AI Autonomy Engineering SME (UAS, SWARMING, C2, DRONES)

Type of Requisition:

Regular

Clearance Level Must Currently Possess:

Top Secret

Clearance Level Must Be Able to Obtain:

Top Secret/SCI

Public Trust/Other Required:

None

Job Family:

Data Science and Data Engineering

Job Qualifications:

Skills:

Artificial Intelligence (AI), Automation Systems, Data Link, Sensor Fusion, Unmanned System

Certifications:

None

Experience:

15 + years of related experience

US Citizenship Required:

Yes

Job Description:

AI AUTONOMY ENGINEERING SME (UAS, SWARMING, C2, DRONES)

Transform technology into operational autonomy.

As an AI Autonomy Engineering SME at GDIT, you will shape the future of autonomous systems for mission‑critical Defense initiatives. Your work will directly support the Defense CTO’s autonomy and AI/ML modernization mission—advancing next‑generation unmanned systems, swarming behaviors, distributed decision‑making, and intelligent C2 architectures.

This role combines deep technical expertise, domain knowledge in UAS/drone operations, and leadership in delivering resilient, scalable autonomy solutions across DoD environments.

MEANINGFUL WORK AND IMPACTLead Autonomy Architecture & System Design

• Design, architect, and implement autonomy capabilities for UAS, drone swarms, robotic platforms, and C2 ecosystems.
• Develop real‑time decision‑making algorithms for navigation, sensor fusion, cooperative behaviors, target recognition, and mission execution.
• Engineer multi‑agent coordination frameworks enabling distributed tasking, decentralized control, and swarm intelligence.

Edge AI & Distributed Processing

• Design and deploy AI/ML models onto embedded edge processors, ruggedized compute payloads, and resource‑constrained autonomous platforms.
• Optimize models for real‑time inference, low-latency decision loops, and contested or degraded communication environments.

Simulation, Modeling & Autonomy Validation

• Build and manage large‑scale autonomy simulation environments (e.g., ROS/ROS2, Gazebo, AirSim, custom physics environments).
• Conduct modeling, simulation, and digital‑twin validation to assess behavior, safety, and mission effectiveness.
• Execute hardware‑in‑the‑loop (HIL) and flight testing with UAS payloads and autonomy stacks.

C2 System Integration & Operational Workflows

• Integrate autonomous platforms with DoD C2 systems, tactical networks, and mission‑planning tools.
• Develop APIs and data interfaces supporting observability, command execution, and human‑machine teaming.
• Ensure autonomy behaviors align with CONOPS, TTPs, and operational constraints.

Security, Compliance & Survivability

• Apply DoD cybersecurity controls for autonomous systems, including secure comms, encrypted payloads, and AI model protection.
• Engineer autonomy solutions resilient to GPS denial, EW threats, adversarial conditions, and sensor degradation.

Leadership, Mentorship & Stakeholder Engagement

• Lead and mentor a team of AI/ML, robotics, and software engineers.
• Collaborate with program leaders, operators, mission owners, and technical authorities.
• Communicate complex autonomy concepts to both technical and non‑technical stakeholders.

Innovation & R&D

• Evaluate emerging autonomy technologies (reinforcement learning, cooperative SLAM, onboard LLM agents, adaptive swarming behaviors).
• Drive rapid experimentation and prototyping to accelerate fieldable capability.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED TO SUCCEEDEducation

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Robotics, Aerospace Engineering, or similar STEM discipline (advanced degree preferred).

Experience

• 15+ years of engineering experience, including significant work in AI/ML, robotics, UAS autonomy, or multi‑agent systems.
• Demonstrated experience developing autonomy capabilities for unmanned or robotic platforms (Defense, commercial, aerospace, or research environments).

