Solutions Engineer - New Products

MAXAR TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; Herndon (VA); On-site; USD 99,000 - 132,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) with company match

Mental health resources

Student loan repayment assistance

Pet insurance

Job summary

Vantor is seeking a Solution Engineer in Herndon, VA to drive development in the Raptor product suite. This role involves collaborating with customers and engineering teams to enhance product performance in UAV software integrations. Candidates with strong programming skills and a degree in STEM are encouraged to apply.

The successful applicant will engage in hands-on testing, provide technical guidance, and contribute within a team environment to improve product offerings. Competitive compensation and unique benefits are offered.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a STEM discipline or equivalent experience.
• Experience supporting ISR, UAS, aerospace, or defense system integrations.
• Strong programming skills in C, C++, Python.

Responsibilities

• Interface with existing customers on integration of Raptor software.
• Provide technical product expertise and travel to customer sites.
• Assist customers with field integration testing for UAV systems.

Skills

Programming skills in C

Programming skills in C++

Programming skills in Python

Experience with embedded systems

Customer facing experience

Education

Bachelor’s degree in a STEM discipline

Tools

Linux

Jetson

Raspberry Pi

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. 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).

Vantor is seeking a Solution 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, this role focuses on advancing Raptor product software by providing direct development contributions and 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.

Responsibilities

• Interface with existing Vantor Raptor customers worldwide to coordinate on integration of Raptor software into their systems architecture.
• Provide advice and guidance based on rigorous product knowledge and institutional experience from past integrations.
• Travel to customer sites to deliver technical product expertise.
• Characterize product software performance of customer implementations and derive or 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 requirements to the product engineering team.
• Work within product engineering team development process to make code contributions.
• 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 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, kernel device drivers, library dependencies).
• 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.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in engineering, computer vision, software engineering or a related technical field.
• Video formats and streaming protocols (MPEG‑TS, MP4, RTSP).
• Experience with multimedia frameworks (FFmpeg, GStreamer).
• Experience with GIS systems, use cases, and software tools.
• Image processing and computer vision.
• Practical exposure to cameras and optics (lens models, calibration, distortion).
• Understanding of aerial navigation (filtering, control theory, 3D spatial math).
• Experience with UAS/UAV hardware and software (electromechanics, PX4, ArduPilot).
• Experience with embedded Linux / edge compute platforms (NVIDIA Jetson, Qualcomm‑based SoCs, Raspberry Pi).
• Strategic and business‑aware mindset.
• Structured and pedagogical mindset.

Pay Transparency

Starting pay for this role will fall within a 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 to $132,000.00 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 such as 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.

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.

Application Window

The application window is three days from the date the job is posted and will remain posted until a qualified candidate is identified for hire.

EEO Policy

Vantor is an equal opportunity employer committed to an inclusive workplace. 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. We also provide reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities in compliance with federal and state laws.