Autonomy Engineer, State Estimation & Control

About the role

ABOUT BRINC:

At BRINC, we are building the technology that will define the future of emergency response. As a vertically integrated U.S. drone technology company, BRINC designs and manufactures unmanned aircraft systems, autonomous drone stations, command-and-control software, and advanced autonomy for public safety. Today, BRINC deploys Drone as First Responder (DFR) networks that dispatch drones directly to 911 calls, providing real-time aerial intelligence before ground units arrive and helping first responders make faster, safer decisions. BRINC serves more than 1,000 public safety customers across all 50 states, is the sole drone supplier to Motorola Solutions, and has raised more than $280 million from leading strategic and technology investors, including Motorola Solutions, Index Ventures, Sam Altman, Dylan Field, and others. BRINC is recruiting exceptional engineers to build the next generation of autonomous emergency-response technology, including flight-critical firmware and advanced pilot-assistance capabilities.

ABOUT THIS ROLE:

We are seeking an Autonomy Engineer to join our team and advance the reliability and resiliency of our UAV state estimation & control systems. You will design, implement, and optimize real-time algorithms that enable the drone to localize itself and maintain stability while moving through the world. In this role, you will work with sensor fusion algorithms (EKFs, factor graphs, VIO), and fast real-time control loops. You will collaborate closely with navigation, embedded software, and hardware teams to bring next-generation solutions into production UAV platforms.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

- Research and design algorithms enabling UAV state estimation and control.

- Implement and optimize real-time estimation & control algorithms on embedded processors for computational efficiency and system resiliency.

- Validate estimation and control performance through simulation, log replay, hardware-in-the-loop, and real-world flight testing in a variety of conditions.

- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure seamless integration.

- Contribute to technical strategy, define best practices, and help guide the evolution of the estimation and control stack as systems scale and mature.

QUALIFICATIONS:

- PhD in Computer Science or a related field, or a Master's degree with a minimum of 2+ years of industry experience.

- Strong programming skills in C++ and Python, with experience developing software for real physical systems.

- Experience developing state estimation and/or control algorithms for physical unmanned systems.

- Solid understanding of estimation and control fundamentals (EKFs, state feedback control).

PREFERRED SKILLS:

- Familiarity with modern sensor fusion approaches such as factor graphs

- Familiarity with robust or adaptive control

- Experience with ROS2, PX4, MAVSDK, and/or similar robotics middleware