Autonomy Navigation Systems Engineer – Hypersonics

Navigation Engineer – Autonomy for Hypersonics

Organization 05449, Autonomy for Hypersonics, is actively seeking a Navigation Engineer with significant interest in estimation, software engineering, and applied R&D for national security missions. The successful candidate will have R&D experience in software engineering and/or stochastic estimation for dynamic systems, interest in developing, testing, and analyzing prototype hardware systems for future alternative PNT systems, navigation algorithms, and navigation warfare threats.

Autonomy for Hypersonics supports a range of Technical Readiness Levels (TRLs) to apply innovative conceptual ideas to both near‑term and future warfighter needs.

• Develop, integrate, test, and analyze results from hardware prototype navigation systems, including GNSS, inertial sensor, and alternative PNT solutions (such as RF signal of opportunity systems).
• Develop novel alternative positioning sensors, navigation solutions, and anomaly detection algorithms for contested navigation application for complex national security mission spaces.
• Collaborate with a team of researchers, engineers, and technologists to develop innovative integrated navigation technologies and mature them from concept to simulation to flight tests.
• Transition alternative PNT technologies, sensors, and software from modeling and simulation to hardware prototype for flight test experimentation.
• Perform testing in complex contested navigation warfare environments in the field, and analyze results to draw meaningful conclusions in support of national security missions.

This position will include simulation, laboratory, and field‑testing operations.

Location:

onsite at Sandia’s laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, including the Flight Dynamics Laboratory. Some travel is required.

$102,400 – $199,700. The salary range is estimated and the actual salary will be determined after consideration of the selected candidate’s experience and qualifications and application of any approved geographic salary differential.

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline, or an equivalent combination of directly relevant education and engineering or scientific experience that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and ability to perform independent research and development.
• Ability to acquire and maintain a DOE Q‑level security clearance.

• Graduate degree in Electrical Engineering or a highly related field where an independent research project was a graduation requirement (e.g., independent project, thesis, or dissertation).
• Ability to work independently and collaborate well in a multidisciplinary team of designers and test engineers.
• Outstanding verbal and written skills, including the ability to develop and present briefings that are clear and compelling.

• Coursework and/or 1+ years of experience with modern navigation systems (e.g., GNSS architectures/receivers, sensor fusion, inertial measurement systems, Kalman filtering, alternative PNT solutions such as RF signals of opportunity or terrain‑aided navigation, or sensor integrity algorithms such as anomaly detection).
• Experience programming in object‑oriented and scripting tools/languages (e.g., Python, C++, Matlab).
• Experience with industry GNSS simulation hardware (e.g., Spirent, PNT‑X, Broadsim), RF recording equipment, or hardware testing of navigation systems.
• Experience in technical communication as demonstrated by technical presentations and/or technical publications.
• Experience working collaboratively as a member of a multi‑disciplinary team.
• The demonstrated ability to conduct guided research and development in a self‑directed fashion.
• Coursework and/or experience with aerospace flight system or subsystem modeling and simulation.
• An active DOE Q‑level security clearance; or other equivalent active security clearance such as DOD Top Secret.
• An active SCI‑level clearance; or a willingness to apply for an SCI‑level clearance.

Applicants must be able to obtain and maintain a DOE Q‑level security clearance, which requires U.S. citizenship. If you hold more…