Senior MEMS IMU Systems Engineer: Precision Navigation

HRL Laboratories, LLC; Malibu (CA); On-site; USD 155,000 - 198,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical coverage

Dental coverage

Vision coverage

Life insurance

401K match

Gym facilities

PTO

Sick time

Upward mobility

Job summary

HRL Laboratories, LLC is seeking a senior IMU development engineer to lead end-to-end evaluation and characterization of MEMS IMUs for navigation-grade performance in GPS-degraded environments. You will mature hardware and firmware, drive test automation in Python/ MATLAB, and collaborate across hardware, firmware, and systems teams to deliver robust prototypes and transition plans for production.

The role is based in Malibu, CA, with strong emphasis on reproducible results, data-driven

Qualifications

• Bachelor's, master's or Ph.D. in a relevant field.
• 7+ years owning sensor development, DSP, hardware/firmware integration, validation, and schematic-level design.
• 4+ years managing production/test documentation and artifact production.
• Strong understanding of inertial sensor performance and filtering/compensation.
• Experience with IMU test equipment and test automation interfaces.
• Proficiency in MATLAB, Python, LabVIEW, or similar for data analysis and automation.
• Embedded firmware expertise, RTOS concepts, HAL/bare metal drivers, and bring-up.
• Knowledge of Git-based version control, code reviews, CI/CD, and testing.
• Experience with microcontrollers/SoCs, ADCs/DACs, and serial interfaces (I2C, SPI, UART, CAN, Ethernet).

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end IMU evaluation and characterization for prototyping and sustainment.
• Define and execute characterization strategies across environmental and dynamic conditions.
• Analyze performance data, identify drivers, validate models, and investigate anomalies.
• Develop operational firmware to align sensor behavior with system goals; support bring-up and debugging.
• Drive sustaining activities, including hardware/firmware debug, yield trends, and improvements.
• Develop lab infrastructure and scripts for evaluation and validation; build automation in Python/MATLAB/Simulink.
• Lead system-level validation with test plans, pass/fail criteria, and reproducible results.
• Collaborate cross-functionally for requirements flow and transition to production.
• Maintain configuration control and prepare prototypes for external evaluation.

Skills

Sensor development

Digital signal processing

Hardware/firmware integration

Performance validation

Embedded C/C++

Python

Git

RTOS concepts

Test equipment

MATLAB

LabVIEW

CAN / Ethernet interfaces

Microcontrollers/SoCs

Education

Bachelor's/Master's/PhD in relevant field

Tools

Xilinx Vivado

Altium Designer

ASIC platforms

Job description

HRL Laboratories, LLC is seeking a senior IMU development engineer to lead end-to-end evaluation and characterization of MEMS IMUs for navigation-grade performance in GPS-degraded environments. You will mature hardware and firmware, drive test automation in Python/ MATLAB, and collaborate across hardware, firmware, and systems teams to deliver robust prototypes and transition plans for production.

The role is based in Malibu, CA, with strong emphasis on reproducible results, data-driven