Drone and Counter-Drone Software and Hardware Integration

National Research Council Canada•Montreal, QC

2d•CA$83,435 - CA$107,838•Hybrid

About The Position

The NRC is seeking a Technical Officer to support hands-on software and hardware integration for drone and Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System (C-UAS) technologies within its Aerospace Research Centre. This role is part of the NRC Aerospace Research Centre's Drone and Flight Autonomy Lab, which is responsible for Canada's national C-UAS research and technology development. The successful candidate will collaborate with a multidisciplinary team of researchers, engineers, software developers, technical staff, and partners to implement, integrate, test, and document drone and C-UAS capabilities in both laboratory and field settings. The lab provides an applied and instrumented environment for dual-use drone and Counter-UAS technology development, covering areas such as UAS autonomy, C-UAS detection, sensor integration, operator software, experimental payloads, ground-based sensing, and field-deployable systems.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering technology, electronics, mechanical engineering technology, mechatronics, robotics, aerospace, computer engineering, or computer science. Equivalency of a College Diploma in a closely related technical field with relevant substantial experience may be considered.
Experience supporting the setup, operation, maintenance, integration, and troubleshooting of drones, including robotic platforms, embedded systems, sensors, communication equipment, electronic equipment, data-acquisition systems, onboard computers, payloads, power systems, or test equipment.
Experience performing hands-on technical work, including wiring, cabling, connector management, mounting, payload installation, equipment configuration, onboard-computer setup, sensor setup, functional checks, and troubleshooting.
Experience supporting practical system integration activities involving hardware, software, onboard computing platforms, sensors, payloads, communication interfaces, data interfaces, power connections, and related laboratory or field-test equipment.
Experience preparing and maintaining technical documentation, including setup notes, wiring notes, configuration records, equipment lists, test logs, checklists, troubleshooting records, and integration notes.
Experience with electrical, electronic, or mechanical integration tasks such as connector assembly, soldering, breadboarding, circuit testing, basic PCB prototyping, CAD, 3D printing, fabrication, or prototype assembly.
Experience with Linux, scripting, ROS 2, PX4, ArduPilot, MAVLink, Gazebo, Docker, Git, or other drone and robotics software tools.
Must be able to obtain a Secret Clearance.
Must be proficient in English or French.

Nice To Haves

Experience with Drone piloting or a Transport Canada RPAS Pilot Certificate.

Responsibilities

Support the setup, operation, maintenance, integration, and troubleshooting of drones, robotic platforms, onboard computers, embedded systems, sensors, payloads, communication equipment, data-acquisition equipment, and laboratory test systems.
Assist with laboratory experiments, simulation activities, provide technical and organizational support for drone field tests and demonstrations, system checks, and data collection involving drones, robotics, sensors, onboard systems, or experimental platforms.
Collect, organize, and maintain technical data and documentation, including logs, telemetry, video files, photos, sensor outputs, configuration files, setup notes, wiring notes, equipment lists, checklists, troubleshooting records, integration notes, and test-support procedures, while following applicable laboratory, field-test, equipment-handling, and workplace safety procedures.