Solutions Engineer - New Products

Vantor (Maxar Intelligence); Herndon (VA); On-site; USD 99,000 - 145,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) with company match

Mental health resources

Student loan repayment assistance

Adoption reimbursement

Pet insurance

Job summary

Vantor seeks a Solution Engineer in Herndon, VA to join the 3D Engineering team. You will engage with UAV OEMs and defense integrators to translate customer needs into technical requirements, perform field testing, and contribute to product software performance across edge compute platforms such as NVIDIA Jetson and Raspberry Pi.

The role demands hands-on embedded software experience, strong communication, and a systems-level mindset to bridge software algorithms with hardware deployments.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a STEM discipline or equivalent practical experience.
• Experience supporting ISR, UAS, aerospace, or defense system integrations.
• Strong programming skills in C, C++, Python, shell scripting.
• Experience with cross-compilation and toolchains.
• Good understanding of embedded systems, SoCs, and SBCs.
• Hands-on experience with low-level Linux (troubleshooting, configuration).
• Experience in system design across hardware and software.
• Knowledge of networking and communication protocols (serial, TCP/IP, Wi-Fi).
• Experience in customer-facing roles, support, and solution design.
• Strong communication skills and sound judgment in customer communication.

Responsibilities

• Interface with existing Vantor Raptor customers to coordinate integration of Raptor software.
• Travel to customer sites to deliver technical product expertise.
• Characterize product software performance and derive technical requirements.
• Assist customers with field integration testing and analysis of telemetry, imagery, and navigation data.
• Develop and convey technical and system requirements to product engineering.
• Contribute code within product engineering team development processes.
• Collaborate across product, engineering, and GTM/sales to define interfaces and data flows between Raptor products and OEM systems.

Skills

C programming

C++ programming

Python

Shell scripting

Embedded systems

Linux

Network protocols

Customer-facing

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in STEM

Tools

NVIDIA Jetson

PX4

ArduPilot

Raspberry Pi

Embedded Linux

Job description

Vantor is forging the new frontier of spatial intelligence, helping decision makers and operators navigate what’s happening now and shape what’s coming next. Vantor is a place for problem solvers, changemakers, and go-getters—where people are working together to help our customers see the world differently, and in doing so, be seen differently. Come be part of a mission, not just a job, where you can: Shape your own future, build the next big thing, and change the world.

To be eligible for this position, you must be a U.S. Person, defined as a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, Asylee, or Refugee.Export Control/ITAR: Certain roles may be subject to U.S. export control laws, requiring U.S. person status as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3).

Please review the job details below.

Vantor is seeking a So lu tion Engineer working within our product development team for the Raptor family of products (Guide, Sync, and Ace ) . Raptor is a vision-based software suite designed to enable Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to navigate and operate in GPS-denied or contested environments. Based in Herndon, VA, t his role is focused on advancing Raptor product software by providing direct development contributions as well as working with external customers and Vantor Go-To-Market ( GTM ) Engineering teams to characterize product performance in the field and capture requirements for product improvements.

The ideal candidate is a mission-oriented software engineer who thrives in fast-paced, customer-facing environments ; is energized in the face of probl ems ; and likes to push code . This role is defined as a “solution” engineer because it require s creative thinking, convincing communications, a problem-solving mindset , and a commitment to teamwork. To be su ccessful in this role , a person must think at a systems level , have f amiliarity with embedded edge platforms, and have experience with sensor data flows, navigation solutions , and mission-critical applications.

As a So lu tion Engineer, you will participate in systems - level technical and engineering engagements with UAV OEMs, defense integrators, and mission focused customers. Your focus during these sessions will be on evaluating customer adoption of our products and convertin g customer experiences into tangible technical requirements . On occasion, you may be asked to help customers evaluate, integrate, and deploy our products, system components and early-stage solutions, into a variety of edge compute systems that proc ess positioning and navigation sign als . This position is ideal for a technically strong, hands-on engineer who can bridge the gap between software algorithms, OEM systems and field testing, and who thrives in dynamic, cross-functional environments.

