Helsing
OpenSenior Navigation Engineer
- Location
- Washington, DC
- Posted
- Jun 11, 2026
- Last seen
- Aug 19, 2026
About the role
Who we are
Helsing develops artificial intelligence-enabled capabilities to protect and defend democracies. We are growing our US operations, cultivating an ambitio u s and committed team of mission-driven professionals to apply their skills to solve challenging problems.
The role
Autonomous UAS depend on precise, resilient Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) to execute their missions. In the modern battlefield, GNSS is one of the most heavily contested signals in the electromagnetic spectrum, subject to sophisticated jamming and spoofing threats. As a GNSS and Navigation Engineer, you will own one of the most mission-critical capabilities for our long-range uncrewed platforms: their ability to know where they are and where they are going, even when the adversary is doing everything possible to deny that knowledge.
You will design, develop, and integrate assured PNT solutions for UAS, with a focus on anti-jam and anti-spoof architectures. You will own GNSS performance end-to-end, from antenna selection (including CRPAs) through receiver integration (SAASM, M-Code) to sensor fusion with inertial and vision-based navigation systems. You make pragmatic decisions on when to integrate available solutions and when to develop new capabilities that ensure our platforms remain effective in GNSS-degraded and denied environments.
Working closely with avionics, flight controls, RF, and systems engineering teams, you will be the key to ensuring our long-range UAS can navigate reliably, accurately, and securely through the most contested environments.
The day-to-day
- Design and develop resilient GNSS and navigation architectures for UAS, including multi-constellation, multi-frequency receivers and anti-jam/anti-spoof solutions
- Integrate Controlled Reception Pattern Antennas (CRPAs) with adaptive null-steering and beamforming techniques to mitigate jamming threats
- Integrate and operate SAASM GPS modules and M-Code receivers, managing the associated key handling, certification, and security accreditation processes
- Design tightly- and loosely-coupled GNSS/INS sensor fusion algorithms to maintain navigation performance during GNSS outages
- Develop and validate alternative navigation techniques (vision-aided, terrain-relative, celestial, signals-of-opportunity) to ensure mission continuity in GNSS-denied environments
- Conduct PNT performance analysis, including error budgets, jamming/spoofing vulnerability assessments, and operational range modeling
- Test, validate, and integrate GNSS hardware and navigation software into newly developed and existing UAS products, working against customer and internal requirements
- Manage relationships with US government agencies responsible for SAASM/M-Code key distribution and certification (e.g., GPS Directorate, relevant COMSEC authorities)
- Stay on top of the rapidly evolving threat landscape, identifying emerging jamming/spoofing techniques and matching countermeasures
- Collaborate with external partners and access specialized test ranges and equipment (anechoic chambers, GNSS simulators, live-sky jamming environments)
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