Sr. Navigation Engineer

Blue Origin • Southgate, WA

4d

About The Position

At Blue Origin, we envision millions of people living and working in space for the benefit of Earth. We’re working to develop reusable, safe, and low-cost space vehicles and systems within a culture of safety, collaboration, and inclusion. Join our team of problem solvers as we add new chapters to the history of spaceflight! This role is part of Advanced Concepts and Enterprise Engineering (ACE), supporting Blue Origin’s mission of millions of people living and working in space for the benefit of Earth. The team fosters innovation and drives engineering workflows of the future, shared solutions and standards, simplicity and lower costs, and manufacturable design. As a Senior Navigation Engineer in our Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) and Avionics team, you will be at the forefront of developing and implementing cutting-edge navigation solutions for our advanced systems. You will take a leading role in designing, analyzing, and testing navigation algorithms and systems. Your expertise will be crucial in ensuring the accuracy, and reliability of our navigation performance. This position requires a deep theoretical understanding and practical ability to develop sophisticated estimation algorithms, including Kalman filters, for real-world applications.

Requirements

• Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related discipline.
• 5-10 years of experience in navigation systems analysis, design, and testing.
• Demonstrated expertise in designing and implementing Kalman filters for Inertial Navigation Systems (INS).
• Strong theoretical and practical understanding of inertial sensors (accelerometers, gyroscopes) and GPS technology.
• Proficiency in simulation and analysis tools such as MATLAB/Simulink.
• Solid programming skills in C++ or Python for algorithm development and data analysis.
• Proven ability to lead technical projects and mentor other engineers.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.
• Must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum.

Nice To Haves

• Ph.D. in a relevant field with a focus on estimation theory or navigation.
• Experience with tightly-coupled and loosely-coupled GPS/INS integration.
• Hands-on experience with testing and validating navigation systems on hardware.
• Knowledge of other navigation techniques, such as terrain-relative navigation, star trackers, or visual odometry.
• Familiarity with navigation system software and hardware development for safety-critical applications.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and implement advanced navigation and estimation algorithms, with a primary focus on Kalman filters for Inertial Navigation Systems (INS).
• Model and simulate inertial sensors (e.g., accelerometers, gyroscopes) and GPS receivers to analyze and predict navigation system performance.
• Lead the integration of navigation components into the broader GNC and avionics architecture.
• Develop and execute test plans to verify and validate navigation system performance in both simulation and hardware-in-the-loop environments.
• Analyze sensor data to characterize and calibrate inertial measurement units (IMUs) and other navigation sensors.
• Troubleshoot and resolve complex navigation-related issues found during testing and operations.
• Mentor junior engineers and provide technical leadership in the field of navigation systems.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including hardware, software, and systems engineers, to deliver integrated solutions.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, basic and supplemental life insurance, paid parental leave, short and long-term disability, 401(k) with a company match of up to 5%, and an Education Support Program.
• Stock Options for all regular employees (working at least 20 hours/week)
• Paid Time Off: Up to four (4) weeks per year based on weekly scheduled hours, and up to 14 company-paid holidays.
• Dependent on role type and job level, employees may be eligible for benefits and bonuses based on the company's intent to reward individual contributions and enable them to share in the company's results, or other factors at the company's sole discretion.

What This Job Offers

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