About Us:

Havoc is a leader in all-domain collaborative autonomy. Its software-defined hardware approach powers military and commercial-grade autonomous systems across sea, air, and land to sense, decide, and act together in complex and contested environments. Havoc connects assets, enabling them to share information, adapt in real time, and continue operating even when communications are disrupted or denied. Havoc optimizes mission performance and minimizes human risk.

Havoc was founded in 2024 and headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island. Learn more at Havoc: All-Domain Collaborative Autonomy .

About the Role:

HavocAI is seeking a Director of Autonomy Integration to lead the engineering organization responsible for integrating Havoc’s autonomy stack onto unmanned air, surface, and ground vehicles. You will build and manage a multidisciplinary team that develops the hardware and software interfaces needed to rapidly transform existing robotic platforms into fully autonomous, collaborative systems.

Your team will own everything required to integrate HavocOS with vehicle flight controllers, embedded computers, sensors, actuators, payloads, and communications systems — while making that integration simple, repeatable, and scalable. This role is ideal for someone who enjoys solving difficult robotics integration challenges and building engineering organizations capable of deploying autonomy across dozens of different platforms.

Responsibilities

• Lead and grow a multidisciplinary team of robotics, embedded, and systems engineers.

• Develop the architecture, tooling, and processes that enable rapid integration of Havoc autonomy onto new unmanned platforms.

• Design standardized interfaces for sensors, payloads, communications systems, actuators, and vehicle controllers.

• Own integrations across autonomous air, maritime, and ground robotic systems.

• Partner closely with the autonomy, perception, hardware, cloud, and product engineering teams to ensure seamless deployment of HavocOS.

• Build reusable integration frameworks that minimize platform-specific engineering effort.

• Oversee bring-up, validation, debugging, and field testing of integrated robotic systems.

• Establish engineering standards, documentation, testing methodologies, and configuration-management practices.

• Support customer demonstrations, field exercises, and operational deployments.

• Mentor engineers and foster a culture of technical excellence, ownership, and rapid execution.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Robotics, Computer Science, Aerospace Engineering, or a related technical discipline.

• 8+ years of robotics or autonomous-systems engineering experience, including 3+ years leading technical engineering teams.

• Demonstrated experience integrating autonomous systems onto robotic platforms.

• Strong experience with ROS2 and distributed robotic software architectures.

• Experience developing software for embedded Linux and embedded computing platforms.

• Strong understanding of autonomy systems, perception pipelines, localization, sensor fusion, and robotic navigation.

• Experience integrating sensors such as cameras, LiDAR, radar, IMUs, and GNSS, along with other robotic payloads.

• Experience with real-time communications, middleware, and robotics networking.

• Strong software development experience in C++ and/or Python.

• Ability to troubleshoot complex hardware/software integration issues in both laboratory and field environments.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with PX4, ArduPilot, MAVLink, DDS, Zenoh, or similar robotics communication frameworks.

• Experience with AI-based perception and computer-vision models.

• Experience integrating robotic actuators, mission payloads, and control systems.

• Experience designing modular hardware and software interfaces spanning multiple vehicle types.

• Familiarity with defense, maritime, aerospace, or autonomous-vehicle programs.

• Experience deploying robotic systems in operational environments.

• Active U.S. security clearance, or the ability to obtain one.

What Success Looks Like

• Build and lead a high-performing autonomy integration engineering organization.

• Reduce integration time for new autonomous platforms from months to weeks.

• Develop standardized integration architectures that scale across air, surface, and ground systems.

• Deliver robust integrations supporting customer deployments, demonstrations, and operational missions.

• Help establish HavocAI as the fastest company in the industry at converting existing vehicles into intelligent, collaborative autonomous systems.

Location & Travel

This is a full-time, onsite role based in North Kingstown, RI. Expect periodic travel — approximately 25% — to support field testing, customer demonstrations, and operational deployments.

Benefits:

• 100% Employer paid Health, Dental and Vision Insurance for you and your families

• Life Insurance (Employer Paid)

• Ability to participate in the companies 401k program (Matching)

• Unlimited PTO policy with an enforced 2 week minimum

• Equity Package

• Work / Home Office Stipend

• Global Entry

• 16 Week Paid Parental Leave

• Monthly Health and Wellness Stipend

Our Values:

• Innovation: We are driven to break new ground. Every day presents an opportunity to challenge the status quo, think boldly, and deliver advanced solutions that transform the future of defense technology.

• Integrity: We hold ourselves to the highest ethical standards, ensuring transparency, accountability, and trust in all our actions and partnerships.

• Mission-Driven: We are focused on achieving impactful outcomes that align with our core mission—protecting lives through innovation.

• Forward-Leaning: We continuously seek out new opportunities and remain at the forefront of technological advancements. We embrace change and anticipate the challenges of tomorrow with confidence and creativity.

• Ownership of All Tasks: At HavocAI, no problem is too complex or too trivial. We believe that greatness comes from tackling the hardest challenges, but also in handling the smallest, sometimes thankless, tasks with the same level of commitment and care.

• Servant Leadership: We lead by serving others, whether it’s supporting our employees, partners, or the broader community. Empowering those around us is key to achieving long-term success and making a lasting impact.

HavocAI is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to creating an inclusive and diverse workplace. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected status.