Autonomy Software Engineer

The job

LIVE Employer public job feed (private-sector employer) Source: the employer's public careers feed · Data: listed 2026-08-28

Job description

About the Role

We are seeking an Autonomy Software Engineer to develop flight autonomy capabilities for Hermeus’ supersonic vehicle fleet. You will build software spanning guidance and control, mission autonomy, and navigation while working closely with RPA pilots, GNC engineers, software platform engineers, simulation engineers, and command-and-control teams. 

This is a hands-on role for an engineer who is comfortable owning difficult, cross-functional problems from initial design through integration and flight testing. You will directly influence how Hermeus aircraft navigate, execute missions, interact with operators, and progressively achieve higher levels of autonomy. 

The ideal candidate combines strong modern C++ software-development skills with experience in autonomous or unmanned systems and a practical understanding of guidance, controls, and navigation. 

Responsibilities

• Develop modern C++ software for flight autonomy, guidance, navigation, and control 

• Design and implement mission-autonomy behaviors and vehicle decision-making capabilities 

• Develop and integrate guidance and control loops for unmanned aircraft 

• Support the integration, evaluation, and validation of navigation sensors and navigation solutions 

• Integrate autonomy capabilities into existing aircraft software architectures and command-and-control systems 

• Develop automated test suites, simulation scenarios, and utilities to verify autonomy performance and expected behavior 

• Work closely with GNC and simulation engineers to develop, test, and validate autonomy algorithms 

• Partner with RPA pilots and flight-operations teams to define and execute the autonomy roadmap 

• Integrate autonomy software with vehicle systems, communications links, ground systems, and operator interfaces 

• Diagnose and resolve complex problems spanning autonomy software, vehicle dynamics, navigation, simulation, and command-and-control interfaces 

• Participate in software-in-the-loop, hardware-in-the-loop, ground-test, and flight-test activities 

• Own technical problems from initial investigation through implementation, integration, testing, and operational use 

• Drive solutions across multidisciplinary teams in environments where requirements and vehicle capabilities are rapidly evolving 

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Robotics, or a related technical field 

• Strong proficiency with modern C++, including experience developing production-quality software 

• Strong general software-engineering fundamentals, including software architecture, debugging, testing, and performance-conscious development 

• Experience developing software for unmanned aircraft, autonomous vehicles, robotics, spacecraft, or other autonomous systems 

• Experience with guidance and control algorithms, control loops, trajectory generation, or vehicle guidance software 

• Experience developing or integrating flight or mission-autonomy capabilities 

• Experience developing or integrating navigation systems, sensors, or state-estimation solutions 

• Ability to work effectively across software, GNC, simulation, systems, operations, and other engineering disciplines 

• Demonstrated ability to independently identify technical problems and drive them through resolution 

• Experience integrating complex software capabilities into larger vehicle or robotic-system architectures 

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Experience developing autonomy software for unmanned aerial systems or remotely piloted aircraft 

• Experience with flight guidance, path planning, trajectory generation, control allocation, or vehicle control 

• Experience with GNSS, INS, IMUs, air-data systems, sensor fusion, or other navigation technologies 

• Experience integrating autonomy software with command-and-control systems 

• Familiarity with over-the-air communications, vehicle-to-ground protocols, telemetry, and command interfaces 

• Experience with mission planning, contingency management, health monitoring, or autonomous decision-making 

• Experience with Linux-based embedded or real-time software systems 

• Experience with simulation, SIL, HIL, system-integration labs, ground testing, or flight testing 

• Experience collaborating directly with pilots, operators, or flight-test teams 

• Aerospace, defense, robotics, autonomous vehicle, or spacecraft experience 

• Experience working in a startup, rapid-prototyping, or highly iterative development environment 

The salary range listed for this role is intended as a general guideline. Final compensation will be determined based on a variety of factors, including role scope and responsibilities, relevant experience, education and training, key skills, market data, and business needs.

At Hermeus, compensation is only one part of our total rewards package. We offer competitive pay, equity, and a range of benefits designed to support our team.

