The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory

Senior Navigation and Advanced Sensing Engineer

Aerospace & Defense
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Aerospace, Electrical, Mechanical, or relevant Engineering field; Master's preferred.
  • 5-7 years of experience in systems analysis or a related field.
  • Hands-on experience with GNC, GPS, and PNT technology.
  • Proficient with MBSE tools like SysML, and MATLAB/Simulink.
  • Experience integrating GNC subsystems within larger systems.

Responsibilities

  • Conduct complex systems analysis and execute assignments independently.
  • Lead system engineering lifecycle tasks including design, integration, and testing.
  • Propose solutions to problems with limited direction and adapt to changing requirements.
  • Guide small teams towards achieving program goals while building trust.
  • Mentor junior engineers through constructive feedback and guidance.
  • Identify and mitigate technical risks for projects.
  • Collaborate across multidisciplinary teams to support project objectives.

Benefits

  • Workplace flexibility and a focus on work-life balance.
  • Employee clubs for various interests such as photography and yoga.
  • Access to health and finance workshops.
  • Social events and cultural discounts.
  • Opportunities for professional development and training.
Full Job Description
Job Description Summary:
A Systems Analysis Engineer(SMTS) develops and applies advanced Digital Engineering capabilities for the analysis of complex systems in domains such as: strategic deterrence, missile defense, hypersonics, space, precision guided munitions, autonomous air/sea vehicles, and biotechnology. Our multi-disciplinary teams innovate and develop solutions for full system development lifecycle from trade studies, to concept and architecture design, to integration, to testing and operation.

Job Description:

Duties/Responsibilities
• Performs analysis approaches for a particular problem and independently execute assignments.
• Independently execute system engineering lifecycle assignments; concept and architecture design, integration, testing and operation.
• Drive solutions to complex problems with limited direction - contribute to task planning and test development, propose ways forward, and adapt appropriately to changes in program requirements
• Demonstrated ability to lead small teams (fewer than five people). Seeks to align team towards program goals and builds trust within the team.
• Able to provide insight and suggest design modifications based on analysis outcomes, and to apply analysis techniques across a range of technical challenges.
• Identify program/system-level technical risks and develop and execute mitigation strategies for them.
• Actively mentor less experienced engineers and provide thoughtful, constructive feedback.
• Work in a collaborative multidisciplinary environment including stakeholders and external partners.
• Contribute to translation of requirements into technical and architectural decisions.

Skills/Abilities
• Excellent mathematical skills.
• Thorough understanding of engineering theories and procedures.
• Ability to collaborate within a diverse and multidisciplinary team.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Excellent time management skills with the proven ability to meet deadlines.
• Demonstrated knowledge of multiple problem domains, with ability to quickly become knowledgeable in new domains.
• Identify and develop relevant modeling and analysis techniques, and develop or integrate multi-domain qualitative models.
• Ability to present results that support system-level analysis, performance trade-offs, and decision-making is critical, thus communications and interpersonal skills are highly valued in this role.
• The ability to communicate technical concepts effectively with customers, engineers, managers, and other stakeholders of all relevant disciplines.
• Flexibility to multi-task and adapt to evolving priorities.

Education
Bachelor's degree in Aerospace, Electrical, Mechanical, or other relevant Engineering field. Master's degree preferred.

Experience
• Requires 5-7 years experience in systems analysis or related.
• Experience in use of MBSE tools such as SysML, knowledge in MATLAB/Simulink.
• Experience in integrating descriptive modeling tools with other simulation tools.

Additional Job Description:

Successful candidates will have all required, and most of the desired and preferred abilities listed below:
  • Required:
    • Foundational knowledge and hands-on experience with guidance, navigation, and control (GNC), GPS, and Position/Navigation/Timing (PNT) technology
    • Direct experience relevant to enabling GNC or strategic missions, including CONOPS development
    • Experience integrating GNC subsystems within larger systems
    • Experience with developing structure program execution plans, and an interest in writing new proposals
    • Understanding for GPS/PNT problem solving, such as being jammed or saturated
    • Demonstrated ability to formulate and execute trade studies for technical approaches
    • Hands-on work experience with GPS / INS integrated systems (military or commercial) - and understands the role GPS plays in a coupled GPS/INS system
    • Fluent with Kalman filtering operations and how measurements and predicted errors are used within a basic filter
    • Exceptional presentation skills and the ability to articulate complex technical ideas
    • Ability to collaborate within a diverse and multidisciplinary team


  • Desired:
    • 10+ years of professional experience in the development of
    • Has worked with inertial only systems including an understanding of the constraints imposed by instrument drift over time
    • Familiar with processing and analysis of blended navigation performance data
    • Prior experience with GPS/INS integrated systems
    • Technical leadership experience
    • Strong Python, MATLAB, C/C++ skills


  • Preferred
    • Be able to discuss the varying types of navigation architectures and speak to the pros/cons of different models for a given CONOPS
    • Collaboration both in person and remotely (e.g. Teams, Git, Confluence, etc.)
    • Experience with Model Based Systems Engineering, and formal requirements management tools
    • Experience with multi-objective optimization techniques
    • Knowledge of modern software development lifecycles, standards, processes, and tools
    • Review and analysis of requirements - understanding which requirements are testable (or not) and how to advise on revisions
    • Values the dedicated workspace and atmosphere of an in-person development environment


Applicants selected for this position will be required to obtain and maintain a government security clearance.

Job Location - City:
Cambridge

Job Location - State:
Massachusetts

Job Location - Postal Code:


The US base salary range for this full-time position is
$82,300.00 - $220,000.00
Our salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target salaries for the position across all US locations. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Union ranges will be in compliance with the collective bargaining agreement's approved rates by location and role. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process. Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only, and does not include bonuses or benefits.

Our work is very important to us, but so is our life outside of work. Draper supports many programs to improve work-life balance including workplace flexibility, employee clubs ranging from photography to yoga, health and finance workshops, off site social events and discounts to local museums and cultural activities. If this specific job opportunity and the chance to work at a nationally renowned R&D innovation company appeals to you, apply now www.draper.com/careers.

About The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory

Draper Laboratory is an American non-profit research and development organization, headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts; its official name is The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc. The laboratory specializes in the design, development, and deployment of advanced technology solutions to problems in national security, space exploration, health care and energy. The laboratory was founded in 1932 by Charles Stark Draper at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to develop aeronautical instrumentation, and came to be called the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory. During this period the laboratory is best known for developing the Apollo Guidance Computer, the first silicon integrated circuit based computer. It was renamed for its founder in 1970, and separated from MIT in 1973 to become an independent, non-profit organization. The expertise of the laboratory staff includes the areas of guidance, navigation, and control technologies and systems; fault-tolerant computing; advanced algorithms and software systems; modeling and simulation; and microelectromechanical systems and multichip module technology.
Learn more about The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory

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