The 3D Engineering team at Vantor is a dynamic, results-oriented engineering pro duct development team consisting of subject matter experts (SMEs), software engineers , systems engineers , and solution architects. This Solution Engineer will be a member of this team helping our customers bring our solutions to life in their systems , accelerating customer adoption , and driving real-world impact. Our business is fueled by delivering tangible value to our customers, and we need new te am members partner who want to drive making that happen.

Responsibilities: A day in the life/What the position will be doing:

Interface with existing Vantor Raptor customers worldwide to coordinate on integration of Raptor so ftware into their systems architecture . Provide advice and guidance based on rigorous product knowledge and inst itutional experience base from past integrations.

Travel to custome r sites to deliver technical product expertise .

C har acteri z e product software performance of customer implementations and derive /capture technical requirements for feature improvements or additions .

Assist customers with field integration testing, including configuration of Jetson and raspberry Pi series companion computers, autopilot stacks (PX4, ArduPilot ) and analysis of telemetry, imagery, and positioning data.

Assist in generating engineering technical designs involving the use of satellite imagery and full motion video to accomplish UAS visual positioning, odometry, and navigation.

Develop , document and convey technical and system requirem ents to product engineering team .

Work with in product engineering team development process to make code contribution s.

Communicate and collaborate across product, engineering, and GTM/sales teams to define and validate interfaces and data flows between Raptor products and OEM systems.

Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in a STEM discipline (e.g., Aerospace, Computer Science, Electrical or Mechanical Engineering, Math) or equivalent practical experience.

Experience supporting ISR, UAS, aerospace, or defense system integrations

Strong programming skills inC, C++, Python, shell scripting

Experience withcross-compilation and toolchains

Good understanding ofembedded systems, SoCs, and SBCs

Hands-on experience withlow-level Linux(troubleshooting, configuration, e.g., kernel device drivers, library dependencies)

Experience insystem design across hardware and software

Knowledge ofnetworking and communication protocols(e.g., serial, TCP/IP, Wi-Fi)

Experience incustomer-facing roles, support, and solution design

Strongcommunication skillsand sound judgment incustomer communication

Preferred Qualifications:

Master’s degree in engineering, Computer Vision, Software Engineering or a related technical field

Video formats and streaming protocols(e.g., MPEG-TS, MP4, RTSP)

Experience withmultimedia frameworks(e.g., FFmpeg , GStreamer )

Ex perience with GIS systems , use cases, and software tools

Image processing and computer vision

Practical exposure to c ameras and optics(e.g., lens models, calibration, distortion)

Understanding of a erial navigation(e.g., filtering, control theory, 3D spatial math)

Experience with UAS/UAV hardware and software (e.g., electromechanics, PX4, ArduPilot )

Experience withembedded Linux / edge compute platforms(e.g., NVIDIA Jetson, Qualcomm-based SoCs, Raspberry Pi)

Strategic and business-aware mindset

Structured and pedagogical mindset

Pay Transparency: To support pay transparency, Vantor includes salary ranges in all U.S. job postings. Starting pay for this role will fall within the listed range and will be based on factors such as experience, qualifications, skills, location, and market conditions. Candidates who meet the minimum requirements for the role should not expect to receive compensation at the top of the range. The listed range reflects the expected pay for this position, and final offers will be determined based on each candidate’s experience, expertise, and alignment with the role.

The base pay for this position within the Washington, DC metropolitan area is: $99,000.00 - $132,000.00 - $145,200.00 annually.

For all other states, we use geographic cost of labor as an input to develop market-driven ranges for our roles, and as such, each location where we hire may have a different range.

Benefits: Vantor offers a competitive total rewards package that goes beyond the standard, including a robust 401(k) with company match, mental health resources, and unique perks like student loan repayment assistance, adoption reimbursement and pet insurance to support all aspects of your life. You can find more information on our benefits at: https://www.Vantor.com/careers
Additionally, this position is incentive eligible with a target based on contribution, company performance, and/or individual results achieved; the specific incentive plan and target amount will be determined based on the role and breadth of contributions.

The date of posting can be found on Vantor's Career page at the top of each job posting.

EEO Policy: Vantor is an equal opportunity employer committed to an inclusive workplace. We believe in fostering an environment where all team members feel respected, valued, and encouraged to share their ideas. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, protected veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.