Benefits:

• Health & Wellness: 100% employer-paid healthcare and pet insurance
• Financial: Competitive pay, stock options, 401(k) retirement plan, and potential year-end bonuses
• Time Off: Paid parental leave, 12 federal holidays, unlimited PTO for exempt employees, and generous accrued PTO for non-exempt employees
• Office Perks: Weekly paid office lunches and fully stocked breakrooms

Explore around this job

Field: Technology Sub-niche: Software engineering All jobs at Hermeus Jobs in California Jobs in Los Angeles, CA Los Angeles city guide California state guide Los Angeles County economy

View this job and apply on the employer's page →

You apply on the employer's page; AtiveSite does not receive or process applications and is not affiliated with the employer. The description above is shown as the source published it.

About the role

This is a — role in the Technology field (Software engineering) at Hermeus.

We could not match this job title to one occupation in the official wage statistics, so no pay estimate is shown. Pay is not in the source listing; ask the employer for the range and compare in the 240 job niches.

Does the pay work here? (estimate)

How to prepare and behave

This is editorial guidance, not information from the employer.

• Read the whole description and match your examples to its requirements; use the same words the posting uses where they are true for you.
• Research the employer before the interview: what it does, who its customers are and recent news; prepare two or three questions about the work.
• Arrive early (or log in early for a video call), dress one step above the daily dress code, and test your camera and audio beforehand.
• Answer with short stories: the situation, what you did and the result. Give numbers when you have them and never invent them.
• Be honest about gaps; say what you did to learn and how fast you can close them.
• Ask about the team, the first 90 days, how success is measured and the schedule; do not open with salary and time off.
• When pay comes up, know the market range for the occupation and your lowest acceptable offer before you answer; ask for the full package in writing.
• Send a short thank-you message within a day, mentioning one thing you discussed.
• Have code, data work or projects you can show, and be ready to think aloud: many technical interviews test how you reason, not only the answer.

Know your rights as a candidate and an employee:

• U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission: prohibited employment practices
• U.S. Department of Labor: Wage and Hour Division
• CareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor): job search help, interview tips and resumes
• USA.gov: avoiding job scams

The city

The job is in Los Angeles, CA. Below is what the official statistics say about living and working there.

How Los Angeles compares. Among the 145 largest places in California, Los Angeles is #1 by population, #141 for homeownership (#1 = highest), #121 for household income (#1 = highest), #39 for rent (#1 = cheapest). Its county, Los Angeles County, is #7 of 58 counties for average pay ($83,554).

The place in numbers

Los Angeles has 3,857,263 residents (ACS 2020–2024), about 9.8% of the population of California. It covers 471 square miles of land, which works out to roughly 8,198 people per square mile. The median age is 37.2, about the same as the state median (37.2 against 37.9).

Housing

The median gross rent is $1,933 a month (rent plus utilities), 5% below the state median ($1,933 against $2,036). Over a year that is 28.3% of the median household income. US housing guidance treats housing as affordable when it takes 30% of income or less, so the typical household is under that line. The median home value is $921,200, which is 11.2 times the median household income ($81,939); a ratio above 5 usually means buying is out of reach without savings or a second income. 36.0% of households own their home, 36% below the state average (36.0% against 55.9%). A low ownership share points to a rental-heavy market with more apartments and shorter stays.

Work and pay

The Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metropolitan area has 6,271,560 jobs in the BLS wage survey, and the median pay across all occupations is $55,850 a year, 10% above the national median ($55,850 against $50,980). The biggest occupation groups are office and administrative support (702,480 jobs, median $52,710); food preparation and serving related (588,660 jobs, median $38,460); healthcare support (537,460 jobs, median $35,630). The area is most specialised in arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media (2.2 times) and healthcare support (1.7 times), where the share of workers is well above the national share. The best-paying groups with at least 5,000 jobs are management ($136,490) and legal ($128,110). In 2026M09 the unemployment rate of Los Angeles County was 4.5%. 66.4% of residents aged 16 and over are in the labour force. The city lies in Los Angeles County; its jobs, pay by industry and GDP are on the county page.

Getting around

Among workers, 59.8% drive alone, 6.1% use public transit, 3.2% walk, 19.5% work from home. 22.2% of workers commute 45 minutes or more, 14% above the state average (22.2% against 19.4%).

