Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab

2026 Graduate - Navigation Systems Analyst/Engineer

Aerospace & Defense
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's or Master's degree in a relevant STEM field (Engineering, Computer Science, etc.)
  • Strong problem-solving, analytical, collaborative, and organizational skills.
  • Curiosity about complex navigation systems and a motivation to explore data and models.
  • Excellent communication skills for documentation and presentations.
  • Experience in Python and/or Matlab.
  • Willingness to travel occasionally to military facilities.
  • Ability to obtain a Secret security clearance.

Responsibilities

  • Analyze data from Navy navigation systems to assess performance.
  • Develop metrics and visualizations to quantify system accuracy and reliability.
  • Create physics-based models and simulations for navigation systems.
  • Implement statistical estimation techniques to evaluate system performance.
  • Design software tools that transform large data sets into actionable insight.
  • Support test planning and execution for navigation systems.
  • Contribute to the development of geophysical models and alternative navigation concepts.

Benefits

  • Collaborative environment with experts across multiple disciplines.
  • Opportunities for growth and learning in cutting-edge navigation technologies.
  • Involvement in high-impact projects supporting U.S. Navy operations.
  • Exposure to a variety of technical challenges in geophysics and analytics.
  • Potential to contribute to innovative concepts for future mission capabilities.
Full Job Description
Description

Do you want to work on systems that ensure U.S. naval platforms always know where they are, where they're going, and how accurately they can get there?

Are you excited by challenging, real-world problems in navigation, sensing, and geophysics-plus the software and analytics that make them work?

Are you looking to grow quickly by learning from experts across physics, engineering, data science, and software?

If you are graduating with a Bachelor's or Master's degree in a STEM discipline and are interested in navigation for undersea, surface, and future platforms, we'd like you to join our team.

We are seeking multiple early-career analysts, scientists, and engineers from a variety of technical backgrounds to help ensure the U.S. Navy-and future mission partners-have the most accurate and reliable navigation capabilities in the world. Our team supports deployed submarine and surface ship systems today and is expanding into new mission areas and alternative navigation concepts for tomorrow. You will join a multi-disciplinary team of physicists, software developers, mathematicians, engineers, and geophysicists who perform data analysis, modeling and simulation, systems engineering, technology roadmapping, and geophysical research for navigation.

As a member of our group, depending on your skills and interests, you may contribute in one or more of the following areas:

  • Operational Data Analysis
    • Analyze data from deployed submarine and surface ship navigation systems to assess real-world performance.
    • Develop and apply metrics, visualizations, and statistical techniques to quantify accuracy, robustness, and reliability.
    • Help diagnose anomalies and recommend improvements to systems and procedures.
  • Modeling, Simulation, and Accuracy Analysis
    • Develop physics-based models and simulations of navigation systems and sensors.
    • Apply statistical estimation and data fusion techniques (e.g., Kalman filters) to evaluate system performance.
    • Perform trade studies and sensitivity analyses to understand how design choices and environmental factors impact navigation accuracy.
  • Tools, Software, and Analytic Methods
    • Design and implement intuitive, robust software tools that transform raw, large-scale data into actionable insight.
    • Implement best practices for development, testing, and maintenance of analytical software used across the group.
    • Prototype new analytic methods and automation to increase the efficiency and impact of navigation analyses.
  • Systems Engineering, Test & Evaluation, and Technology Roadmapping
    • Support test planning, execution, and analysis for submarine and surface ship navigation systems.
    • Contribute to system requirements, design reviews, and technology assessments.
    • Help develop technology roadmaps that guide future investments in navigation capabilities.
  • Geophysics and Alternative Navigation
    • Contribute to the development and refinement of navigation-relevant geophysical products (e.g., gravity maps, magnetic models, bathymetry-based approaches).
    • Explore and evaluate alternative navigation concepts that exploit geophysical signatures and environmental information.
    • Help develop and integrate geophysical models into navigation simulations and system analyses.


Across all areas, you will:
  • Work with multi-disciplinary teams to collect, process, and analyze data and to assess the performance of navigation systems and their integration within systems-of-systems for various U.S. Navy platforms.
  • Build forward-looking analytical solutions to test and evaluate prototype and operational navigation systems.
  • Collaborate closely with sponsors and partners, learning their missions and tailoring analyses and tools to meet their needs.

Qualifications

You meet our minimum qualifications for the job if you...
  • Have a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Engineering (e.g., Mechanical, Electrical, Aerospace, Ocean, Systems), Computer Science or Software Engineering, Statistics/Data Science, Physics, Geophysics, Mathematics, Operations Research, or a related subject.
  • Have strong problem-solving, analytical, collaborative, and organizational skills.
  • Have a strong sense of curiosity about how complex systems-especially navigation systems-work and are motivated to explore data, models, and documentation to find out.
  • Have excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills needed to document methods, explain results, and present work to colleagues and government sponsors.
  • Have experience in Python and/or Matlab.
  • Are willing and able to travel occasionally to U.S. Navy facilities, bases, test sites, and contractor locations to support tests and present results.
  • Are able to obtain a Secret security clearance by your start date and can ultimately obtain a Top Secret clearance. If selected, you will be subject to a government security clearance investigation and must meet the requirements for access to classified information. Eligibility requirements include U.S. citizenship.


You'll go above and beyond our minimum requirements if you...
  • Hold an active Secret or Top Secret security clearance.
  • Have experience working with the Department of Defense, particularly U.S. Navy systems, tests, or sponsors.
  • Have coursework, projects, or internship experience related to navigation, guidance, geophysics, signal processing, or autonomous systems.
  • Have a demonstrated understanding of surface or subsurface navigation concepts (e.g., inertial navigation, GPS/GNSS, underwater navigation, celestial navigation, map-matching).
  • Advanced Analytics and AI/ML
    • Have experience with machine learning, statistical inference, or AI integration in technical environments.
    • Have experience applying data fusion techniques (e.g., Kalman filtering, Bayesian estimation) or signal processing methods to real data.
  • Software Engineering Practices
    • Have experience with Agile software development practices or full lifecycle software development.
    • Have experience with modern software development workflows, including:
      • Configuration management and version control tools (e.g., Git, GitLab).
      • Issue tracking and code review
      • Automated testing
      • Continuous integration / continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines
  • Geophysical and Environmental Modeling
    • Have experience with gravity, magnetic, bathymetric, or other geophysical modeling and mapping.
    • Have relevant coursework and/or experience with potential field theory, geophysical processing, and related modeling methods.
    • Have worked with geospatial data, GIS tools, or environmental models relevant to navigation.

Minimum Rate

$85,000 Annually

Maximum Rate

$165,000 Annually

About Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab

The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) is a research and development organization that provides solutions to national security and scientific challenges. The laboratory was founded in 1942 and is located in Laurel, Maryland. APL is a division of the Johns Hopkins University and is a not-for-profit organization. The laboratory has expertise in a variety of areas, including space exploration, national security, and healthcare.
Learn more about Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab
Size
7,000 employees
Industry
Founded
1942

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