Applications Engineer - Aerospace and Defense

NovAtel Inc.; Minnesota; On-site; USD 85,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

Hexagon Autonomous Solutions in Houston, TX is seeking a Field Application Engineer to support NovAtel GNSS and GNSS/INS solutions for aerospace and defense customers. This role combines technical depth with customer-facing activities to ensure successful integration, troubleshooting, and optimization.

You will collaborate with engineering, product, and sales teams, travel as needed, and contribute to documentation and demonstrations to advance field-ready positioning technology.

Qualifications

• Must have degree in Geomatics, Electrical, Computer, Aerospace, Physics or related technical discipline.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical support for NovAtel GNSS receivers, antennas, firmware, correction services, and GNSS/INS systems.
• Support customers through evaluations, integration, troubleshooting, field investigations, demonstrations, and training.
• Analyze customer data, receiver logs, configurations, RF installations, and field conditions to diagnose issues and recommend corrective actions.
• Reproduce, document, and elevate technical issues to Engineering with clear root-cause context when required.
• Collaborate with Sales, Product Management, Engineering, Compliance, and Customer Support to address customer needs and technical risks.
• Create and maintain technical documentation, troubleshooting guides, case notes, and internal knowledge material.
• Support product testing, benchmarking, field trials, trade shows, and customer demonstrations as needed.

Skills

GNSS concepts

Python/MATLAB scripting

Customer-facing communication

Troubleshooting

Travel willingness

Education

Geomatics / Electrical / Computer / Aerospace Engineering degree

Tools

GNSS receivers

Embedded systems

PCB/dev boards

Job description

Overview

Hexagon Autonomous Solutions is looking for a customer-focused Field Application Engineer to support advanced GNSS positioning technologies within Aerospace and Defense. In this position, you will provide technical expertise to customers by supporting the integration, troubleshooting, optimization, and successful adoption of NovAtel GNSS and GNSS/INS solutions.

While part of the Aerospace & Defense team, this position will join a high-performance team focused on delivering industry-leading positioning and navigation technologies to customers operating in mission-critical environments. Our customers rely on Hexagon A&P’s industry leading technology when building their own solutions. This position may be a great fit if you have a passion for emerging technology, and desire to use your engineering skills to solve real-world challenges and shape the future of the industry.

This position is based in Houston, Texas.

Responsibilities

AsField Application Engineeryou will be responsible for these activities:

• Provide technical support for NovAtel GNSS receivers, antennas, firmware, correction services, and GNSS/INS systems.
• Support customers through evaluations, integration, troubleshooting, field investigations, demonstrations, and training.
• Analyze customer data, receiver logs, configurations, RF installations, and field conditions to diagnose issues and recommend corrective actions.
• Reproduce, document, and elevate technical issues to Engineering with clear root-cause context when required.
• Collaborate with Sales, Product Management, Engineering, Compliance, and Customer Support to address customer needs and technical risks.
• Create and maintain technical documentation, troubleshooting guides, case notes, and internal knowledge material.
• Support product testing, benchmarking, field trials, trade shows, and customer demonstrations as needed.

Qualifications

Must Have:

• Degree in Geomatics, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Physics, or a related technical discipline.
• Minimum 2 years of relevant experience working with GNSS receivers, positioning systems, embedded systems, navigation technologies, or similar products.
• Strong understanding of GNSS concepts, including positioning modes, correction services, antennas, RF signal paths, multipath, interference, and data logging.
• Experience with hardware integration, PCB-level products, GNSS modules, development boards, or embedded system designs.
• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and problem-solving skills.
• Experience with Python, MATLAB, R, Bash, Lua, or similar scripting and data analysis tools.
• Excellent written and verbal English communication skills with strong customer-facing interpersonal abilities.
• Willingness to travel, including internationally, for customer visits, demonstrations, field trials, and trade shows.

Nice To Have:

• Experience in technical support, applications engineering, field services, or professional services roles.
• Experience with GNSS/INS installation, configuration, data collection, and troubleshooting.
• Experience evaluating, integrating, or troubleshooting GNSS products from multiple vendors.
• Familiarity with RTK, PPP, TerraStar, NTRIP, ALIGN, SPAN, timing, interference mitigation, or RF equipment selection.
• Experience in aerospace, defense, autonomy, agriculture, marine, mining, or heavy equipment applications.
• Familiarity with serial communications, Ethernet, CAN, ROS, autopilots, embedded systems, or customer hardware integration.

Key Success Factors:

• Structured and detail-oriented approach to technical investigations and troubleshooting.
• Ability to effectively prioritize competing customer and internal demands.
• Sound judgment in balancing independent problem solving with timely escalation.
• Strong customer empathy supported by technical credibility and professionalism.
• Clear written communication skills for customer updates, case documentation, and internal reporting.
• Collaborative, curious, and composed approach when working through complex or ambiguous issues.

EOE/F/M/Vet/Disabled

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Applicants that require accommodation in the job application process may contact Human Resources for assistance at (310) 782 -1076 ext.: 134.

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