Senior Software Engineer – Navigation (Defense/Aerospace, UAV/UAS)
Senior Software Engineer – Navigation (Defense/Aerospace, UAV/UAS)
At Vermeer we're looking for a Senior Software Engineer - Navigation (Defense/Aerospace, UAV/UAS) to join our team.
About the job
We are seeking a highly skilled Senior Software Engineer with deep expertise in Visual-Inertial Odometry (VIO), Inertial Navigation Systems (INS), and Extended Kalman Filtering (EKF) to join our advanced visual navigation team. You will help design, implement, and optimize state-estimation pipelines that power next-generation autonomous UAV/UAS systems for defense and aerospace applications. This role spans algorithm development, prototyping, real-time implementation, and flight-systems integration. You will work closely with robotics, perception, and embedded flight-software engineers to deliver robust, high-performance navigation capabilities in contested and GPS-denied environments
Responsibilities
● Design and implement real-time VIO, visual-inertial fusion, and multi-sensor navigation algorithms.
● Develop and maintain EKF/MKF/UKF-based estimators for onboard state estimation.
● Develop and maintain Factor Graph-based estimators
● Integrate navigation algorithms into Vermeer’s visual navigation line of products including terrestrial and stellar based navigation systems.
● Analyze sensor data (IMU, camera, GNSS, magnetometer, pressure, etc.) to improve filter performance, robustness, and reliability.
● Prototype estimation algorithms in Python/C++ and transition them to production-ready embedded systems.
● Implement simulation and flight-test frameworks to validate estimator behavior under stress and edge-case scenarios.
● Work cross-functionally with hardware, fulfillment, on-site integration, cloud teams.
● Produce documentation, results, and reports suitable for internal engineering review and external stakeholders.
Required Qualifications
● M.S. or Ph.D. in Robotics, Aerospace Engineering, Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related field.
● Extensive experience with Visual-Inertial Odometry, inertial navigation, sensor fusion, and state estimation theory.
● High proficiency in Extended Kalman Filtering including error-state formulations.
● Strong experience with modern C++ and Python in high-performance robotics or embedded systems.
● Hands-on experience with multi-sensor fusion pipelines and real-time robotics systems.
● Strong mathematical foundations: linear algebra, 3D geometry, dynamics, optimization.
Do you want to join our team as our new Senior Software Engineer – Navigation (Defense/Aerospace, UAV/UAS)? Then we'd love to hear about you!
Preferred Qualifications
● Solid understanding of UAV navigation.
● Demonstrated research contributions or peer-reviewed publications in VIO, SLAM, estimation, or navigation.
● Experience with PX4, ArduPilot, or other flight-controller stacks.
● Hands-on work with embedded platforms, GPU acceleration, or real-time operating environments.
● Familiarity with GPS-denied navigation, map-aided navigation, or degraded-environment navigation.
● Experience with ROS1/ROS2, Gazebo/Ignition, or other robotics simulation tools.
● Background working with aerospace, defense, or UAV/UAS programs.