Principal Autonomy Engineer

Orca AI

. Architect and own the end-to-end autonomous navigation stack: World Model, Planning, Decision Making, and Vehicle Interface .

Posted 10/4/2026full-timeIsraelLeadWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates expertise in architecting and owning autonomous navigation stacks, including World Model and Vehicle Interface Contracts, while leading technical direction and hiring within a high-pressure environment. Proficient in modern C++ and ROS2, with a strong background in system-level interface contracts and safety architecture for unmanned surface vessels.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Autonomous Systems DevelopmentROS2 Middleware ProficiencyModern C++ ProgrammingTechnical LeadershipSystem-Level Interface Contracts

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

Autonomous Navigation Stack ArchitectureWorld Model Contract DefinitionVehicle Interface Contract DefinitionPlanning and Decision-Making CodeSafety Architecture DesignSystem Engineering for AutonomyAcceptance Criteria DefinitionSimulation and SIL Validation

Soft Skills

Team LeadershipTechnical Direction SettingWork Review and Capability Raising

Industry Keywords

Maritime SystemsUnmanned Surface VesselsCOLREGsUAV AutonomyUGV AutonomyAutomotive AutonomyDefense Programs

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

C++

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Architect and own the end-to-end autonomous navigation stack: World Model, Planning, Decision Making, and Vehicle Interface
Define and own the World Model Contract, including representation, uncertainty, timing and synchronization, coordinate frames, confidence, and degradation modes
Define and own the Vehicle Interface Contract, including command semantics, platform guarantees, latency, failure behavior, and cross-platform abstraction
Decide autonomy-brain structure, including module decomposition, behavior architecture, behavior arbitration, state ownership, and data flow
Design the safety and fail-safe architecture, including degradation ladder, safe-state transitions, operator intervention, and fault containment
Write and maintain the most challenging planning and decision-making code
Set the technical direction of the autonomy group
Lead technical hiring as the group grows
Build an autonomous navigation product for an unmanned surface vessel operating at sea

Requirements

What you’ll need

8+ years building autonomous systems
Experience architecting a full autonomy stack that operated in unstructured, real-world environments
Deep hands-on background in software on autonomous edge platforms
Proven ownership of system-level interface contracts between perception, autonomy and platform layers
Strong command of ROS2 or comparable real-time robotics middleware
Proficiency in modern C++
Understanding of embedded compute constraints
Ability to maintain architectural coherence in a small team under aggressive schedule pressure
Strong system-engineering instincts applied to an autonomy stack
Proven technical leadership of engineers, including setting direction, defining ownership, reviewing work, and raising team capability
Maritime, USV or naval systems experience; familiarity with COLREGs (nice-to-have)
UAV, UGV or automotive autonomy delivered inside a defense or regulated program (nice-to-have)
Experience defining acceptance criteria and evidence for a government customer (nice-to-have)
Simulation, SIL and scenario-based validation infrastructure experience (nice-to-have)

Benefits

Comp & perks

Hands-on principal leadership role with technical direction ownership
Opportunity to lead technical hiring and build the autonomy group
Opportunity to architect an autonomous navigation product from a blank page and see it operating at sea
Small, high-impact team working at the bleeding edge of autonomy and robotics