Senior GNC Engineer – UAV Guidance & State Estimation

Helsing; Greater London; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation support

Learning allowance

Health & wellness benefits

Social events

Parental leave

Remote-friendly options

Onboarding program

Job summary

Helsing, a defence AI company, is seeking a senior engineer to lead end-to-end development of state estimation, navigation and guidance algorithms for UAS. You will work with field engineers to elevate performance of Helsing's platforms and to push the boundaries of defence technology.

Based in London, you will collaborate with multiple engineering disciplines, simulate complex sensor stacks, and contribute to tests and flight-validation programs.

Qualifications

• Holds an M.Sc. or PhD in Aeronautical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Robotics or equivalent.
• Has at least 5 years of professional experience in navigation, guidance or state estimation development.
• Strong Matlab/Simulink skills.
• Solid background in state estimation theory, aerodynamics, stability and control, and systems modelling.
• Excellent communication and reporting skills, able to present findings clearly.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end development of bespoke controllers for UAS from conception to integration.
• Design, test and implement state estimator algorithms for contested environments.
• Simulate navigation and guidance algorithms to inform sensor stack definitions (IMUs, GPS/GNSS, barometers, magnetometers, image-based positioning).
• Analyze real sensor/test data to calibrate sensors and close the simulation-to-real gap.
• Support tests for navigation and guidance algorithm evaluation.
• Collaborate with Flight Mechanics, Aerodynamics, Embedded Software, and Testing teams.
• Contribute to and analyze flight tests.

Skills

5+ years in navigation/estimation

Strong communication

Software engineering skills

State estimation theory

Research-minded

Education

M.Sc. or PhD in Aeronautical/Mechanical Robotics or equivalent

Tools

Matlab/Simulink

Python

Rust

Java

C++

Job description

Helsing, a defence AI company, is seeking a senior engineer to lead end-to-end development of state estimation, navigation and guidance algorithms for UAS. You will work with field engineers to elevate performance of Helsing's platforms and to push the boundaries of defence technology.

Based in London, you will collaborate with multiple engineering disciplines, simulate complex sensor stacks, and contribute to tests and flight-validation programs.