Autonomy Engineer

Vatn builds affordable modular autonomous underwater vehicles. Stay tuned for the launch of our first AUV. We are backed by Decisive Point.

Location: Bristol RI
Company size: 10–50
Posted: Today
Via: Greenhouse

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Autonomy Engineer · Vatn Systems

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Job title: Autonomy Engineer
Job location: Bristol RI
Job listing URL: https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/vatnsystems/jobs/4371450009
Job description: We're looking for an Autonomy Engineer to build the software that makes our AUVs capable in the real world. You'll own features end to end — from whiteboard to sea trial — and see your code run on vehicles in the water within weeks, not quarters. If you want tight feedback loops between what you write and what a vehicle does, this is that job.
What you'll do

Develop motion planning, path planning, behavior planning, and control systems for autonomous underwater vehicles

Build autonomy capabilities spanning navigation, collision avoidance, target following, station keeping, formation behavior, and multi-vehicle coordination

Make autonomy algorithms robust to the conditions that actually break them: degraded sensors, uncertain environments, dynamic contacts, and GNSS-denied operation

Own technical tradeoffs across performance, safety, reliability, latency, compute constraints, and mission requirements

Work directly with perception and sensor engineers to turn perception outputs into safe, effective autonomy decisions

Mature autonomy from prototype capability into reliable, repeatable, fielded behavior — including time on the water supporting test and deployment

What you bring

Strong engineering foundation — CS, Software Engineering, Robotics, Mathematics, Physics, or equivalent hands-on experience

3+ years writing production C++, Python, or Rust in a Linux environment

Experience building robust data-driven software

Ability to get up to speed quickly in complex, established codebases

Proven results in simulation and field tests

Nice to have

Maritime sensors, underwater acoustics, or subsea systems

Advanced degree (Master’s or Ph.D.) in a relevant technical field

ROS 2, or comparable robotics middleware

Estimation and sensor fusion (INS/DVL, Kalman filtering)

Prior startup and/or defense industry experience

Candidates must be U.S.Citizens and able to receive a Security Clearance.

Vatn is an equal opportunity employer, and we welcome candidates from all backgrounds to apply.