Autonomous Systems Pilot/Integrator - The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory Inc

Draper is an independent, nonprofit research and development company headquartered in Cambridge, MA. The 2,000+ employees of Draper tackle important national challenges with a promise of delivering successful and usable solutions. From military defense and space exploration to biomedical engineering, lives often depend on the solutions we provide. Our multidisciplinary teams of engineers and scientists work in a collaborative environment that inspires the cross-fertilization of ideas necessary for true innovation. For more information about Draper, visit www.draper.com.

Our work is very important to us, but so is our life outside of work. Draper supports many programs to improve work-life balance including workplace flexibility, employee clubs ranging from photography to yoga, health and finance workshops, off site social events and discounts to local museums and cultural activities. If this specific job opportunity and the chance to work at a nationally renowned R&D innovation company appeals to you, apply now www.draper.com/careers.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Draper is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer.   We understand the value of diversity and its impact on a high-performance culture.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or genetic information.   

Draper is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. To request reasonable accommodation, please contact hr@draper.com.

GAC8's primary focus is to support the development of Draper Autonomy, Guidance and Navigation algorithms and the integration of them onto robotic systems. GAC8 is primarily focused on Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) integration. The team has a wide variety of skill sets, ranging from mechanical design and fabrication, to software development and electronics integration.

A key component of GAC8 is its ability to rapidly support customer requests to design, build, test, and fly prototype UAVs and sensor payloads.

As an Autonomous Systems Pilot/Integrator in the autonomous systems domain you will be exposed to a broad range of technical challenges. In this role, you will tackle difficult problems, problems of national interest, and support the development of advanced robotic systems from concept through delivery. You will be asked to participate in and lead hardware development, prototype fabrication, integrated software and hardware bench testing, field testing, and customer interaction. You will have the opportunity to support flight test operations, operate ground stations, operate prototype Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), troubleshoot and tune UAS, and support integration of unique payloads. This is an exciting environment and we are looking for energetic and motivated engineers to build our team.

The position requires practical hands-on development and testing, and includes both laboratory and in-the-field analysis and troubleshooting. As such, the candidate must be flexible and willing to tackle any aspect of system test, development, fabrication, troubleshooting and packaging. Candidates must have experience contributing to business growth and will be required to support prosals as needed within the UAV domain. The ability to work well as part of a small, tightly integrated team and lead portions of program tasks is a requirement, and some travel is expected.

The ideal candidate will have 7+ years of experience building and flying both multi-copter and fixed wing aircraft. The candidate should be considered and expert pilot, with demonstrated skills flying UAVs while in/out of first-person view (FPV) goggles. The candidate should have experience building UAVs from the ground up, task planning, and can approach problems by using their understanding of the structural, power, and electrical components as well an understanding of basic communication protocol for onboard sensors and remote radio control.

It is preferred that the candidate have experience using 3D CAD software such as Solidworks and experience 3D printing and CNC milling. The ideal candidate must have an interest in all aspects of the development and rigorous testing of unique robotic systems.

Demonstrated ability to diagnose and solve a variety of issues on UAV systems that involve complex interactions between components, subsystems, etc. Able to troubleshoot power, communications, and structural elements of UAVs and their payloads. Able to troubleshoot, tune, and test flight controller parameters on complicated air frames such as vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) UAVs. Evaluates multiple, alternate solutions and recommends path forward with supporting evidence.

Minimum Education requirement is High school plus 7 years of relevant experience.

#LI-MF1