Autonomy Systems Engineer III (Flight Rules & Fault Management)

Eras of humanity can often be defined by a dominant transportation mode - horse drawn chariots, ocean going boats, or aircraft. These were spurred by a small group of people rigorously focused on building technology to achieve faster access to more of the world.  We seek to usher in a new era of humanity defined by universal access to the whole globe free of borders and the presence of a routine way from space to Earth. To do this, we are building highly maneuverable re-entry vehicles that can loiter in orbit before precision landing back on Earth. 

About the Role 

We're building a hypersonic reentry spacecraft called Arc that can return from orbit and land accurately on Earth in under one hour. As the Autonomy Systems Engineer, you will own the rules, logic, and safety structure that govern how the vehicle behaves: mission rules, state transitions, fault trees, and autonomous decision criteria. You’ll work closely with autonomy software, GNC, safety, and missions team to ensure that Arc always knows what to do next and when to protect itself. 

What You’ll Do 

• Define mission rules and vehicle behavior through all phases of flight 
• Build and maintain the On-Board Fault Monitor structure and fault-handling logic 
• Create and update fault trees, hazard analyses, and autonomous response plans 
• Define state transitions and decision criteria for normal, off-nominal, and contingency modes 
• Translate program-level requirements into clear autonomy logic and testable behaviors 
• Collaborate with GNC, Perception, Avionics, and Flight Ops to ensure safe integrated behavior 
• Work with autonomy software engineers to implement mission logic and fault responses 
• Validate flight rules using simulation data, flight telemetry, and scenario testing 
• Support flight test readiness reviews and mission rehearsals 

Requirements 

• 6+ years in systems engineering, mission operations, autonomy, aerospace, or robotics 
• Experience with mission rules, fault management, FDIR, or safety analysis 
• Ability to define behavior for complex systems with incomplete information 
• Strong communication skills across software, GNC, safety, and operations 
• Comfortable owning critical architecture in a small, high-trust team 
• Hands-on experience with git workflows and contributing to shared technical repositories 

Nice to Have 

• Experience contributing flight code in C++, rust, or Python 
• Experience with spacecraft, autonomous aircraft, or high-reliability systems 
• Familiarity with state machines, fault trees, and hazard analysis techniques 
• Background in flight test, mission simulation, or safety-critical operations 

Why Join 

• Define the decision-making logic for a spacecraft returning from orbit 
• Work directly with teams in desert flight test campaigns 
• See your rules exercised in simulation and real flight campaigns 
• Join a small team where your contributions shape the entire system 
• Help build the foundation of a new transportation era 

Our office headquarters is located in Playa Vista, CA. This position requires in office presence. 

The California annual base salary for this role is currently $125,000 - $145,000.  Pay Grades are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data.  Individual pay will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: interviews and an assessment of several factors that are unique to each candidate, job-related skills, relevant education and experience, certifications, abilities of the candidate and internal equity.