Senior Autonomy Engineer - State Estimation

Are you passionate about shaping the future of humanity's presence in space? Lunar Outpost, a trailblazer in space robotics, invites you to join our team! Lunar Outpost is dedicated to creating a sustainable presence in space, while also driving positive impacts here on Earth. We are seeking a talented, experienced Senior Autonomy Engineer - State Estimation. As a part of our State Estimation Team, you will play a pivotal role in developing cutting-edge autonomous navigation and control systems for our lunar rovers. Working at the intersection of autonomy, robotics, and space exploration, you will be responsible for the architecture, development, and verification of the vehicle state estimation stack, including local state filters, global localization methods, and lunar surface state measurement solutions. This role provides technical leadership for a critical subsystem that underpins mobility, autonomy, safety, and mission operations. Collaborating with cross-disciplinary engineering teams, you'll bring your expertise to solve complex challenges and drive the innovation needed to explore new frontiers in space. Take the #NextLeap with Lunar Outpost and work on the Pegasus LTV, which will carry NASA astronauts farther than they've ever been before on the lunar surface! Key Responsibilities: Own the end-to-end state estimation architecture for robotic platforms, spanning local state propagation, global localization, outlier rejection, and external measurement integration Lead the design, implementation, and validation of state filters, including extended Kalman filters, factor-graph optimization, and related probabilistic estimators Develop and maintain both global and relative localization solutionsFuse state measurements from onboard and external sources and infer dynamic constraints on state from sources such as terrain features, vehicle health signalsDefine estimator interfaces, data products, timing requirements, and covariance conventions for downstream consumers, including planning, control, fault management, and mission operationsEstablish estimator performance requirements, observability analyses, consistency checks, and failure detection strategiesLead offline analysis and field validation of estimation performance across representative operational scenariosGuide sensor fusion strategies in collaboration with sensor and systems engineering teams, including calibration, latency handling, and fault toleranceSupport anomaly investigation, estimator tuning, and root-cause analysis during integration and field operationsConduct field tests and simulations to validate and refile algorithms and software systemsEnsure software systems adhere to industry standards for safety, reliability, and performance in space exploration contextsMentor junior engineers and promote a culture of technical excellence and innovation within the team Stay at the forefront of autonomy and robotics technology, incorporating the latest advancements into our projectsRequired Qualifications: Experience in research and development of perception and localization in unstructured environments Bachelor’s degree or higher in Computer Science, Robotic Engineering, or related field A minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience in developing state estimation systems for robotics, autonomous vehicles, aerospace, or similar domainsDemonstrated expertise with probabilistic state estimation techniques, including EKF, UKF, factor graphs, or smoothing-based methodsExperience with global localization or map-referenced estimation techniques, such as terrain matching, image-based localization, or absolute navigation methodsStrong foundation in estimation theory, uncertainty propagation, observability, and applied filtering Expertise in programming languages such as C++, Python, and familiarity with ROS (Robot Operating System) Experience leading technical direction or mentoring engineers on complex algorithmic systems U.S. Person Preferred Qualifications: Background in GPS-denied navigation, planetary robotics, or operation in GPS-denied environments Experience integrating estimation with control systems, planners, or fault management frameworksExperience with photoclinometry, or terrain relative navigationFamiliarity with simulation and validation tools for estimation performance analysisExperience with long-duration autonomy, delayed updates, or intermittent absolute measurementsGraduate degree in robotics, aerospace, applied mathematics, or a related disciplineDemonstrated ability to work in multidisciplinary teams and communicate effectively across different engineering domainsCompensation & Benefits: Compensation level and base salary are competitively structured and thoughtfully determined based on factors such as relevant skills, experience, education, and the scope of the role.Comprehensive health coverage: Medical, dental, and vision benefits, with 70% of premiums covered by the employerPaid time off: Three (3) weeks per year of vacationRetirement plan: Up to 4% employer match on 401(k) contributionsPaid holidays: 11 company-recognized holidaysParental leaveEducational reimbursement opportunities to support company objectives, continued learning, and career developmentLunar Outpost Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. Lunar Outpost Inc. does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. All employees, including executives and human resources personnel, are expected to conduct themselves with professionalism and treat others with dignity and respect in accordance with this policy. DepartmentGNCEmployment TypeFull-TimeMinimum ExperienceMid-level