R&D Engineer, Autonomous sUAS Systems

Battelle delivers when others can’t. We conduct research and development, manage national laboratories, design and manufacture products and deliver critical services for our clients—whether they are a multi-national corporation, a small start-up or a government agency.

We recognize and appreciate the value and contributions of individuals from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences and welcome all qualified individuals to apply.

Battelle is seeking a Computer Engineer, Autonomous sUAS Systems to lead the planning, execution, and analysis of testing activities for advanced autonomous unmanned aerial systems supporting defense and national security missions.

This position will operate from Columbus, OH
.

In this role, you will serve as a key contributor responsible for validating system performance, autonomy capabilities, mission effectiveness, and operational readiness of next-generation sUAS platforms. Working within multidisciplinary engineering teams, you will develop test strategies, conduct laboratory and field evaluations, analyze complex system behaviors, and support customer demonstrations and flight test operations.

The ideal candidate combines hands-on testing experience with strong systems-level thinking and a passion for bringing innovative autonomous technologies from development into mission deployment.

• Test Planning & Execution
• Lead development and execution of test plans, procedures, and verification activities for autonomous sUAS systems and mission payloads.
• Design and conduct laboratory, simulation, integration, environmental, and field-testing activities.
• Evaluate system performance against technical requirements, operational scenarios, and customer objectives.
• Develop traceability between requirements, test procedures, and validation results.
• Identify technical risks and recommend mitigation strategies throughout the development lifecycle.
• Autonomous Systems Validation
• Validate autonomous capabilities including: GPS-denied navigation, Waypoint navigation and path planning, Obstacle and threat avoidance, Target detection and tracking, collaborative autonomy and swarm behaviors, Dynamic mission replanning
• Assess AI/ML-enabled autonomy performance in operationally relevant test environments.
• Investigate system anomalies and support root-cause analysis efforts.
• Flight Test Operations
• Support planning, coordination, and execution of flight test events and mission demonstrations.
• Participate in flight readiness reviews, safety assessments, and mission briefings.
• Support collection and quality assurance of telemetry, sensor, communications, and mission data.
• Support testing activities at government ranges, customer facilities, and operational environments.
• Data Analysis & Test Automation
• Analyze flight and system performance data to identify trends, deficiencies, and opportunities for improvement.
• Develop and maintain automated test tools, software utilities, and data analysis scripts.
• Support development of hardware-in-the-loop (HIL), software-in-the-loop (SIL), and digital engineering test environments.
• Generate detailed technical reports and customer-facing test documentation.
• Systems Integration & Collaboration
• Collaborate closely with software, systems, RF, cybersecurity, autonomy, and hardware engineering teams.
• Support design reviews, technical interchange meetings, and engineering assessments.
• Interface directly with government customers and program stakeholders regarding test objectives, execution, and results.
• Compliance & Mission Assurance
• Ensure testing activities comply with applicable military, FAA, cybersecurity, and safety requirements.
• Maintain detailed technical documentation and configuration records.
• Support customer acceptance testing, certifications, and operational evaluations.

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Robotics, Computer Science, or a related technical discipline.
• May require up to 2 years of related experience and/or related skill sets, dependent on contract and/or business need.
• Experience developing and executing verification and validation strategies for complex systems.
• Proficiency with Python, C++, MATLAB, or similar technical computing environments.
• Experience analyzing telemetry, sensor, and performance data from fielded systems.
• Familiarity with systems engineering processes, requirements verification, and technical documentation.
• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and…