Lasercom GN&C Engineeer (Tech Staff) - MIT Lincoln Laboratory

Job Description:

You will be responsible for supporting the end-to-end development of guidance, navigation, and control (GN&C) subsystems for lasercom terminals (orbital, airborne, and ground). You will participate in the design, implementation, and verification of GN&C algorithms. You will work closely with other controls engineers on a pointing, acquisition, and tracking (PAT) team in the development of embedded software, test infrastructure, and software tools used to design, build, and test lasercom systems. Your contributions will play a key role in transitioning novel algorithm development from R&D into production.

Engineering opportunities exist at multiple experience levels. Roles are focused on algorithm design and software engineering, and span a diverse range of technical responsibilities: task and project leadership, individual contributor for novel algorithm development, design/implementation of test software and tooling for algorithm verification and validation, and continuous improvement initiatives for software-engineering processes.

You should be comfortable working in a fast-paced and sometimes uncertain environment while contributing to innovative solutions and demonstrating personal leadership, technical excellence, and attention to detail.  You should also be willing to document your work, and be comfortable presenting it to technical management, to non-technical sponsors, and at technical conferences.

Responsibilities:

•            Support design studies and develop prototype GN&C system solutions

•            Establish and build GN&C software architectures and system components in MATLAB and/or C/C++

•            Perform analyses, including covariance and Monte-Carlo simulations, to support engineering activities (model-based design, concept feasibility analysis, error budgeting, and requirements flow-down)

•            Develop system-level requirements, decompose requirements and flow down to lower levels, and perform trade studies

•            Develop navigation analysis tools and conduct predictive-performance analyses

•            Implement and test algorithms in hardware, both in the laboratory and in field demonstrations

Qualifications:

•            Ph.D. in Electrical/ Mechanical/ Aerospace Engineering, Computer Science, or Physics, or M.S. with 5+ years of experience. 

•            Experience in algorithm development with MATLAB and/or C/C++

•            Experience in development and testing of sensors and control actuators

•            Experience in implementation and testing of GN&C software and hardware

•            Experience with state-estimation algorithms and Kalman filters

•            Proficiency in digital signals and systems (FIR/IIR filters, LTI system models, Fourier transforms)

•            Ability to continuously manage risk and apply lean software development techniques

•            Strong technical communication skills, both written and presentation

Desired:

•            Five years of design experience

•            Experience with software verification and hardware-in-the-loop testing

•            Experience in embedded software development for Linux and/or real-time operating systems

•            Experience in full development lifecycle of GN&C subsystem

•            Familiarity with optical or RF communication systems