Technical Expertise

• Autonomy algorithms: motion planning, path optimization, obstacle avoidance, mapping/SLAM, swarming, multi‑agent coordination.
• AI/ML frameworks: PyTorch, TensorFlow, JAX, ONNX.
• Robotics frameworks: ROS/ROS2, MAVLink, PX4/ArduPilot, custom autonomy stacks.
• Simulation: Gazebo, AirSim, FlightGoggles, or equivalent.
• Edge compute: NVIDIA Jetson, VPUs, tactical compute nodes, embedded Linux.
• Distributed systems & C2 integration: data links, tactical protocols, mesh networks, publish/subscribe architectures.
• Software engineering: Python, C++, real‑time systems, containerization, DevSecOps, CI/CD pipelines.
• Cloud/cluster orchestration: Kubernetes, Helm, GitLab CI, ArgoCD.
• IaC: Terraform, Pulumi, Ansible.
• AI/ML system security and DoD cybersecurity compliance.

Clearance Requirements

• U.S. Citizenship required
• Top Secret required with the ability to obtain and maintain a TS/SCI

ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develop and maintain autonomy algorithms and pipelines—from sensor ingestion to real‑time decision‑making.
• Engineer resilient, scalable autonomy stacks for UAS fleets and multi‑vehicle teams.
• Oversee deployment, monitoring, tuning, and sustainment of autonomous platforms.
• Manage AI/ML model governance, versioning, and auditability.
• Integrate autonomy software with tactical systems, edge devices, and enterprise platforms.
• Lead vulnerability mitigation, patching, and survivability improvements.
• Provide SME guidance on best practices for DevSecOps, autonomy safety, and mission‑critical AI.

GDIT IS YOUR PLACE
At GDIT, the mission is our purpose, and our people are at the center of everything we do.
● Growth: AI-powered career tool that identifies career steps and learning opportunities
● Support: An internal mobility team focused on helping you achieve your career goals
● Rewards: Comprehensive benefits and wellness packages, 401K with company match, and competitive pay and paid time off
● Community: Award-winning culture of innovation and a military-friendly workplace
OWN YOUR OPPORTUNITY
Explore a career at GDIT and you’ll find endless opportunities to grow alongside colleagues who share your sense of ownership and pride in the meaningful work we do.

The likely salary range for this position is $170,144 - $218,500. This is not, however, a guarantee of compensation or salary. Rather, salary will be set based on experience, geographic location and possibly contractual requirements and could fall outside of this range.

Scheduled Weekly Hours:

40

Travel Required:

25-50%

Telecommuting Options:

Remote

Work Location:

Any Location / Remote

Additional Work Locations:

Total Rewards at GDIT:

Our benefits package for all US-based employees includes a variety of medical plan options, some with Health Savings Accounts, dental plan options, a vision plan, and a 401(k) plan offering the ability to contribute both pre and post-tax dollars up to the IRS annual limits and receive a company match. To encourage work/life balance, GDIT offers employees full flex work weeks where possible and a variety of paid time off plans, including vacation, sick and personal time, holidays, paid parental, military, bereavement and jury duty leave. GDIT typically provides new employees with 15 days of paid leave per calendar year to be used for vacations, personal business, and illness and an additional 10 paid holidays per year. Paid leave and paid holidays are prorated based on the employee’s date of hire. The GDIT Paid Family Leave program provides a total of up to 160 hours of paid leave in a rolling 12 month period for eligible employees. To ensure our employees are able to protect their income, other offerings such as short and long-term disability benefits, life, accidental death and dismemberment, personal accident, critical illness and business travel and accident insurance are provided or available. We regularly review our Total Rewards package to ensure our offerings are competitive and reflect what our employees have told us they value most.

 

Our Identity Verification Process:

As part of the hiring process, we will ask you to complete an identity verification process that leverages advanced biometrics and artificial intelligence to ensure authenticity and protect against identity fraud. You are expected to be on camera during virtual interviews. We reserve the right to take your picture to verify your identity and prevent fraud. By proceeding, you authorize the collection, processing, and use of your biometric data for identity verification and security purposes.

About Our Work:

We are GDIT. A global technology and professional services company that delivers technology solutions and mission services to every major agency across the U.S. government, defense and intelligence community. Our 26,000 experts extract the power of technology to create immediate value and deliver solutions at the edge of innovation. We operate across 50+ countries worldwide, offering leading mission-ready capabilities in AI, cloud, cyber and software development.

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Equal Opportunity Employer / Individuals with Disabilities / Protected Veterans