Guidance, Navigation & Control (GNC) Engineer - Interceptor C-UAS (m/f/d)

Quantum Systems; Weßling; Remote; EUR 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Quantum Systems, Inc. in Weßling, Bayern, Germany, seeks a hands-on robotics engineer to develop and deploy key autonomy functions within our interceptor platform, with emphasis on Guidance, Navigation, and Control.

You will work across algorithm development, system integration, flight testing, and field debugging to deliver reliable autonomous capabilities in demanding environments. You will own one focus area, collaborate with engineers across the GNC stack, implement in C++ or Rust, and

Qualifications

• Degree in robotics, aerospace, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, applied mathematics, computer vision, or a comparable technical field.
• Several years of hands-on experience in the field.
• Strong fundamentals in guidance, control, vehicle kinematics and dynamics, state estimation, optimization, and dynamical systems.
• Deep expertise in at least one of these areas.
• Strong implementation skills in C++ or Rust and experience with ROS 2.

Responsibilities

• Develop and deploy autonomy functions within the interceptor platform.
• Integrate algorithms with perception, flight-control, and operator systems using ROS 2 and MAVLink.
• Benchmark, validate, and field-test the system through SITL/HITL and flight testing.
• Analyze real logs, reproduce failures, and improve system reliability in the field.

Skills

Guidance fundamentals

Control fundamentals

Kinematics & dynamics

State estimation

Optimization

Dynamical systems

C++

Rust

ROS 2

MAVLink

Education

Degree in robotics, aerospace, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, applied mathematics, computer vision, or a comparable technical field.

Tools

PX4

ArduPilot

MAVLink

ROS 2

SITL/HITL

Job description

• On-site
• Wessling , Bayern , Germany
• Software

About the Role

You will be responsible for developing and deploying key autonomy functions within our interceptor platform, focusing on Guidance, Navigation & Target Tracking, or Control. From algorithm development and system integration to flight testing and field debugging, you will help deliver reliable autonomous capabilities in demanding operational environments.

What is your Day to Day Mission:

Depending on your background and expertise, your primary focus will be in Guidance, Navigation, or Control. You will take ownership of one of these areas while working closely with engineers across the broader GNC stack to deliver a reliable autonomous interceptor system.

Guidance: Develop and deploy guidance algorithms that convert mission objectives and estimated vehicle and target states/predictions into feasible control commands. Develop predictive approaches that account for target motion and maneuvers.

Navigation & Target Tracking: Develop and integrate state-estimation, sensor-fusion, and target-approaches that provide reliable states and short-horizon predictions, including sensor fusion and uncertainty modeling.

Control: Develop and tune flight-control algorithms that translate guidance commands into stable, responsive, and feasible aircraft behavior across the operating envelope.

Across all three focus areas, you will:

Integration: Integrate algorithms with perception, flight-control, simulation, and operator systems through ROS 2, MAVLink, and related interfaces.

Benchmarking and Validation: Validate performance through simulation, recorded-data replay, SITL/HITL, and flight testing.

Field Debugging: Analyze real logs, reproduce failures, isolate root causes, and improve the system until it works not only on your machine, but in the field.

What You Bring to the Team

You're structured, fast-moving, and a team player. You iterate fast and work with a high degree of autonomy. You love building things that last and analyze and fix root cause problems over applying short-term patches.

Degree in robotics, aerospace, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, applied mathematics, computer vision, or a comparable technical field.

Several years of hands-on experience in the field. We also consider relevant experience gained through student clubs, internships, or working-student positions.

Strong fundamentals in guidance, control, vehicle kinematics and dynamics, state estimation, optimization, and dynamical systems, with deep expertise in at least one of these areas.

Strong implementation skills in C++ or Rust and experience with ROS 2.

Good understanding of coordinate frames, quaternions, NED/ENU conventions, timing, and filtering.

Experience with interception or predictive guidance, PID or model-based control, trajectory optimization, or model-predictive approaches.

Experience with PX4, ArduPilot, MAVLink, or similar flight-control ecosystems.

Experience with system identification, flight-dynamics modeling, target tracking, or GNSS-denied navigation.

Experience with simulation, SITL/HITL, flight-log analysis, structured flight testing, or multi-vehicle autonomy.

Note: We operate in an industry where women, as well as other minority groups, are systematically under-represented. We encourage you to apply even if you dont meet all the listed qualifications; ability and impact cannot be summarised in a few bullet points.

Why Join Quantum-Systems?

Be at the forefront of next-generation Defence innovation.

Work in a fast-paced, agile environment where your ideas make an impact.

Collaborate with a team of industry pioneers who are ambitious, bold, and visionary.

Opportunities for individual and professional growth in a globally recognized organization.

About us:

Quantum Systems specializes in the development, design, and production of small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS). The company’s range of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) sUAS are built to maximize range and versatility and to provide operators with a seamless user experience. By integrating cutting-edge software capabilities, like edge computing and real-time AI-powered data processing, Quantum Systems is building next-generation UAS for clients in the defense, security, and public sectors.

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A detailed description of your hands-on projects, including photos, GitHub links, and videos, drawings.