paid
• Health Savings Account
• Life Insurance
• Disability Insurance
• 401k Retirement Plan
• Company Stock Options
• Home Office Budget
• We offer all full-time Unicorns Flexible Time Off (FTO) plus all Federal Holidays, one week for Thanksgiving, and two weeks for Christmas and New Year’s
• Paid Parental Leave
• Reimbursement for approved trainings/subscriptions
• Conferences (travel, lodging, and fees)