Principal Inertial Navigation & IMU Subject Matter Expert

Auburn, AL

Position Summary

IS4S is seeking a Principal Inertial Navigation and Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) Subject Matter Expert to support the development,integration, evaluation, and qualification of advanced positioning, navigation,and timing solutions for military aviation applications.

The successful candidate will serve as a technical authority for navigation-grade and high-performance tactical-grade IMUs used primarily onmanned military aircraft. Direct experience developing, manufacturing,qualifying, or delivering IMUs or inertial navigation systems is strongly desired.

Experience with Ring Laser Gyro (RLG)-based systems is preferred. Candidates with significant Fiber Optic Gyro (FOG) experience willalso receive strong consideration.

Key Responsibilities

• Serveas the technical subject matter expert for inertial sensors, IMUs,inertial navigation systems, and integrated navigation solutions.
• Provide technical leadership throughout the IMU and navigation-system lifecycle,including requirements development, architecture, design, integration,calibration, verification, qualification, production, and fielded-system support.
• Evaluate navigation-grade and tactical-grade IMUs for suitability across manned military aviation platforms.
• Leador support IMU selection activities, technical evaluations, market research, alternatives analyses, and technology trade studies.
• Assess gyro and accelerometer technologies, error sources, calibration approaches, navigation performance, reliability, producibility, and suitability for specific military aircraft applications.
• AnalyzeIMU performance characteristics, including:
  • Gyroand accelerometer bias
  • Bias stability and repeatability
  • Scale-factor error
  • Misalignment and cross-axis sensitivity
  • Angle random walk and velocity random walk
  • Noiseand drift
  • Temperature sensitivity
  • Vibration and environmental effects
• Assess navigation performance during GPS/GNSS degradation or denial, including free-inertial, blended, and coasting performance.
• Support the integration of IMUs with GPS/GNSS receivers, navigation processors,Kalman filters, mission computers, and other navigation-aiding sources.
• Develop and review technical requirements, performance specifications,interface-control documentation, verification criteria, qualification strategies, test plans, and technical reports.
• Planand support laboratory, hardware-in-the-loop, ground, environmental,qualification, and flight-test activities.
• Analyze test and flight data, identify performance shortfalls, determine root causes, and recommend corrective actions.
• Evaluate supplier designs, technical proposals, product roadmaps, manufacturing approaches, and claimed system performance.
• Support the resolution of technical and production issues involving inertial sensors, electronics, embedded software, navigation algorithms,calibration, or system-level integration.
• Support technical reviews, trade studies, design reviews, test-readiness reviews,qualification reviews, and customer technical interchange meetings.
• Communicate complex navigation concepts, technical risks, and recommended solutions to engineering teams, program leadership, customers, and government stakeholders.
• Mentor engineering personnel and provide technical guidance across multidisciplinary teams.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’sdegree in electrical engineering, aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, physics, applied mathematics, or a related technical field.
• Atleast 10 years of relevant professional experience with IMUs, inertial navigation systems, integrated navigation solutions, or closely related technologies.
• Demonstrated proficiency with navigation-grade and/or high-performance tactical-gradeIMUs.
• Strong knowledge of gyroscopes, accelerometers, inertial-navigation principles,sensor-error modeling, calibration, and navigation-performance analysis.
• Experience supporting IMUs or inertial navigation systems intended for military aviation or comparably demanding aerospace applications.
• Experience integrating IMUs into embedded, airborne, military, or other safety-critical navigation systems.
• Experience with GPS/GNSS-aided inertial navigation and navigation-filter concepts.
• Abilityto assess gyro and accelerometer performance, including bias, drift,scale-factor error, noise, misalignment, environmental sensitivity, and reliability.
• Abilityto interpret and develop technical requirements, performance specifications, interface-control documentation, test procedures, and verification criteria.
• Strong technical writing, presentation, and customer-facing…