Lead State Estimation & Navigation Engineer

Askari Defense; Atlanta (GA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Askari Defense seeks an experienced state estimation specialist to own the navigation and estimation stack for interceptor systems. You will work with GNC and autonomy leads to architect and execute estimation solutions that meet mission-critical requirements, from first-principles observability analysis to flight-proven implementation.

The role emphasizes evidence-driven engineering, rigorous validation, and the ability to operate across perception, guidance, and control to ensure robust

Qualifications

• MS degree in a relevant engineering or CS field with emphasis on estimation, navigation, or sensor fusion.
• 2+ years developing state estimation and sensor fusion for dynamic platforms.
• Hands-on use of Kalman-class estimators (EKF/UKF) with real systems.
• Experience validating estimators on hardware and flight data.
• Proficiency in C++ on-vehicle and Python for analysis.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and implementation of the navigation and estimation stack from first-principles observability to embedded execution.
• Collaborate with guidance and controls to align estimator with required state and laws.
• Develop GNSS-denied/navigation solutions robust to degradation and latency.
• Fuse multimodal sensors (IMU, GNSS, vision, seeker) in real time under low-SWaP constraints.
• Address robustness to delayed measurements and sensor failures; design redundancy.
• Support target-relative navigation and sensor integration with hardware teams.
• Validate estimators with SITL/HITL and flight data.

Skills

Kalman filters

C++

Python

State estimation

Observability analysis

Flight validation

Education

MS in Aerospace, Electrical, Mechanical, Robotics, or CS (estimation focus)

Tools

GTSAM/Ceres

STM32

Jetson

FPGA

Job description

Askari Defense seeks an experienced state estimation specialist to own the navigation and estimation stack for interceptor systems. You will work with GNC and autonomy leads to architect and execute estimation solutions that meet mission-critical requirements, from first-principles observability analysis to flight-proven implementation.

The role emphasizes evidence-driven engineering, rigorous validation, and the ability to operate across perception, guidance, and control to ensure robust