Autonomy Engineer, Navigation & Sensing

Key Responsibilities:

• Research, design, and implement state estimation algorithms, including advanced GNSS/INS fusion, and robust filtering approaches.
• Develop high-reliability navigation pipelines integrating GNSS, IMUs/inertial sensors, magnetometers, barometers, LiDAR, Radar, and other sensing modalities.
• Build algorithms and tooling for GNSS integrity monitoring, spoofing/jamming detection, signal quality assessment, and fallback/contingency navigation behaviors.
• Develop calibration, synchronization, and observability pipelines for multi-sensor UAV systems, ensuring consistency and long-term reliability.
• Implement and optimize real-time navigation algorithms on embedded processors, focusing on determinism, computational efficiency, and fault tolerance.
• Validate navigation performance through simulation, log replay, hardware-in-the-loop, and real-world flight testing in a variety of GPS conditions.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure seamless integration with autonomy, controls, avionics, mechanical, and firmware systems.
• Contribute to technical strategy, define best practices, and help guide the evolution of the navigation and sensing stack as systems scale and mature.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD in Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, or a related field with a minimum of 3+ years of industry experience. Note - we are considering candidates for mid-career, senior, and principal positions.
• Strong programming skills in C++ and Python, with experience building real-time systems.
• Experience developing navigation or state estimation systems for robotics or UAVs, with a foundation in GNSS, INS, and/or multi-sensor fusion.
• Proficiency with GNSS technologies, including RTK, PPP, differential corrections, and modern signal types (L1/L2/L5, multi-constellation GNSS).
• Familiarity with implementing real-time estimation pipelines on embedded systems or low-latency compute platforms.
• Hands-on experience with UAV or robotics testing, including sensor characterization, data collection, and field validation.

Preferred Skills:

• Strong expertise in GNSS, including carrier-phase RTK/PPP, integer ambiguity resolution, and multi-constellation/multi-frequency operation.
• Experience with tightly/deeply coupled GNSS–INS fusion and robust error-state filtering.
• Hands-on work with moving-base GNSS, dual-antenna heading, and dynamic baseline calibration.
• Knowledge of GNSS resilience: spoofing/jamming detection, integrity monitoring, and multipath mitigation.
• Familiarity with complementary navigation methods (UWB, radar altimetry, visual-inertial fusion, etc.).
• Solid understanding of sensor timing, synchronization, and observability.
• Background in UAV reliability, redundancy, and autonomous flight considerations.
• Experience with ROS, PX4, MAVSDK, and/or similar robotics middleware.

BRINC Culture Values: