Senior GNC Engineer - UAV Autonomy & State Estimation

helsing.ai; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

VSOP options

Relocation support

Job summary

Helsing invites applications for a senior role in its Guidance, Navigation and Control team to advance state estimation and navigation for defence AI powered UAS platforms.

You will own end-to-end controller development, collaborate with multi-disciplinary teams, and drive robust algorithm validation across simulation and field tests. Strong Matlab/Simulink and state estimation expertise are required.

Qualifications

• MSc/PhD in Aeronautical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Robotics or equivalent.
• At least 5 years in navigation, guidance or state estimation development.
• Strong Matlab/Simulink skills and background in state estimation theory.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end development of bespoke controllers for UAS, from conception to integration.
• Design, test and implement state estimator algorithms for robust performance in contested environments.
• Simulate navigation and guidance to inform sensor stack definitions (IMUs, GPS/GNSS, barometers, magnetometers, image-based positioning).
• Calibrate sensors using real data and close the simulation-to-real gap.
• Test navigation and guidance algorithms and evaluate performance.
• Collaborate with Flight Mechanics, Aerodynamics, Embedded Software/Hardware, and Testing teams.
• Contribute to flight test planning and analysis.

Skills

MSc/PhD in relevant field

5+ yrs exp

Matlab/Simulink

State estimation theory

Aerodynamics & controls

Communication skills

Software engineering

C++/Python/Rust/Java

Education

MSc/PhD in Aeronautical/Mechanical/Robotics

Tools

Ardupilot

PX4

Job description

Helsing invites applications for a senior role in its Guidance, Navigation and Control team to advance state estimation and navigation for defence AI powered UAS platforms.

You will own end-to-end controller development, collaborate with multi-disciplinary teams, and drive robust algorithm validation across simulation and field tests. Strong Matlab/Simulink and state estimation expertise are required.