People and education

38.5% of adults aged 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 4% above the state share (38.5% against 37.1%). 35.7% of residents were born outside the United States, 32% above the state share (35.7% against 27.0%). The poverty rate is 16.6%, 38% above the state rate (16.6% against 12.0%).

Climate

The warmest month is Aug, averaging 75°F (23.9°C), and the coolest is Dec at 53°F (11.8°C). About 332 mm (13 inches) of precipitation falls in a year; Feb is the wettest month (75 mm) and Jun the driest (1 mm). These values come from NASA satellite-based climatology on a grid of about 50 km, so they describe the wider area, not a weather station in the city.

Nearby cities to compare

Closest cities in this guide: Santa Monica (5 miles, rent 24% higher); Inglewood (6 miles, rent 8% lower); Hawthorne (8 miles, rent 8% lower); Burbank (13 miles, rent 13% higher). Rent differences are against Los Angeles; use the Compare tab to put any two cities side by side.

Full guide to Los Angeles →California guideAll jobs in Los Angeles

Official links for Los Angeles

• Census Bureau data profile for Los Angeles
• Official website of Los Angeles County: lacounty.gov
• Official state website: ca.gov
• BLS Economy at a Glance: California

These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.

Where to live

CITY Official statistics Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year (via Census Reporter) · Data: ACS 2020–2024

Places within 50 miles (straight line) of Los Angeles, CA that have a guide, with what living there costs. No pay estimate is shown because the title did not match one occupation.

Career paths

We could not match this title to one occupation, so here are the other sub-niches in Technology, where your skills may carry over:

Cybersecurity (762) Data, analytics and AI (3719) Cloud, IT and infrastructure (1147) Product management (927)

Distances

CITY Calculation (straight line) Source: U.S. Census Bureau Gazetteer (coordinates) · Data: 2024

How far Los Angeles, CA is from the 20 largest US cities, in straight-line miles (not driving distance). Click a column to sort.

Nearby cities with open jobs (within 120 miles)

The employer

Hermeus is the employer in this listing. See all its open jobs here →

We do not hold headcount or revenue for this employer. Check its careers site and, if it is listed on a stock exchange, its public filings (SEC EDGAR search).

What it is like to work at a company (culture, schedules, benefits) is not in the source data, so we do not describe it. Read the description and ask the questions under "How to prepare".

Other open jobs at Hermeus

Similar jobs

Same sub-niche: Software engineering

More jobs in Los Angeles, CA

All Software engineering jobs → · All Technology sub-niches →

FAQ

What is the Autonomy Software Engineer job at Hermeus?

A private-sector role in technology (software engineering) listed 73 days ago. The full description is on this page and on the employer's page.

Where is this job?

Los Angeles, CA.

How do I apply?

Use the "View this job and apply on the employer's page" button. AtiveSite does not receive applications.

How much does it pay?

The listing does not publish pay, and we could not match the title to one official occupation.

What is the cost of living there?

Median rent in Los Angeles is $1,933 a month and median household income $81,939 (ACS 2020–2024).

How old is this listing?

It was posted on 2026-08-28 (73 days ago). Jobs older than 90 days are not shown.

Are there similar jobs?

Yes: browse software engineering jobs in California.

Sources and terms

• Job data: Hermeus careers page public feed (listing dated 2026-08-28). The job disappears from this site when it disappears from the source.
• Wages and projections: BLS OEWS (May 2025) and Employment Projections 2025–35.
• City and county figures: Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024, BEA, BLS QCEW and LAUS, NASA POWER climatology; distances from Census Gazetteer coordinates.

AtiveSite is not affiliated with or endorsed by the employer or any government agency, and does not process applications. Verify every detail with the employer before acting.

Sources

• BLS OEWS (wages and employment by occupation, May 2025)
• BLS Employment Projections 2025–35
• BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics
• BLS JOLTS
• BLS State and Metro Area Employment
• Census Bureau American Community Survey (via Census Reporter)
• BEA GDP by state and Regional Price Parities
• IRS 2026 tax adjustments
• U.S. Department of Labor, minimum wage by state
• Tax Foundation state income tax rates 2026
• USAJOBS
• USCIS
• U.S. Department of State, visas
• NASA POWER climatology
• GeoNames / Census Gazetteer (coordinates)