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Engineering Manager, Autonomy

True AnomalyDenver, CO or Long Beach, CA Autonomy Engineering
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Salary
$205K - $315K USD
Job type
Full-time
Posted
27 Aug 2026
Status
Open · checked 7d ago

About this role

True Anomaly is seeking an Engineering Manager, Autonomy to lead a team building advanced spacecraft autonomy systems in Denver, CO or Long Beach, CA. This role is ideal for an experienced technical leader who thrives on developing high-performing teams and driving edge-deployed physical AI for space operations.

Role Overview

As the Engineering Manager for Autonomy, the primary focus is people leadership combined with strategic technical contributions. The manager will build, mentor, and guide a team of autonomy engineers working on multi-agent resource allocation systems and edge-deployed physical AI capabilities. Responsibilities include shaping the team roadmap, overseeing technical designs for combinatorial optimization and stochastic planning, and ensuring seamless collaboration with hardware, trajectory planning, and flight software teams. Technical contributions will take up about 35 percent of the time, focusing on strategic direction, architecture reviews, and maintaining deep technical credibility.

Key Responsibilities

Build, grow, and lead a team of autonomy engineers through recruiting, onboarding, performance management, and career development.
Provide technical oversight on multi-agent coordination architectures, edge deployment strategies, and validation approaches for spacecraft operations.
Define and own the team roadmap, balancing near-term flight demonstrations with long-term capability development.
Review and approve technical designs for combinatorial optimization algorithms, stochastic planning systems, and distributed coordination protocols.
Manage project dependencies and coordinate cross-functional delivery across hardware, software, and trajectory planning teams.
Define autonomy standards, explainability requirements, and validation approaches suited for high-stakes environments.

Requirements

Master's degree in computer science, aerospace engineering, robotics, applied mathematics, operations research, or a related field (Ph.D. or Bachelor's degree with equivalent professional experience also accepted).
8+ years of experience in autonomous systems, robotics, AI/ML, or aerospace engineering.
At least 4 years of direct people management experience, leading teams of 4 or more engineers.
Proven track record of building, growing, and developing high-performing engineering teams.
Strong foundation in autonomous systems with depth in areas such as multi-agent coordination, combinatorial optimization, reinforcement learning, or constrained planning.
Experience with real-time planning systems, resource-constrained deployment, or aerospace applications operating under strict compute, latency, and power constraints.
U.S. citizen and eligible for government security clearance due to U.S. Government space technology export regulations.

Nice to Have

Experience managing geographically distributed or hybrid teams.
Background managing teams through full product development lifecycles from early prototypes to operational deployment.
Familiarity with autonomous aerospace systems like UAVs, spacecraft autonomy, or robotic systems.
Deep experience with operations research, multi-agent reinforcement learning, edge AI deployment, or stochastic optimization.
Prior work bridging research prototypes to production systems with an emphasis on scalability and reliability.

Skills and Tools

Multi-agent coordination and distributed coordination protocols.
Combinatorial optimization, mixed-integer programming, constraint satisfaction, and graph optimization.
Reinforcement learning, policy learning, reward shaping, and cooperative game theory.
Edge AI deployment, model compression, quantization, and inference optimization.
Real-time planning systems and resource-constrained software deployment.

Salary and Benefits

Base salary range of $205,000 to $315,000 per year (actual level and base salary determined on a case-by-case basis based on knowledge, skills, education, location, and experience).
Equity participation as part of the total compensation package.
Best-in-class healthcare including 100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents, with HSA/HRA options.
Generous time off including Flexible Time Off for exempt employees, 12 paid holidays, parental leave, and sick leave.
Additional perks including a 401(k) retirement plan, daily catered lunch, unlimited snacks, fitness reimbursement, and Dog Fridays.

About the Company

True Anomaly delivers decisive capabilities for space superiority by building autonomous spacecraft, advanced payloads, mission software, and space-based interceptors. The company is driven by the mission to enable the U.S. and its Allies to secure the space environment and counter threats from the ultimate high ground. True Anomaly values asymmetric advantages through creativity and ingenuity, challenging assumptions, and recognizing that its people are its ultimate competitive advantage.

How to Apply

To submit your application for this position, please visit the official True Anomaly careers page.

Questions candidates ask

What is the salary range for the Engineering Manager, Autonomy role?

The base salary ranges from $205,000 to $315,000 per year, supplemented by equity participation and comprehensive benefits.

Where is the position located?

The role is located on-site in either Denver, CO or Long Beach, CA.

What level of experience is required for this position?

Candidates must have 8+ years of experience in autonomous systems, robotics, AI/ML, or aerospace engineering, including at least 4 years in people management leading teams of 4 or more engineers.

Are there citizenship or security clearance requirements?

Yes, candidates must be U.S. citizens and eligible for government security clearance to comply with U.S. Government space technology export regulations.

What benefits and perks does True Anomaly offer?

Benefits include 100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision coverage, flexible time off, 12 paid holidays, parental leave, a 401(k) plan, equity participation, daily catered lunches, fitness reimbursement, and more.

Ready to apply?

The application is on the official True Anomaly careers page.

Apply on company site