Associate Director - Aircraft Autonomy Architect (ONSITE)

Date Posted:

2025-09-30

Country:

United States of America

Location:

HIA32: Cedar Rapids, IA 400 Collins Rd NE , Cedar Rapids, IA, 52498-0505 USA

Position Role Type:

Onsite

U.S. Citizen, U.S. Person, or Immigration Status Requirements:

U.S. citizenship is required, as only U.S. citizens are authorized to access certain necessary systems.

Security Clearance:

None/Not Required

Passionate about the future of aviation? How would you like to join a world class team pushing the boundaries of aviation? We are looking for a research engineering associate director to join the leadership team of our Avionics Future Flight Sandbox organization. The Future Flight Sandbox is tasked with defining the future flight deck and autonomous aircraft concepts and technology that will carry our business through the coming decades. The Sandbox is a small hand selected, high performance research team. 

As our Aircraft Autonomy Architect, you will be part of a highly motivated and innovative team supporting the development of rapid prototypes and proof of concepts for internal and external demonstrations.  This is a unique position where every day will be a little bit different with new challenges and problems to be solved.  This will allow you to use your diverse set of skills and push you to continually to learn new ones.  The ideal candidate will possess a deep understanding of autonomous vehicle technology, a background in aviation, and a passion for pushing the boundaries of innovation. 

This is an onsite position based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

What You Will Do:

• Partner with the Autonomy team leader and engage as a technologist, technical contributor with the engineering team, and as a technical representative and advocate to the broader Avionics organization.  
• Engage with the Advanced Technology leadership, VP of Avionics Engineering, Technical Fellows, and Product teams to understand current pain points in the B&RA and COMAV domains as well as the future technology needs 
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to design, development, and implement advanced autonomy concepts. 
• Guide the development of research prototypes to quickly demonstrate technology concepts as well as maturation of key Autonomy technologies (including flight testing). 
• Stay abreast of industry trends and emerging technologies, guiding the team in adopting best practices. 
• Heavily contribute to development and management of project plans, roadmaps, and schedules for autonomy test bed projects. 

Qualifications You Must Have:

• Typically requires a degree in Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) unless prohibited by local laws/regulations and minimum 12 years prior relevant experience or an Advanced Degree in a related field and minimum 10 years of experience 
• U.S. citizenship is required, as only U.S. citizens are authorized to access certain necessary systems or sites.
• Research and development experience is required 
• Proven project execution skills in developing commercial or military Avionics systems are required 
• Demonstrated engineering technical experience on complex avionics programs is required 
• Experience with Autonomous Systems development 

Qualifications We Prefer:

• Pursuit and order capture experience 
• History of subject matter expertise technical depth in flight decks and aircraft operations as well as technology management. 
• Pilot or Flight Operations Experience  
• Commercial Avionics systems development, integration, or certification experience 
• Experience with sensor fusion & computer vison 
• Experience architecting systems and software 
• Familiarity with Linux, Python, ROS, C++, C, Git, Docker, AWS 
• Familiarity with Agile, SCRUM, and Jira 

Collins Aerospace, an RTX company, is a leader in technologically advanced and intelligent solutions for the global aerospace and defense industry. Collins Aerospace has the capabilities, comprehensive portfolio, and expertise to solve customers’ toughest challenges and to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving global market. 

What We Offer:

Benefits:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Three weeks of vacation for newly hired employees
• Generous 401(k) plan that includes employer matching funds and separate employer retirement contribution, including a Lifetime Income Strategy option

• Tuition Reimbursement Program

• Student Loan Repayment Program
• Life insurance and disability coverage
• Optional coverages you can buy pet insurance, home and auto insurance, additional life and accident insurance, critical illness insurance, group legal, ID theft protection

• Adoption Assistance

• Autism Benefit

• And More!

• Birth, adoption, parental leave benefits
• Ovia Health, fertility, and family planning
• Employee Assistance Plan, including up to 10 free counseling sessions
• Healthy You Incentives, wellness rewards program
• Doctor on Demand, virtual doctor visits
• Bright Horizons, child and elder care services
• Teladoc Medical Experts, second opinion program
• Learn More & Apply Now!

Avionics delivers advanced cockpit displays, vision systems, and comprehensive digital solutions for global government, commercial and business aviation customers. We provide connectivity and managed data services to ensure safety and seamless communication for passengers, crews, and militaries, from aircraft and airports to air traffic management. Join us in creating solutions that connect the world, one flight at a time. Start your application today.

Onsite: Employees who are working in Onsite roles will work primarily onsite. This includes all production and maintenance employees, as they are essential to the development of our products. Regardless of your role type, collaboration and innovation are critical to our business and all employees will have access to digital tools so they can work with colleagues around the world – and access to Collins sites when their work requires in-person meetings.

At Collins, the paths we pave together lead to limitless possibility. And the bonds we form – with our customers and with each other -- propel us all higher, again and again. Apply now and be part of the team that’s redefining aerospace, every day.

The salary range for this role is 147,000 USD - 295,000 USD. The salary range provided is a good faith estimate representative of all experience levels. RTX considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the role, function and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, location, education/training, and key skills.Hired applicants may be eligible for benefits, including but not limited to, medical, dental, vision, life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability, 401(k) match, flexible spending accounts, flexible work schedules, employee assistance program, Employee Scholar Program, parental leave, paid time off, and holidays. Specific benefits are dependent upon the specific business unit as well as whether or not the position is covered by a collective-bargaining agreement.Hired applicants may be eligible for annual short-term and/or long-term incentive compensation programs depending on the level of the position and whether or not it is covered by a collective-bargaining agreement. Payments under these annual programs are not guaranteed and are dependent upon a variety of factors including, but not limited to, individual performance, business unit performance, and/or the company’s performance.This role is a U.S.-based role. If the successful candidate resides in a U.S. territory, the appropriate pay structure and benefits will apply.RTX anticipates the application window closing approximately 40 days from the date the notice was posted. However, factors such as candidate flow and business necessity may require RTX to shorten or extend the application window.

RTX is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or veteran status, or any other applicable state or federal protected class. RTX provides affirmative action in employment for qualified Individuals with a Disability and Protected Veterans in compliance with Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act.

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