Autonomy Software Engineer

Autonomy Software Engineer

This role focuses on designing, developing, and implementing advanced autonomy systems for off‑highway vehicles, including boom lifts, scissor lifts, and telehandlers.

You will lead the development of robust solutions that leverage innovative sensor technologies and algorithms to enable safe, efficient, and reliable autonomous operation.

Working within a technology development team, you will perform system‑level trade studies, develop and integrate state estimation and navigation algorithms, and collaborate closely with multidisciplinary hardware and software teams to bring cutting‑edge autonomy capabilities into production products.

Responsibilities

• Perform autonomy development tasks, including system trade studies and component modeling of inertial measurement units (IMU), global navigation satellite systems (GNSS), cameras, radar, and Li DAR.
• Simulate and implement navigation algorithms, with a strong focus on Bayesian filters and optimal state estimation techniques.
• Propose and evaluate autonomy architecture concepts and perform architecture and technology trade‑off analyses for complex systems.
• Define, document, and validate requirements for sensors and state estimation software, including sensor selection, monitoring, fault detection, and sensor fusion strategies.
• Analyze, source, and select sensor solutions for integration into navigation and autonomy systems.
• Develop and integrate state estimation algorithms for localization, calibration, mapping, and SLAM applications in robotic and autonomous systems.
• Design and implement algorithms that fuse multiple sensor modalities to improve robustness and performance of autonomy functions.
• Work with a multi‑disciplinary team to develop and integrate complex hardware and software systems into off‑highway vehicles.
• Participate in rapid prototyping activities to develop and demonstrate advanced sensing and autonomy capabilities on hardware platforms.
• Contribute to system and operational architecture concepts, ensuring that autonomy solutions align with product requirements and safety expectations.
• Participate in requirements definition and decomposition into sub‑functions and software modules for autonomy systems.
• Develop modern C++ software (C++11 and higher) for embedded systems, focusing on perception, path planning, and state estimation.
• Utilize ROS1 or ROS2 to integrate, test, and deploy autonomy software components on robotic and vehicle platforms.
• Apply object‑oriented programming principles to create modular, reusable, and highly abstracted code for autonomy software.
• Support agile software development practices, including sprint planning, code reviews, and continuous integration workflows.
• Work with embedded devices and hardware interfaces to ensure reliable operation of autonomy features in real‑world environments.
• Operate within a regulatory environment, ensuring that autonomy solutions meet applicable standards and compliance requirements.
• Support and enhance highly automated systems, improving existing autonomy capabilities and integrating new features into current products.
• Prepare and deliver clear technical presentations to autonomy and engineering stakeholders, explaining design decisions, trade‑offs, and performance results.
• Provide technical support and guidance to team members and stakeholders on autonomy‑related topics.
• Communicate proactively, follow up on open issues, and ensure stakeholders remain informed about progress and risks.
• Manage tasks independently, prioritize work effectively, and meet deadlines in a fast‑paced development environment.

Essential Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a closely related field.
• Experience in physics‑based modeling for mechanical and electrical systems.
• Minimum 3–4 years of experience in sensor signal processing and sensor fusion algorithms.
• Experience with navigation systems and performance analysis of navigation solutions, including navigation state error estimation.
• Knowledge of optimal state estimation filters such as Kalman Filters and Extended Kalman Filters (EKF).
• Experience developing and integrating state estimation algorithms for localization, calibration, mapping, or SLAM applications in robotic systems.
• Proficiency in modern C++ (C++11 and higher) with strong hands‑on development experience.
• Proficiency with ROS1 or ROS2 for robotics and autonomy applications.
• Experience with object‑oriented programming and designing modular, reusable software components.
• Ability to interpret, develop, and integrate highly abstracted code to improve efficiency, modularity, and reusability.
• Experience with embedded systems and embedded devices in real‑time or near real‑time environments.
• Experience working with autonomy systems, including perception and path planning components.
• Experience with agile software development practices, such as iterative development, sprints, and continuous integration.
• Experience working in a regulatory environment and with highly automated systems.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to present complex technical topics clearly.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to independently prioritize tasks, manage time effectively, and meet project deadlines.
• Self‑motivated, forward‑thinking mindset with a focus on innovation and continuous improvement.
• Hands‑on autonomy experience, including building autonomy systems from scratch, improving existing capabilities, or integrating autonomy solutions into existing products.
• Experience with robotics and autonomous vehicles, particularly in off‑highway or similar domains.
• Exposure to Python for supporting development, tooling, or scripting tasks.
• Additional Skills & Qualifications
• Proficiency in Make and CMake for building and managing complex software projects.
• Proficiency with modern software development workflows, including version control systems, automated pipelines, unit testing, and peer review practices.
• Experience with optimization algorithms for improving performance and efficiency of autonomy and state estimation solutions.
• Experience in computer vision techniques for perception and environment understanding.
• Experience with machine learning approaches applied to autonomy, perception, or sensor fusion.
• Experience with autonomy development for off‑highway vehicles or heavy equipment.
• Experience integrating autonomy solutions into existing products and platforms.
• Ability to bring practical, real‑world autonomy experience and perspective to a growing team.

Work Environment

You will join a growing and dynamic technology development team where most members are smart, technically capable, and early in their careers.

The environment encourages innovation, experimentation, and the freedom to explore new projects, supported by advanced tools and technologies that foster creativity and achievement.

The culture values practical autonomy experience and real‑world perspective, and you will play a key role in shaping how autonomy is implemented across a portfolio of off‑highway machines.

The team typically follows a hybrid work model with an official guideline of three days onsite and two days remote per week; in practice, most employees are onsite approximately four days per week with an average of one work‑from‑home day.

There is substantial flexibility in scheduling, but hardware and machine interaction remain critical to the role, so regular onsite presence is important to test, validate, and refine autonomy solutions on actual equipment.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Frederick, MD.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $55.28 - $69.71/hr.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment.

Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms.

• If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following:
• Medical, dental & vision
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
• 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre‑tax and Roth post‑tax contributions available
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
• Short and long‑term disability
• Health Spending Account (HSA)
• Transportation benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)
• Workplace Type

This is a hybrid position in Frederick, MD.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Jul 23, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions.

We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market.

With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.

S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500.

We are proud to be an Engineering News‑Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a Clearly Rated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment.

An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates.

AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team.

By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.

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