What Does an Autonomous Systems Engineer Do?

Key takeaways

As an autonomous systems engineer, you will design, build, and maintain systems that require little or no direct human control.

• The annual median total pay for autonomous systems engineers in the US is $118,000, according to Glassdoor [1]. 

• Collaboration and leadership are essential workplace skills for autonomous systems engineers.

• You can lay the foundation for a career in autonomous systems engineering by earning a degree in software engineering, electrical engineering, computer science, or a related field. 

Explore different projects you can work on as an autonomous systems engineer, including robotics, autonomous drones, and uncrewed spacecraft, as well as the skills and education you’ll need to be successful in this role. Afterward, if you’re ready to enhance your project management skills, which are essential to this role, enroll in the Google Project Management Professional Certificate. You’ll have the opportunity to learn the foundations of Agile project management, with a focus on implementing Scrum events.

What is an autonomous systems engineer?

An autonomous systems engineer is a professional who designs, builds, and maintains autonomous systems to create new solutions for all kinds of problems. In this position, you will use your engineering skills to create systems that operate independently for long periods of time without requiring human intervention. You can apply these autonomous systems to robotics, uncrewed air and spacecraft, underwater vessels, space-based laser communication, and more. 

As an autonomous systems engineer, you will work in a team to solve problems and design, create, and maintain systems that require little or no direct control from a human operator. This may include working with hardware, software, other equipment, and resources to house system equipment. You will assess existing systems to find optimal solutions. In this role, you will find the balance between the constraints and demands of different system parts to find cohesion and optimization. 

Types of autonomous systems engineers

As an autonomous systems engineer, you can pursue projects in various fields, including systems and controls, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI), embedded systems, robotics, and more. A few examples of the kind of projects you can work on as an autonomous systems engineer include: 

• Artificial intelligence: Autonomous systems engineers working in artificial intelligence create autonomous systems that can “think” for themselves and make decisions in dynamic environments. 

• Robotics: You can use machine learning and AI to create intelligent robotic systems to complete difficult or tedious tasks, including robots that can build themselves. 

• Autonomous drones and aircraft: You can work as an autonomous systems engineer designing uncrewed aircraft and drones and managing the logistics and planning of flight and spaceflight. 

• Self-driving vehicles: As an autonomous systems engineer working with self-driving vehicles, you’ll work towards overcoming the problems that prevent a fully automated roadscape and develop the systems, hardware, and software needed to realize autonomous vehicles. 

Will AI replace robotics engineers?

AI is unlikely to replace the role of robotics engineers in the foreseeable future. While AI can automate repetitive tasks, it still lacks the capability to finish tasks that necessitate hand-eye coordination, emotional intelligence, and critical thinking. Rather than replacing them, AI is likely to assist robotics engineers.

Essential skills for autonomous systems engineer jobs

To work as a systems engineer, you will need to develop project management skills, systems thinking, technical skills for the type of project you plan to work on, and collaboration and leadership skills to bring together multiple departments that contribute to your system. 

• Project management skills: As a systems engineer, you’ll work closely with the project manager to oversee the technical requirements of the project according to specifications like budget and timeline. 

• Systems thinking: To be successful in this role, you’ll need the ability to see the big picture of a project while understanding how the individual components work together to create the whole. This is an important skill for an autonomous systems engineer because you must understand how your systems work holistically. 

• Technical skills: The technical skills you’ll need to work as an autonomous vehicles systems engineer are different from those you’ll need to work as an autonomous robotics engineer, but all systems engineers have a strong foundation in electrical, mechanical, and software engineering principles. 

• Collaboration and leadership skills: When you develop your systems thinking skills to better understand how a system's components make up the whole, you also have to consider how people and other members of your team fit into a system. You’ll need collaboration and leadership skills to unite various departments to successfully create cohesive autonomous systems. 

Read more: 13 Popular Leadership Skills to Develop

Autonomous systems engineer salary and job outlook

The median total pay for an autonomous systems engineer in the United States is $118,000 as of May 2026 [1]. This figure includes base salary and additional pay, which may represent profit-sharing, commissions, bonuses, or other compensation. Factors like where you live, your education level, and your field experience will impact how much you can expect to earn. 

While the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) doesn’t specifically track job outlook for autonomous engineers, the organization projects that overall employment in engineering will grow faster than average from 2024 to 2034, with approximately 186,500 engineering job openings each year [2]. 

Autonomous systems engineer education and training

You may find work as an autonomous systems engineer after earning a bachelor’s degree. Depending on your career goals, you may need to earn a master’s degree or relevant certificates to round out your skills and resume.

Bachelor’s degree for autonomous systems engineers

To start working as a systems engineer, you can pursue a bachelor’s degree in nearly any engineering field. For example, you could study software engineering, electrical engineering, computer science, math, physics, or machine learning. After getting a bachelor’s degree, you can start working as an autonomous systems specialist or in a junior role to earn relevant experience. Another option is to continue your education and earn a master’s degree. 

Master’s degree for autonomous system engineers

You can start working as a systems engineer with many different types of master’s degrees in areas like systems engineering, mathematics, or computer science. Earning a master’s degree can also allow you to find a program specialized in the industry or autonomous system application you’d like to work with. For example, you could pursue the following degrees:

• Master of Science in Robotics and Autonomous Systems

• Master of Engineering in Robotics and Intelligent Autonomous Systems

• Master of Science in Uncrewed and Autonomous Systems Engineering

Engineering certification

You can also develop your autonomous systems engineering credentials with an engineering certification. The International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) offers three levels of certification for systems engineering to demonstrate your level of competence to potential employers: the ASEP, CSEP, and ESEP.

• Associate Systems Engineering Professional (ASEP): A certification for new systems engineers who have learned engineering concepts but haven’t yet gained the experience of putting those skills into practice. 

• Certified Systems Engineering Professional (CSEP): A certification demonstrating your systems engineering knowledge and at least five years of professional experience working in the field. 

• Expert Systems Engineering Professional (ESEP): A certification demonstrating leadership and advanced systems engineering experience. 

Check out our free career-building resources 

Join Career Chaton LinkedIn to get weekly updates on popular skills, tools, and certifications. Then check out these resources to help with your career decisions:

• Take a quiz: Career Test: What Career is Right for Me Quiz? 

• Read our Career Chat issue: What Should You Earn: A Certificate or a Degree? 

• Watch on YouTube: What Should I Major In?

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