Autonomy Software Engineer

About TILT
TILT Autonomy builds autonomy hardware and software for uncrewed systems — flight management control systems for aircraft and for surface vessels. We're a focused, technical team, and most of us come from engineering or defense backgrounds.

We're growing, and we need another engineer who can take a hard problem and drive it to a working result.

The Role
You'll write autonomy software that runs on aircraft and vessels. Embedded and real-time code that is close to the hardware, control and estimation logic that makes an aircraft or a boat do the right thing, and the tools around it.

Because we're a small team, you'll touch a wide surface. One week is firmware and sensor integration; the next is a control loop, a ground-station feature, or a build tool that makes everyone faster.

What You'll Own
Write and test embedded / real-time software for flight and vessel platforms
Build and tune control, guidance, and state-estimation logic, validated in sim and on hardware
Integrate sensors, actuators, and comms — reason about timing, and diagnose issues at the hardware boundary
Improve the tooling and infrastructure the team builds on — ground software, test rigs, data pipelines, internal tools
Take a fuzzy directive and carry it to a working, tested result without waiting to be told the next step

What We're Looking For
Must have:

Strong C++ and/or C, and the judgment to write software that holds up under demanding conditions
Comfort on embedded, real-time, or Linux targets
Solid grasp of sensors, timing, and working at the hardware boundary
Git-fluent, and able to work independently in a small team with shifting priorities
U.S. citizenship or permanent residency

Strongly preferred:

Flight-stack experience — ArduPilot, PX4, or MAVLink
Controls, state estimation, or GNC fundamentals (Kalman filtering, PID, simulation)
Python for tooling and analysis
Experience taking code onto vehicles or other hardware

Nice to have:

UAV, marine, or other uncrewed-systems domain experience
DDS or other comms/telemetry work
Full-stack ability for internal tools and dashboards
Active security clearance

We care more about what you can build than where you learned it. No specific degree is required, and the pay band spans mid-level through senior — we'll match the offer to the person.

Why TILT
Do interesting work. Small team, hard problems, autonomy that ships.
Ownership. You'll have meaningful influence over what we build and how, and see your code run on hardware.
Sustainable pace. We work hard and build for the long haul.
Benefits. ICHRA health benefit, 401(k), and paid time off.

Location & Schedule
Remote or on-site in Annapolis, MD. Local candidates get more time at the bench with the hardware; remote works well for engineers who can drive their own work and travel occasionally for integration and testing.