Navigation Engineer

GuideTech LLC•Lenexa, KS

5h•Onsite

About The Position

The Navigation Engineer will develop advanced navigation and state-estimation solutions that enable autonomous systems to operate in complex, mission-critical environments. The role focuses on resilient navigation technologies for GPS-denied, contested, degraded, and dynamic operating conditions, while collaborating with autonomy, perception, controls, and systems engineering teams. GuideTech, a subsidiary of Palladyne AI, contributes technologies for aerospace and defense platforms including unmanned aircraft, launch vehicles, spacecraft, missiles, and other autonomous systems. The engineer’s work will influence the performance of mission-critical autonomy systems in challenging real-world environments. The position is onsite in Lenexa, Kansas.

Requirements

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Robotics, Computer Science, or a related field.
5 or more years of relevant experience.
Knowledge of navigation, estimation, and sensor fusion.
Knowledge of linear algebra, probability, and optimization.
Experience with Kalman filters (EKF/UKF), factor graphs, or similar estimation techniques.
Experience with GNSS, INS, and IMU integration.
Proficiency in C++, Python, or similar programming languages.
Experience developing and testing real-world navigation systems.

Nice To Haves

Experience developing autonomous systems, including UAVs, robotics, or defense platforms.
Knowledge of vision-based navigation, SLAM, or LiDAR-based localization.
Experience developing solutions for denied, disrupted, or intermittent (DDIL) environments.
Familiarity with embedded or real-time systems.
Experience with simulation tools such as MATLAB, ROS, Gazebo, or similar environments.
Prior experience supporting flight systems, aerospace, or defense platforms.

Responsibilities

Design, implement, and optimize navigation and state-estimation algorithms, including Kalman filtering, sensor fusion, and SLAM.
Develop and integrate multi-sensor navigation systems using GNSS, INS, IMUs, vision, LiDAR, RF, and other sensing technologies.
Lead system-level architecture for navigation, localization, and Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) solutions.
Develop robust navigation capabilities for GPS-denied, degraded, and contested environments.
Collaborate with autonomy, controls, perception, and systems engineering teams to optimize end-to-end system performance.
Conduct simulation, modeling, and real-world testing to validate navigation performance.
Analyze system performance, troubleshoot issues, and drive continuous improvements.
Contribute to requirements development, interface definition, and system verification activities.
Mentor junior engineers and provide technical guidance.
Support field testing and deployment of autonomous systems.