Senior Navigation & Autonomy Engineer

We are seeking a highly capable engineer to help develop the next generation of navigation and guidance algorithms that will power future autonomous aircraft.

Note

This position is initially contingent upon SBIR contract award, with the intent to transition into a full-time long-term role upon successful project execution.

About Ocko Navigation

Ocko Navigation develops GPS-independent navigation systems for autonomous drones operating in contested electromagnetic environments.

Our flagship product, SR10, enables unmanned aircraft to navigate using onboard sensors rather than satellite navigation signals. We are advancing the state of the art in visual-inertial navigation, passive localization, terrain-referenced navigation, and terminal guidance for autonomous systems.

What You’ll Work On

• Visual-Inertial Odometry (VIO) and state estimation
• Visual SLAM and map-based localization
• Sensor fusion and drift reduction
• Terrain-referenced navigation and map matching
• Passive localization in GPS-denied environments
• Precision terminal guidance and target localization
• Multi-sensor fusion using cameras, IMUs, and other onboard sensors
• Flight data analysis and algorithm validation
• Real-time autonomy software running on edge-computing platforms
• Simulation and testing of navigation and guidance systems

Responsibilities

• Design and implement navigation, localization, and guidance algorithms for autonomous aerial systems.
• Develop and improve state estimation pipelines using visual and inertial sensor data.
• Research novel approaches to passive navigation and precision guidance.
• Evaluate algorithm performance using simulation, recorded flight data, and live flight testing.
• Optimize algorithms for real-time operation on embedded systems.
• Collaborate with flight-control, embedded, and hardware engineers to deploy autonomy capabilities in operational environments.
• Contribute to government-funded research efforts and transition successful technologies into production systems.

Required Qualifications

• U.S. Citizen.
• Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD in Aerospace Engineering, Robotics, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Applied Mathematics, Physics, or a related technical field.
• Strong software development skills in C++.
• Strong foundation in estimation theory, state-space systems, probability, and applied mathematics.
• Experience with one or more of the following:
• Visual-Inertial Odometry (VIO)
• Visual SLAM
• Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM)
• Multi-sensor fusion
• Autonomous navigation
• Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC)
• Experience working with camera and inertial sensor data.
• Ability to independently design, implement, test, and validate complex algorithms.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree (MS or PhD) in a relevant field.
• Experience with Kalman Filters, Extended Kalman Filters (EKF), Unscented Kalman Filters (UKF), factor graph optimization, bundle adjustment, or related estimation frameworks.
• Experience with OpenCV, Eigen, GTSAM, Ceres Solver, ROS, ROS2, PX4, ArduPilot, or similar tools.
• Experience developing software for autonomous drones, autonomous vehicles, robotics platforms, aerospace systems, or AR/VR localization systems.
• Experience with computer vision, target tracking, object detection, or visual servoing.
• Experience with terrain-referenced navigation, map matching, or geospatial modeling.
• Experience deploying real-time software on Linux-based embedded systems.
• Experience optimizing perception or navigation workloads for resource-constrained computing platforms.

Compensation

• Competitive salary
• Equity participation
• Opportunity to work on cutting-edge autonomy technology with direct real-world impact

Location

Seattle, United States (Remote or Hybrid)

Pay: $75.00 - $100.00 per hour

Benefits:

• Stock options

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Seattle, WA 98104