Prototype Engineer

Job Overview

MIT Lincoln Laboratory Associate Staff provide critical multi-domain through expert multi-domain innovative research supporting the Laboratory’s national security mission. They prototype state-of-the-art technology solutions and engage in many steps of a program lifecycle with increasing independence and responsibility. As an Associate Staff member, you will contribute independently to multidisciplinary efforts, contribute to sponsor briefings, write test plans and reports, and apply complex and creative solutions to solving technical problems. You may own discrete project/program components or lead complex workstreams and small teams. 

As a successful candidate, you will bring solid to strong technical depth, broaden your understanding across adjacent disciplines, and adapt approaches where precedent is limited. You will integrate technical inputs, contribute to program documentation and reporting, and collaborate with interdisciplinary project/program teams supporting projects that may range from rapid, high-risk efforts to longer-term mission programs. Your work will include multiple activities such as hardware and software development, systems analysis, data analysis, component fabrication, system integration, testing, and documentation. 

Additional Job Overview Details

Our prototyping team is seeking highly motivated engineers who are interested in solving challenging technical problems and helping to build advanced technologies for high impact missions with Department of Homeland Protection (DHS) and Department of War (DoW) mission sets. This position is to support the research, design, and prototype of autonomous systems ranging from concept development through operational deployment including modelling and simulation, system design and construction, guidance and planning, feedback control and state estimation, computer vision, machine learning/AI, and field/flight testing where applicable. The candidate will work in a team-oriented development environment working on fast-paced development goals. The candidate should be willing to work on-site in the office 3 or more days a week, due to the hardware-focused development, and occasionally in outdoor test environments. Additionally, the candidate should be willing to travel up to ~15% of the time to support field tests and visits to Government sponsor organizations.

Job Duties & Responsibilities

• Own or lead design, development, data analysis, programming, modeling, simulation, integration, testing, troubleshooting, and technical evaluation activities within broader project or program efforts. 
• Apply technical depth and judgment to less-defined and complex problems, identifying appropriate methods, adapting established approaches, and evaluating trade-offs. 
• Contribute to or lead system-, subsystem-, or component-level work spanning multiple disciplines, mission needs, products, or technical focus areas. 
• Develop, review, and integrate technical documentation, analyses, design materials, program reporting, presentations, papers, and other deliverables. 
• Coordinate milestones, assumptions, dependencies, quality expectations, and risks and present findings, recommendations, and alternatives to appropriate audiences. 
• Provide technical guidance, review, feedback, and mentorship while continuing to deepen mission-aligned expertise. 

Minimum Qualifications

Candidates will be considered for the appropriate level based on their education, experience, demonstrated technical capabilities, leadership responsibilities, and the scope and complexity of their prior work. 

Level 3 – Associate Staff 

• Bachelor’s degree in a STEM discipline or other relevant technical field and typically 2+ years of relevant experience; or Master’s degree and typically 0+ years of relevant experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience. 
• Solid technical depth in a primary engineering, research, or other technical domain, with the ability to apply knowledge independently. 
• Demonstrated ability to solve complex technical problems and manage components of project work. 
• Experience contributing to technical documentation, analyses, reports, presentations, or project deliverables. 
• Ability to collaborate across project teams and communicate technical information clearly to appropriate audiences. 
• Emerging ability to guide less experienced colleagues and contribute to team capability development. 

Level 4 – Associate Staff 

• Bachelor’s degree in a STEM discipline or other relevant technical field and typically 4+ years of relevant experience; or Master’s degree and typically 2+ years of relevant experience; a PhD may be considered; or an equivalent combination of education and experience. 
• Strong technical depth in a primary domain with emerging breadth across related engineering, research, technical disciplines, or mission areas. 
• Demonstrated ability to solve complex technical problems and lead components of projects or technical workstreams. 
• Experience managing milestones, dependencies, risks, and deliverables for assigned project areas. 
• Ability to communicate complex information to varied audiences and collaborate with project teams, sponsors, and internal partners. 
• Demonstrated ability to mentor others, review work, and contribute to team technical capability. 

Additional Minimum Qualifications

• Degree in Engineering, Robotics, Physics, or a related field with dedicated coursework in robotics, control theory, and programming.
• Controls/robotics or autonomy-related background

• Prototyping experience
• Strong written and oral communication skills

• Excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to work in a dynamic, interdisciplinary team

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with unmanned aerial systems (UAS) hardware and software (e.g. PX4, Ardupilot, Betaflight)
• Familiarity with UAS communication protocols
• Analytical and/or scientific programming proficiency (Python, C/C++ or similar)
• Test design, procedure development, and execution
• Basic understanding of state estimation concepts
• System-level design, system architecture, or trade studies
• Direct exposure to advanced controls topics (e.g. optimal control)
• Low-level communication protocols (such as SPI, I2C, UART)
• UxS (unmanned systems, such as drones, rovers, etc.) development or testing
• Experience with GPS-denied navigation and modern state estimation techniques
• Low-level drivers and firmware design for use in microcontrollers (such as STM32, PIC16)
• Understanding of sensor fusion techniques (IMU, GPS, vision-based navigation)
• Experience integrating algorithms and software into field-tested robotic platforms
• Familiarity with Linux-based embedded systems and cross-compilation for edge hardware
• Experience with edge devices such as Nvidia Jetsons or Raspberry PIs
• Experience developing software with ROS/ROS2 in Linux environments
• Part 107 certification
• FAA Third Class Medical Certification