General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), an affiliate of General Atomics, is a world leader in proven, reliable remotely piloted aircraft and tactical reconnaissance radars, as well as advanced high-resolution surveillance systems.

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) is seeking a Senior (Principal-Level) Autonomy Test Automation Architect to define, lead, and scale the enterprise validation architecture for mission autonomy systems across operational aircraft and distributed autonomous platforms.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• This is a technical leadership and organizational impact role, not an individual contributor test architect.
• This position establishes the technical vision, architecture, governance, and organizational strategy for validating AI-driven mission autonomy at operational scale — spanning MIL, SIL, HIL, flight test, and fielded fleet analytics.
• You will define how GA-ASI engineers trust, certifies, fields, and continuously improves autonomy systems operating in contested and degraded environments.
• Enterprise Autonomy Validation Architecture (Strategic Ownership)
  • Define and govern the enterprise autonomy verification & validation (V&V) architecture
  Establish standardized frameworks spanning MIL SIL HIL flight test
  • fleet feedback loops
  • Drive traceability from autonomy requirements to mission-level performance outcomes
  • Establish reusable validation infrastructure across multiple autonomy programs
  • Define certification-ready validation artifacts aligned with customer and regulatory requirements
• AI Confidence & Trust Engineering
  • Architect statistical confidence frameworks for AI robustness, safety, and mission effectiveness
  • Define measurable autonomy readiness and deployment thresholds
  • Establish adversarial, resilience, and edge-case stress strategies
  • Develop explainability, traceability, and mission-decision accountability frameworks
  • Lead AI assurance methodologies aligned with emerging DoD autonomy governance standards

Job Qualifications

• Typically requires a bachelors degree, masters degree or PhD in computer science, information systems or related discipline and progressive software development experience as follows; fifteen or more years of experience with a bachelors degree, thirteen or more years of experience with a masters degree, or ten or more years with a PhD. May substitute equivalent experience in lieu of education.
• Experience:
  • Extensive experience in autonomy systems, AI/ML validation, or large-scale safety-critical system verification
  • Demonstrated experience architecting complex automation frameworks
  • Experience leading technical teams or enterprise initiatives preferred
• Technical Depth Required:
  • Autonomy & AI validation methodologies
  • MIL/SIL/HIL integration
  • Modeling & Simulation ecosystems
  • Distributed systems testing
  • DevSecOps, MLOps, CI/CD
  • Statistical performance evaluation
  • Python, C++, or equivalent autonomy test languages
• Other Requirements:
  • Strong executive communication and briefing skills
  • Ability to influence across matrixed organizations
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret / SCI security clearance is required (active clearance strongly preferred).

Job Category

Engineering

Experience Level

Senior (8+ years)

Workstyle

Onsite

Full-Time/Part-Time

Full-Time Salary

Pay Range Low

140,940

Pay Range High

252,293

Travel Percentage Required

0% - 25%

Relocation Assistance Provided?

No

US Citizenship Required?

Yes

Clearance Required?

Desired

Clearance Level

Top Secret (SCI access eligible)