Principal Forward Deployed Autonomous Systems Engineer
$180k - $210k+ Performance-based bonus + Equity/stock options
Expert
Bachelor's
Huntington Beach, CA, USA
In PersonFrequent travel and multi-day domestic and international deployments are required.
Aerospace EngineeringAviation Operations & Aircraft Maintenance
About the job
Requirements
- A bachelor's degree in robotics, aerospace engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, computer science, or another relevant STEM discipline, or equivalent hands-on technical experience.
- Extensive experience operating, integrating, testing, or fielding unmanned aircraft, autonomous systems, robotics, or similarly complex electromechanical systems.
- Demonstrated experience leading technical field operations, deployments, flight-test activities, or customer demonstrations.
- Strong understanding of complete system architectures and subsystem interactions.
- Advanced troubleshooting ability across several disciplines, including mechanical systems, avionics, radio-frequency systems, networking, flight controls, and software.
- Experience determining operational readiness and making risk-informed go/no-go recommendations.
- Experience developing technical procedures, checklists, operating standards, training materials, or maintenance practices.
- Experience training technical personnel and developing other instructors.
- Demonstrated ability to translate operational findings into actionable product or engineering improvements.
- Experience working directly with customers, government sponsors, military units, or test ranges.
- Strong technical documentation and written communication skills.
- Demonstrated ability to lead, mentor, and hold technical personnel accountable.
- Ability to communicate technical risk clearly to engineering teams, customers, and company leadership.
- Ability to travel frequently and lead multi-day domestic and international deployments.
- Ability to operate effectively in austere field environments and during high-tempo test campaigns.
- Ability to meet any security, export-control, or customer-access requirements associated with the role.
- Availability to work extended hours and weekends as needed.
Responsibilities
- Establish and maintain operating standards for autonomous vehicles and their supporting systems.
- Determine the operational readiness of vehicles, personnel, equipment, procedures, and deployment packages.
- Own operational readiness for an assigned vehicle family, including stratospheric or high-performance autonomous platforms.
- Lead Flight Operations engagement with military customers, government sponsors, ranges, and other external stakeholders.
- Advise company leadership on deployment readiness, technical risk, personnel requirements, and operational constraints.
- Drive product improvements by translating test, deployment, operator, and customer feedback into clear engineering priorities.
- Partner with engineering and program teams to transition prototype systems into reliable, repeatable, and supportable products.
- Develop operational concepts of employment, deployment models, and field-support strategies.
- Own internal training programs and customer-facing training materials.
- Develop instructors and ensure training can be delivered consistently across the organization.
- Lead the development and approval of operational procedures, checklists, maintenance practices, and readiness criteria.
- Provide technical leadership during flight tests, demonstrations, deployments, and complex troubleshooting efforts.
- Diagnose multidisciplinary issues involving mechanical systems, avionics, communications, networking, flight controls, payloads, and ground systems.
- Lead or support international operations and foreign military engagements.
- Manage, mentor, and develop Forward Deployed Autonomous Systems Engineers.
- Establish expectations for technical proficiency, operational discipline, documentation, and field performance.
- Collaborate across Flight Operations, Engineering, Flight Test, Manufacturing, Logistics, Programs, and Business Development.
- Support mission planning, flight-readiness reviews, test execution, and post-mission analysis as required.
- Ensure lessons learned from field operations are captured, communicated, and incorporated into products and procedures.
Desired Qualifications
- Experience transitioning an autonomous system from prototype development into a repeatable operational product.
- Experience developing operational concepts of employment for unmanned or autonomous systems.
- Experience supporting international military operations, foreign military demonstrations, or partner-nation training.
- Experience owning the operational readiness of a vehicle program or product family.
- Experience managing or formally leading a team of field engineers, operators, or technicians.
- Experience with stratospheric, long-endurance, high-speed, or other high-performance autonomous vehicles.
- Advanced experience with PX4, ArduPilot, QGroundControl, Mission Planner, or comparable flight-control ecosystems.
- Experience analyzing system logs and leading structured root-cause investigations.
- Experience with Linux, Git, Python, C++, Rust, Bash, or other relevant engineering tools.
- Experience with tactical radios, MIMO or mesh networks, companion computers, embedded systems, sensors, or specialized test equipment.
- Experience developing customer-facing technical documentation and training curricula.
- Experience advising senior leadership on operational readiness, deployment risk, and program priorities.
- FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate.
- Active or previously held U.S. security clearance.
About the company
Mach Industries designs and builds unmanned military systems, including VTOL drones, long-range strike weapons, and counter-UAS, along with propulsion and energetics. Its products integrate flight hardware, powerplants, and munitions into compact, mission-ready systems with a focus on in-house manufacturing to lower costs. It differentiates itself through vertical integration, owning propulsion and energetic components, and expanding via the Exquadrum acquisition to ease munitions bottlenecks while maintaining a large California manufacturing footprint. Its goal is to scale manufacturing capacity and accelerate programs to meet defense contracts, supported by large funding rounds to grow production and operations.
Company Size
201-500
Company Stage
Series C
Total Funding
$1.1B
Headquarters
Huntington Beach, California
Founded
2022
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- September 2026 investors added $600 million, backing Mach's scale-up after June's $300 million round.
- June 2026 production and DIU wins validated demand from the Navy, Army, and allies.
- Mach's Viper demo to Lithuania and Estonia broadened NATO interest beyond U.S. procurement.
What critics are saying
- Brian Harley sued Mach in California Central Court in February 2026; hearings resumed September.
- Mach's September 2026 $3.7 billion valuation dwarfs its still-early production and contracts.
- A manufacturing or certification failure would stall Atlas, Viper, and Energetics revenue.
What makes Mach Industries unique
- Ethan Thornton vertically integrates airframes, propulsion, and energetics under one 2023 company.
- June 2026 DIU awarded Mach the Navy's runway-independent strike aircraft integrator role.
- May 2026 Exquadrum acquisition gives Mach in-house solid-rocket-motor supply and sales.
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Benefits
- Health Insurance
- 401(k) Retirement Plan
- 401(k) Company Match
- Paid Vacation
- Paid Holidays
- Relocation Assistance
- Professional Development Budget
- Meal Benefits