Robotics Software Engineer

About Powerus

Powerus is building a next-generation American autonomous systems platform designed to move, protect, and sustain critical assets in high-consequence environments. The company combines advanced autonomy, manufacturing capability, operational expertise, and strategic acquisitions to support defense, national security, critical infrastructure, and commercial operations globally.

Mission

Our mission is to deliver resilient autonomous technologies that strengthen national security, improve operational safety, and expand the capabilities of organizations operating in complex environments.

Why Join Powerus

Powerus aircraft fly missions with limited operator input: they follow routes, respond to changing tasking, handle lost links, and increasingly coordinate with other aircraft. The software that makes those decisions runs on the aircraft and must behave predictably in conditions that simulation does not fully capture.

This role develops autonomy behaviors and the robotics software framework they run on, and carries them from simulation through flight test.

Position Overview

Powerus is seeking a Robotics Software Engineer to develop autonomy behaviors, mission logic, and onboard robotics software for autonomous aerial systems.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop onboard autonomy behaviors including route following, contingency handling, and return to base
• Develop multi-aircraft coordination and task allocation
• Integrate autonomy software with the flight control stack, perception, and datalinks
• Build and maintain simulation scenarios for autonomy development and regression testing
• Profile and optimize software on embedded compute platforms
• Support flight test and analyze flight logs to resolve defects
• Document software architecture and interfaces

Qualifications

• Must be located in the United States, within commuting distance of Rock Hill, SC
• Bachelor's degree in computer science, computer engineering, or a related discipline, or equivalent practical experience
• Professional experience developing robotics or autonomy software in C++ or Python
• Experience with ROS 2 or a comparable robotics middleware
• Experience with simulation-based development and testing
• Working knowledge of coordinate frames, state estimation, and vehicle dynamics
• Experience with Linux development environments
• U.S. Person status required (U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or protected individual under 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)); this role involves access to ITAR- and EAR-controlled technical data

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with PX4 or ArduPilot
• Experience with Gazebo or comparable simulators
• Experience with multi-agent or collaborative autonomy
• Experience fielding software on aircraft, ground robots, or autonomous vehicles
• Active or prior U.S. security clearance

What We Look For

Candidates should have written autonomy software that ran on a physical robot or vehicle and be able to describe how its behavior in the field differed from simulation.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Powerus is an equal opportunity employer committed to building a diverse and mission-driven workforce. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.