Guidance, Navigation & Control (GNC) Engineer - State Estimation Focus

Askari Defense • Atlanta, GA

4d • Onsite

About The Position

This role is designed for an experienced state estimation specialist who will eventually own the navigation and estimation problem end-to-end for our interceptor systems. This is a deep individual-contributor role. You will work alongside our GNC and autonomy leads to shape, architect, and independently execute the state estimation solutions that deliver mission-critical capability. Navigation in our domain is unforgiving. Our vehicles are low-SWaP and operate in GPS-contested environments, across high-dynamic flight regimes, against maneuvering targets, with hard real-time constraints and little margin for a bad estimate. We are looking for someone who treats this as the central challenge it is, and who has the depth to drive a solution from first-principles observability analysis through flight-proven, embedded implementation. We are looking for evidence-driven engineers: individuals who prioritize physical reality over opinion and have the technical conviction to derive the best solution as supported by data. In this role, that means bringing the judgment to know which estimator architecture the problem actually demands, the rigor to prove it against flight data, and the autonomy to test, troubleshoot, validate in flight, and deliver an effective solution.

Requirements

• MS in Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Robotics, Computer Science, or a related field, ideally with a concentration in estimation, navigation, or sensor fusion.
• 2+ years of professional experience, with an MS, developing state estimation and sensor fusion systems for dynamic platforms.
• Hands-on expertise with Kalman-class estimators, including EKF/UKF, and the underlying theory, including process and measurement modeling, observability, tuning, and consistency analysis, applied to real systems rather than textbook problems.
• Direct experience developing state estimation for mobile or field robotics platforms, including ground, aerial, legged, or marine systems, operating in real-world conditions with onboard sensing and motion.
• A track record of taking estimators beyond simulation onto hardware and validating them against flight or experimental truth data.
• Strong C++ for on-vehicle implementation and Python for analysis and simulation.
• Ability to travel as necessary to support rigorous flight testing events and campaigns.

Nice To Haves

• PhD in a relevant field with a research focus in estimation, navigation, or sensor fusion.
• Direct experience maintaining a trustworthy state as GNSS degrades or disappears, including alternative navigation, integrity monitoring, or anti-jam/anti-spoof awareness.
• Relative-state estimation against maneuvering targets, including high-G or high-closing-rate engagements.
• Factor graphs, fixed-lag smoothing, GTSAM/Ceres or equivalent, and visual-inertial odometry (VIO).
• Estimators running on resource-constrained targets, including STM32, Jetson, and FPGA platforms, under RTOS/Linux, with attention to timing, fixed-point/numerical issues, and high-rate telemetry.
• High-fidelity physics modeling and digital-twin replication for estimator development and SITL/HITL validation.
• High-speed multirotor or rocket systems; nonlinear dynamics and transition maneuvers.
• ROS/ROS2 or other custom, lightweight middlewares.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and implementation of the navigation and estimation stack, from first-principles observability analysis through flight-proven embedded execution.
• Focus on problems in estimator architecture & design, selecting and justifying the estimator architecture the problem actually demands, including KF variants, factor graphs, and related approaches, grounded in observability analysis of the vehicle dynamics and sensor suite.
• Work across the estimation-G&C boundary to align the available state with the guidance and control laws the intercept requires, recognizing that estimator capability and achievable guidance are mutually constraining.
• Develop navigation solutions that hold up as GNSS degrades or disappears, maintaining a trustworthy state through the regimes where a bad estimate ends the mission.
• Fuse heterogeneous sensing, including inertial, GNSS, vision, and seeker/target sensors, into a coherent, real-time state under low-SWaP constraints.
• Handle delayed and asynchronous measurements, detect and ride through sensor degradation or outright failure, and inform the case for redundant or complementary sensing where the estimate demands it.
• Estimate the relative state of maneuvering targets with the fidelity and latency the intercept demands.
• Partner with the hardware and electrical design teams to drive sensor selection, placement, and integration, closing the loop between what the estimator needs and what the vehicle carries.
• Prove estimators against truth data across SITL/HITL and real flight; instrument, troubleshoot, and characterize filter behavior from telemetry and logs.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior