Principal Fiber Optic Gyroscope Engineer

Roboticsconnected; Sydney; On-site; AUD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Advanced Navigation in Sydney, Australia, seeks a Senior Fiber Optic Gyroscope Engineer to drive development, verification, and continuous improvement of FOG technologies within inertial navigation systems.

The role collaborates with photonics, electronics, FPGA, mechanical, and calibration teams to translate test results into engineering actions, while ensuring traceability and robust design decisions.

Qualifications

• Degree in Physics, Optical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics or related field.
• Experience in fiber optics or photonic systems.
• Ability to analyse complex test data and translate findings into actions.
• Experience with optical measurement equipment and laboratory testing.
• Strong understanding of experimental design and troubleshooting.
• Ability to work independently and across multidisciplinary teams.
• Strong technical communication and documentation skills.

Responsibilities

• Support design, development, integration and verification of FOG and related subsystems.
• Analyse FOG/IMU performance including bias, scale factor and thermal behaviour.
• Plan and conduct optical, environmental and system tests to characterise performance.
• Investigate issues using root-cause analysis and develop verification plans.
• Evaluate performance of optical components and integrated optical paths using tests.
• Interpret data and relate optical/electronic/mechanical/thermal/algorithmic params.
• Define acceptance criteria and test checkpoints for components and units.
• Support development of FOG test infrastructure and engineering processes.
• Collaborate with manufacturing to improve repeatability and yield.
• Contribute to design reviews, risk assessments and technical documentation.
• Provide guidance and knowledge sharing to engineers and build team capability.
• Maintain traceability between requirements, decisions, test results and actions.

Skills

Fiber optics

Photonic systems

Inertial sensors

Data analysis

Troubleshooting

Cross-disciplinary collaboration

Technical communication

Education

Physics / Optical / Electrical Engineering / Mechatronics degree

Tools

MATLAB

Python

LabVIEW

Job description

Senior Fiber Optic Gyroscope Engineer

Advanced Navigation is the world’s most determined innovator in AI robotics and navigation technologies across land, air, sea and space applications. Founded on a culture of research and discovery, Advanced Navigation's mission is to be the catalyst of the autonomy revolution. Fields of expertise include artificial intelligence, underwater sonar, GNSS, radio frequency systems, inertial sensors, robotics, quantum sensors and photonics.

Today, Advanced Navigation is a supplier to some of the world's largest companies, including Airbus, Boeing, Google, Tesla, NASA, Apple, and General Motors. Discover it for yourself: https://youtu.be/F7uAqs1gtuk

Overview of Role

This role is responsible for supporting the development, verification, and continuous improvement of Fiber Optic Gyroscope (FOG) technologies and their integration into inertial navigation systems.

The Senior Fiber Optic Gyroscope Engineer will apply strong analytical and practical engineering skills across optical components, fiber coils, gyro performance, environmental testing, and system-level troubleshooting. The role requires close collaboration with photonics, electronics, FPGA, mechanical, algorithm, manufacturing, and calibration teams to translate test results into meaningful engineering actions.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the design, development, integration, and verification of FOG and related optical subsystems.
• Analyse FOG and IMU performance, including bias, bias instability, angle random walk, scale factor, linearity, noise, and thermal behaviour.
• Plan and conduct optical, environmental, and system-level tests to characterise performance and identify improvement opportunities.
• Investigate technical issues using structured root-cause analysis and develop clear troubleshooting and verification plans.
• Evaluate the performance of optical components, fiber coils, and integrated optical paths using relevant measurement techniques and test equipment.
• Interpret test data and identify relationships between optical, electronic, mechanical, thermal, and algorithmic parameters.
• Define acceptance criteria, test checkpoints, and characterisation methods for components, subassemblies, and completed units.
• Support the development and improvement of FOG test infrastructure, analysis tools, and engineering processes.
• Work closely with manufacturing and production engineering teams to improve repeatability, yield, and product performance.
• Contribute to design reviews, failure investigations, risk assessments, and technical documentation.
• Provide technical guidance and knowledge sharing to other engineers and support the development of team capability.
• Maintain clear traceability between requirements, design decisions, test results, and corrective actions.

Required Experience and Capabilities

• Degree in Physics, Optical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, or a related technical discipline.
• Strong experience in fiber optics, photonic systems, optical sensing, inertial sensors, or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated ability to analyse complex test data and translate findings into practical engineering actions.
• Experience with optical measurement equipment and laboratory-based testing.
• Strong understanding of experimental design, measurement uncertainty, and structured troubleshooting.
• Ability to work independently on technically complex investigations while collaborating effectively across multidisciplinary teams.
• Strong technical communication and documentation skills.
• Ability to explain complex technical findings clearly to engineering, manufacturing, and project stakeholders.

Desirable Experience

• Knowledge of FOG optical architecture, including light sources, couplers, integrated optical components, photodetectors, and polarization-maintaining fiber.
• Experience with fiber coil characterisation, winding-related parameters, polarization behaviour, insertion loss, and optical power measurements.
• Understanding of closed-loop gyro operation, modulation techniques, signal processing, and control principles.
• Experience analysing inertial sensor performance and environmental effects such as temperature, vibration, magnetic fields, and mechanical stress.
• Familiarity with IMU or INS integration, calibration, and validation.
• Experience using MATLAB, Python, LabVIEW, or similar tools for data analysis and test automation.
• Experience supporting products through development, verification, production introduction, and continuous improvement.

Soft Skills

• Good communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to work effectively across multiple engineering disciplines.
• Ability to collaborate in a highly integrated multidisciplinary team environment.
• Proactive approach to problem solving and continuous improvement.
• Strong ownership mindset and accountability for technical outcomes.
• Commitment to knowledge sharing, mentoring, and fostering a collaborative engineering culture.

R&D

Sydney, Australia