Principal Engineer - Navigation Systems (SME)

About the role

The Principal Navigation Engineer will lead the technical development of advanced aerospace navigation systems, overseeing the full lifecycle from concept to verification. This senior position requires ownership of navigation requirements, architectures, algorithms, sensor‑fusion, and performance analysis under both nominal and GNSS‑denied conditions.

Key responsibilities

• Develop, integrate, tune and verify navigation algorithms and sensor‑fusion solutions.
• Define navigation requirements, system architectures, error budgets and verification criteria.
• Design inertial mechanisation, alignment, calibration, estimation, aiding and fault‑management functions.
• Perform accuracy, integrity, continuity, latency and drift analyses, including Monte Carlo and covariance studies.
• Support MIL, SIL, PIL, HIL, laboratory, ground and flight‑test activities and analyse test data for anomalies.
• Develop fault‑detection, isolation, exclusion, reconfiguration and recovery logic.
• Produce technical documentation, analysis reports and verification evidence.
• Coordinate with GNC, Avionics, Software, RF, Simulation, Systems Engineering and Flight Test teams.
• Mentor junior engineers and provide peer‑review technical leadership.

Required profile

• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace, Electrical/Electronic, Control, Mechanical, Mechatronics, Robotics, Computer Engineering, Applied Mathematics or a related field.
• 10+ years of experience in aerospace, defence, robotics or safety‑critical systems with substantial navigation expertise.
• Hands‑on experience with inertial, GNSS, aided or resilient navigation systems.

Required skills

• MATLAB and Simulink proficiency.
• Navigation algorithm development and sensor‑fusion.
• Estimation filters and sensor‑error modelling.
• Calibration, alignment and integrity monitoring.
• Fault detection, isolation and recovery techniques.
• Experience with MIL, SIL, PIL and HIL testing.
• Monte Carlo, covariance, observability and robustness analysis.