GNC Senior Software Engineer - Sensors

A fast-growing space robotics company is seeking a GNC Senior Software Engineer – Sensors to lead the design and integration of sensing systems that enable autonomous robotic operations in extreme, unstructured environments.

In this role, you will own the sensing stack end to end, from hardware selection and interfaces through to data pipelines and sensor fusion, working at the intersection of autonomy, robotics, and spaceflight. You’ll collaborate closely with GNC, autonomy, systems, mechanical, electrical, and thermal teams to deliver sensing solutions that operate reliably in safety‑critical conditions.

This is a hands‑on technical leadership role in a fast‑paced startup environment, with real hardware, real autonomy, and real missions.

• Serve as the technical lead for the sensor team, enabling autonomous operations in challenging environments
• Architect and own the sensing stack, including component selection, interfaces, data processing pipelines, and sensor fusion integration
• Integrate sensor data with localization, mapping, and planning subsystems
• Collaborate across engineering disciplines to integrate and optimize sensing architectures with robotic hardware
• Evaluate sensor performance in simulation and field testing, identifying and resolving hardware and software integration issues
• Define and enforce sensor mounting standards, interfaces, and environmental constraints
• Own vendor relationships, component procurement, and hardware bring‑up
• Mentor engineers and foster a culture of technical excellence and innovation

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Electrical Engineering, Robotics, Aerospace, or a related field
• 5+ years of experience developing and integrating sensors for autonomous or robotic systems
• Hands‑on experience with sensing modalities such as cameras, LiDAR, radar, IMUs, encoders, or similar
• Strong experience with low‑level data handling, sensor drivers, and middleware (e.g. ROS, cFS)
• Solid understanding of time synchronization, coordinate frames, calibration, and sensor alignment
• Self‑motivated, organized, and comfortable working to tight deadlines
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• US Person status

• Master’s or PhD in sensing, perception, robotics, or a related field
• Experience with spaceflight or safety‑critical sensor integration in extreme environments (e.g. NASA Class A, DO-160, MIL-STD-810)
• Experience implementing sensor fusion algorithms such as EKF, UKF, or factor graphs
• Background in real‑time perception or SLAM on embedded hardware
• Proven ability to collaborate across multidisciplinary engineering teams