Apium Swarm Robotics (ASR) is revolutionizing swarm autonomy software for air, surface, undersea, and ground vehicles operating across dual-use commercial and defense environments. Our systems are deployed on real platforms, tested in the field, and delivered to customers operating in complex, uncertain, and safety-critical conditions.We do not build research prototypes or slideware. Our software is integrated into real vehicles, tested in the field, and delivered to customers who depend on operational reliability, speed of execution, and mission relevance. We prioritize performance over hype.ASR systems represent the next phase in autonomy: collaborative swarming. These are not like pre-programmed drones for light shows. We are creating real-time cooperative management that lets one operator control dozens to hundreds of vehicles in real-time with the ease of controlling a single vehicle. As such, this role requires comfort with responsibility, ambiguity, and operational accountability.ASR seeks a Senior Autonomous Behavior Engineer to build the next generation of swarm behaviors that define what ASR’s drones do once they’re in the air. This is a deeply technical individual contributor role focused on the conceptual, algorithmic, and software work of taking a customer use case and translating it into a deployable behavior — from initial whiteboard through simulation, hardware-in-the-loop testing, and field validation with live drones.You will work backwards from operational scenarios identified by ASR’s mission engineers, customers, field teams, or fellow software engineers. A typical engagement looks like this: a mission engineer returns from a customer exercise with a new swarm mission concept; you sit with them to extract the underlying operational logic; you decompose that into the autonomy primitives; and you build, test, and ship it. Your output is behaviors that are robust enough to survive field conditions, not just demos that work on a clean simulator.A core part of the role is partnering with the UI/UX team to define how each behavior is operated. For every new behavior you build, you will specify the levers and knobs that operators need exposed in the ground station, agree on naming and semantics, and ensure the operator workflow is buildable before the behavior is locked. You will do the same for ASR’s API surface, ensuring partner-integrated UIs — TAK plugins, customer C2 systems, third-party planning tools — can task and control your behaviors cleanly.You will own behavior testing across simulation, hardware-in-the-loop, and live flight, partnering with QA and Test engineers to define the test configurations and scenario coverage that get built into ASR’s CI/CD pipeline and that Mission Engineers run prior to customer demonstrations. You will also serve as an internal advocate for behavior-development velocity: you will identify refinements and optimizations to the core autonomy codebase that would make future behaviors faster and easier to construct, and you will bring those recommendations to the core software engineering team.Essential Duties and ResponsibilitiesDesign, implement, and field-validate new autonomous behaviors for ASR’s swarm platform, working from customer use cases through deploymentPartner with mission engineers, customers, and field teams to extract operational requirements and decompose them into the autonomy primitives the system actually needsCollaborate with the UI/UX team to define operator levers, knobs, and workflows for each behavior, agreeing on naming and semantics before the behavior is lockedDefine and document the API surface for each behavior so that partner-integrated UIs (TAK plugins, customer C2 systems, third-party planning tools) can task and control it cleanlyBuild and run simulation, hardware-in-the-loop, and live-flight tests for every behavior, with quantitative pass/fail criteriaMaintain and extend ASR’s behavior library, including documentation, parameter tuning interfaces, and regression test coveragePartner with QA and Test engineers to define behavior-specific test configurations, parameter sweeps, and scenario coverage, ensuring this coverage is built into ASR’s CI/CD pipeline and made available for Mission Engineers to run on pre-demonstration test flightsContribute to architectural decisions about the broader autonomy stack, including primitive selection, behavior composition, and behavior arbitrationIdentify and recommend refinements and optimizations to the core autonomy codebase that would improve the velocity, fluidity, and reliability of future behavior development, partnering with core software engineers to drive those improvements forwardSupport field exercises and customer demonstrations where new behaviors are flown for the first timeRequired QualificationsMust be a US Citizen7+ years of professional experience in robotics, autonomy, modeling and simulation, or a closely related technical domainStrong proficiency in C++Demonstrated experience designing and implementing autonomous behaviors for ground, air, surface, or subsurface platforms — not just integrating existing onesStrong foundation in linear algebra and vector math (required), including coordinate transforms, plus working knowledge of optimization or control theory and applied probabilityComfort with the full behavior-development lifecycle from concept through field validation, including the testing rigor required to make something work outside a clean simulatorDemonstrated ability to work from operational use-case requirements (not just from technical specifications), translating “the operator wants the drones to do X under Y conditions” into deployable codeDaily working experience with a simulation environment such as Gazebo, ROS, AirSim, custom SITL, or comparableStrong written communication, including the ability to document behavior interfaces and API surfaces so other engineers and partner teams can integrate against themAbility to work effectively within a cross-functional team alongside mission engineers, UI/UX engineers, firmware and hardware engineers, and field operationsAdditional Desired QualificationsGraduate degree (MS or PhD) in Robotics, Computer Science, Aerospace Engineering, Operations Research, or a related fieldBackground in Modeling, Virtual Environments & Simulation (MOVES) or an equivalent M&S-focused graduate program for simulations or gamingExperience with multi-agent systems, swarm autonomy, or distributed decision-making algorithmsFamiliarity with TAK (Team Awareness Kit), CoT (Cursor on Target), or comparable tactical command-and-control messaging standardsExperience with MAVLink, PX4, ArduPilot, or comparable autopilot ecosystemsFamiliarity with behavior trees, finite state machines, or hierarchical task planning as autonomy formalismsExperience with formal methods, scenario-based testing, or other rigorous verification approaches for autonomyExperience designing automated test infrastructure for autonomy or robotics, including parameter-sweep frameworks, scenario libraries, or simulation-based tests integrated into a CI/CD pipelineExperience with field testing of robotic or autonomous systems, including first-flight discipline and post-flight analysisFamiliarity with reinforcement learning, learned policies, or hybrid classical-and-learned autonomy approachesVideo game programming experience (Unity, Unreal, or custom engines), which demonstrates the ability to build, simulate, and reason about behavior in virtual worldsU.S. security clearance or ability to obtain onePhysical Requirements and Working ConditionsMust be able to walk, stand, and navigate large indoor and outdoor facilities for extended periods of time.Ability to lift, carry, and move materials and equipment weighing up to 25 lbs on a regular basis.Use of personal protective equipment (PPE) may be required in designated areas or when performing specific tasks, in accordance with safety protocols and company policy.May be required to climb ladders, stoop, kneel, or crouch during inspections, maintenance walk-throughs, or emergency response situations.Regular exposure to facility operations including noise, dust, temperature fluctuations, and industrial equipment.Occasional off-hours or weekend work required for emergency facility responses or projects as neededRequires frequent use of a computer and other standard office equipment for documentation, communication, and coordination tasks.Requirement to travel up to 25% of the time, based on customer integration needs and operational requirements.Background CheckThis position will require successfully completing a post-offer background check. Qualified candidates with a criminal history will be considered and are not automatically disqualified, consistent with federal and state law.EEO and ITAR/EAR Work Authorization DisclosureRed Cat Holdings provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This position requires direct or indirect access to hardware, software, technology or technical data controlled under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). Successful candidates for positions subject to ITAR/EAR restrictions must provide proof of U.S. Citizenship or Permanent Residence and must not require sponsorship for export-restricted work authorization.E-VerifyThe company participates E-Verify ensure eligibility for employment and compliance with Right to Work rules.Compensation: $120K - $200K, plus generous annual equity package and potential bonuses.
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