Senior Research Associate (Autonomy Engineer)

San Jose State University Research Foundation
$181,500-$195,162 annually - Exempt, Benefited
retirement plan
United States, California, Mountain View
Dec 19, 2024
OUR STATEMENT The San Jose State University Research Foundation (SJSURF) is committed to building a work environment where everyone can show up as their own self and have an opportunity to contribute, develop, and advance in their career. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) are core values of the organization. We strive to attract, retain, and develop employees who reflect the community and society where we work and live. The Research Foundation aims to develop a culture where everyone feels welcome, shares their views, and where differences in backgrounds and perspectives are seen as adding value. GENERAL NATURE OF POSITION The candidate will play an integral role in research activities for the U.S. Army Technology Development Directorate (TDD), Vehicle Management & Control Branch (VM&C) and Human Systems Interface Branch (HSI) located at NASA Ames Research Center. These activities include autonomy, controls, flight dynamics, simulation, software development, and flight test on autonomous and piloted VTOL aircraft. The candidate will significantly contribute to the development, integration, testing, and maintenance of technologies, algorithms, and software for autonomy, flight control, and data management systems of the organization's autonomous aircraft and ground-based simulators. ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES Contribute to the overall development planning and direction of the evolving VM&C autonomy, aircraft flight controls, data management and simulation software to ensure that all requirements are met. Collaborate with the research, software development, and aircraft management teams under the VM&C and HSI branches to support all research missions and goals. Provide technical guidance to team members and guide teams to meet critical milestones and project deliverables. Provide research and development skills to analyze, prototype, and recommend new areas of research related to aircraft autonomous operations. INTERPERSONAL CONTACTS Reports to the project director. Interacts with Foundation research staff and civil service staff daily. SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES None. QUALIFICATIONS Education and Experience Required Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering or equivalent. Minimum 10 years of hands-on experience in area of aerospace engineering and software development for autonomous aerospace vehicles. Areas of interest include, autonomy, control design, simulation, aircraft flight testing, and ground station telemetry, command, and data management. Must also have experience related to rotorcraft flight dynamics, modelling, simulation, and handling qualities. Demonstrate strong leadership skills in developing and supporting highly sophisticated flight critical software for autonomous systems. This includes analysis, proof of concept design, simulation, pre-flight testing and rehearsal, and flight-test execution. Demonstrate strong expertise and proficiency with C/C++, FORTRAN, and Perl in the UNIX/Linux environment along with scripting, system programming, client/server network programming, and Git configuration management. Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a demanding and highly regulated research context, where communication with pilots, aircraft system operators, and ground-based simulation engineers in complex simulation and flight operation facilities is an essential element. Excellent written communication skills along with strong organizational, analytical, and interpersonal skills. Demonstrate ability to conduct independent research and organize results for publication and presentation. Additional Requirements Located at the NASA Ames Research Center. Therefore, this employee must meet security qualifications for entrance to the Center. Candidate will be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. Must be onsite three days a week. Two of the three days must be Wednesday and Thursday; the third can be picked from Monday, Tuesday, or Friday. A background check (including a criminal records check) must be completed satisfactorily before any candidate can be offered a position with the SJSURF. Failure to satisfactorily complete the background check may affect the application status of applicants or the continued employment of current SJSURF employees who apply for the position. NOTE: This position description intends to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this job. It is not intended to include all duties and responsibilities. The order in which duties and responsibilities are listed is not significant. BENEFITS The SJSURF provides an excellent benefits package to benefited employees. The comprehensive benefits package includes: Four company health insurance plans to choose from (employee contributions differ according to plan and level of coverage). Employer-paid dental and vision for both employee and eligible dependents. Life, AD&D, LTD with supplemental coverage opportunities. 14 paid federal & state holidays. Retirement Plan: 403 (b) employee contribution plan component and a 403 (b) employer contribution component, which vests immediately. Vacation-hour accruals and separate sick-hour accumulations. Employee discounts. Paid training and professional-development conferences. Please visit the Benefits & Compensation page on the SJSURF website for more detailed information. APPLICATION PROCEDURE To apply for this position, an applicant must submit a formal application for employment. Select "Apply Now" to complete the SJSURF online employment application. REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION The SJSURF is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation for individuals with physical or mental disabilities in the employment, recruitment, examination, interviewing, and hiring processes. If you are a job seeker with a physical or mental disability, and you require a reasonable accommodation to search, apply, or interview for a job opening or otherwise need a reasonable accommodation during the application and hiring process, please contact us at foundation-jobs@sjsu.edu. In the email message, please indicate your full name, phone number and the type of assistance required. You must not reveal the underlying medical reason for your needed reasonable accommodation or otherwise disclose confidential medical information. ABOUT THE SJSU RESEARCH FOUNDATION SJSURF employment is separate and distinct from San Jose State University (SJSU) or state of California employment. SJSURF employees are not employees of SJSU or of the state of California. SJSURF is a non-profit auxiliary of SJSU. SJSURF is totally self-supported. The majority of the organization's funding comes from the federal government, and other public and private entities. With annual revenues totaling over $65 million, programs managed through SJSURF cover a rich diversity of applied research, public services, and educational-related activities.