Chief Engineer, Space Vehicle Autonomy
Core
Senior technical authority driving architecture, design, and maturation of autonomous decision-making systems and Space Domain Awareness (SDA) for satellite platforms, bridging deterministic autonomy with AI/ML and computer vision.
Role type
Principal Chief Engineer (Space Vehicle Autonomy)
Builds
Autonomous satellite platforms capable of sensing, characterizing, deciding, and acting in contested orbital environments
Domain
Aerospace / Space Systems / AI & Machine Learning
Deliverable
production ML models
Required skills
Spacecraft design and development, Autonomous systems architecture, AI/ML and computer vision integration, Space Domain Awareness (SDA), Sensor fusion, MLOps pipelines, Engineering Review Board leadership, Technical trade-off adjudication
Preferred skills
RPO mission architectures, Autonomy architecture for satellites, PhD in Engineering, Deep-space optical navigation
Technologies
CNNs, State machines, FDIR, MLOps, Software-in-the-loop (SIL), Hardware-in-the-loop (HIL)
Responsibilities
Define autonomy architecture spanning rule-based and AI/ML methods; Lead technical strategy for perception stacks and sensor fusion; Guide MLOps pipelines for flight-qualified models; Adjudicate technical gaps in Engineering/Failure Review Boards; Mentor engineers across the autonomy discipline
Seniority
Principal, technical leadership & strategy