Software Engineer, Autonomy

Responsibilities: Build and integrate mission-level autonomy frameworks for goal-oriented behavior, task assignment, and system-level coordination Enable intuitive human command and supervision, communicating intent, and building operator confidence in mission-critical contexts Develop algorithms for collaborative autonomy involving multiple aircraft Ensure real-time performance and reliability of autonomy software, especially under compute-constrained and communications-limited conditions. Design autonomy software with fault-tolerance, fail-safe behavior, and robustness to uncertain environments or degraded sensors. Validate and test in simulation and in flight, ensuring mission success in challenging conditions faced by firefighting aircraft Collaborate closely with other members of the engineering team to develop and test the algorithms that power the wildfire mission autonomy system Contribute to simulation environments for training, testing, and validation

Qualifications: Deep expertise (6+ years of experience) in software engineering for UAS, robotics, or other safety-critical applications Strong proficiency in C++14 (or newer) development for resource-limited environments Knowledge of planning, state machines, or behavior trees Background in robotics, control systems, or aerospace autonomy Familiarity with simulation tools (e.g., Unreal Engine, Air Sim, AFSIM)Understanding of communication protocols, real-time constraints, and embedded systems What Will Make You a Great Fit You're excited about Rain's mission to stop wildfires before they grow out of control You thrive in small teams, where you can see the immediate impact of your knowledge and expertise You have experience with reinforcement learning or adaptive autonomy You're familiar with STANAG/DoD autonomy standards and DO-178CYou've previously worked with uncrewed aerial systems, aviation, aerospace You've served as a firefighter You are willing to travel at least 15% of the year for validation testing Location This is an on-site position. Our office is located in Alameda, California—just across the Bay from San Francisco. The office is easily accessible by ferry, bike and scooter, and there is ample parking. Legal Notice This role involves access to information governed by U.S. export control laws. To comply, applicants must qualify as a "U.S. Person" (U.S. Citizen, lawful permanent resident, refugee, or asylee). Employment offers are contingent upon meeting these requirements.