Senior Navigation Systems Engineer

The Contested Autonomy & Navigation Branch of the Leidos Innovations Center provides cutting-edge navigation for customers who can’t rely on GPS alone, and we need your help in the Rocket City (Huntsville, AL)! This position offers both analytic and hands-on tasks, including development, simulation, analysis, and field testing of navigation algorithms. We perform research, development, and advanced prototyping for DARPA, NASA, Air Force Research Laboratory, Office of Naval Research, and Army Combat Capabilities Development Command engineering centers. These customers need to get our advanced technologies into the field! You’ll work with other engineers in small teams using spiral or agile development to meet aggressive schedules aimed at live demonstrations and transition to fielded systems. Are you excited about making advanced technologies work in the real world? Then we want you on our team!

For more information about the work we do, please visit: https://www.leidos.com/products/assured-positioning-navigation-and-timing

Please note:

This role is located in Huntsville, AL. There may be opportunity to telework up to 1 day/week.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Perform modeling, simulation, and analysis of a navigation system as part of a broader system simulation.
• Conduct simulation trade studies to inform selection of navigation hardware meeting system requirements.
• For developmental flight systems, lead the design of new algorithms and transition existing Leidos algorithms to produce software enabling accurate, real-time GPS-denied navigation.
• Use and apply multiple sensor fusion algorithms, including extended Kalman filters, unscented Kalman filters, particle filters, and factor graphs.
• Fuse simulated and real-world sensor inputs from inertial sensors, GPS, altimeters, cameras, altimeters, and other aiding sensors.
• Work within a team of engineers across disciplines to design innovative navigation systems that are often constrained by conflicting factors, including accuracy, operating environment, and cost.
• Travel individually and with a team to coordinate with teammates and customers across a large program; travel will typically last no more than a week at a time.
• Present techniques, solutions, and results to the team and to customers.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in advanced technical field (electrical engineering, software engineering, aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, or equivalent) and 8+ years of prior relevant experience or Master’s degree with 6+ years of prior relevant experience.
• 3+ years of relevant experience with one or more sensor fusion algorithms: extended Kalman filters, unscented Kalman filters, particle filters, or factor graphs.
• Experience working with Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) in the context of a multi-sensor navigation system.
• Good working knowledge of navigation architectures as part of a flight system involving closed-loop Guidance, Navigation, and Control software.
• Demonstrated ability to contribute to dynamic simulations in MATLAB or similar environment.
• Demonstrated interpersonal skills, including ability to work within an Integrated Product Team (IPT) and externally with other subsystem teams.
• Ability to clearly articulate technical information, often to non-technical customers.
• Must be a US Citizen with existing security clearance (Secret or above).

Preferred Qualifications:

• PhD Degree in one of the majors listed above.
• Familiarity with alternative navigation technologies to improve navigation performance in GPS-degraded environments.
• Experience deploying navigation algorithms to real-time applications.
• Experience with Linux, C++, and/or Python.
• Experience with version control tools, especially Git or Subversion.
• Experience conducting business in high OPSEC environment, including modeling, simulation, and software development.
• Experience with specifying, testing and/or qualifying sensor hardware.
• Working knowledge of computer vision techniques.
• Eligibility for upgrade to Top Secret clearance.

NKE

If you're looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo — because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We're already at step 30 — and moving faster than anyone else dares.

Original Posting:

May 21, 2026

For U.S. Positions: While subject to change based on business needs, Leidos reasonably anticipates that this job requisition will remain open for at least 3 days with an anticipated close date of no earlier than 3 days after the original posting date as listed above.

Pay Range:

Pay Range $107,900.00 - $195,050.00

The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.