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Merlin Labs Logo Merlin Labs · IT - Software Development

Autonomy Software Engineer

United States · Job Posted December 10, 2025
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Job Description

Merlin is a venture backed aerospace startup building a non-human pilot to enable both reduced crew and uncrewed flight. Backed by some of the world’s leading investors, Merlin is scaling alongside our customers to begin leveraging autonomy today to solve some of aviation’s biggest challenges.

Job Responsibility

  • Develop software across the stack of an aircraft autonomy system, contributing to lower level embedded systems and higher level autonomy function areas as needed
  • Implement and integrate algorithms for perception, reasoning, decision making, planning, and execution in support of autonomous airborne operations
  • Collaborate with domain leads to understand architecture, requirements, and design intent for specific capabilities
  • Contribute to simulation, integration, and flight test activities to validate autonomy software in relevant environments
  • Write, test, document and review code according to Merlin’s development standards
  • Collaborate across Merlin to develop novel, certifiable systems to solve the toughest problems in aviation and autonomy

Requirements

  • Degree in computer science, aerospace engineering, robotics, or a related field
  • BS and 1+ or MS and 2+ years of experience developing software for robotic or autonomous systems
  • Experience with Linux and open-source development tools
  • Experience with overall product development cycle, including design, testing, and troubleshooting at the system level as well as at the software component level
  • Experience with both Python and C++
  • Experience with ROS, DDS or similar robotics middleware
  • Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to learn and contribute across different technical domains

Nice to have

  • Experience developing autonomy software for aircraft, drones, or other safety-critical systems
  • Proficiency with state machines, behavior trees, and task planning algorithms
  • Expertise in route, path, and trajectory planning
  • Knowledge of perception systems, sensor fusion, and world modeling
  • Experience with multi-agent collaboration and human–machine interfaces
  • Background in system integration, simulation, and flight testing of autonomous platforms
  • Strong skills in hardware/software integration and debugging
  • Pilot license and flight experience is a plus

What we offer

  • health
  • dental
  • life
  • unlimited vacation
  • 401k with match
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