Head of Technology – Inertial Systems (INS / AHRS / IMU)

Job Role and Responsibilities

The Head of Technology – Inertial Systems will own the technical vision, architecture, and delivery of the organization’s inertial navigation product portfolio, spanning Inertial Navigation Systems (INS), Attitude and Heading Reference Systems (AHRS), and Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) for aerospace, defence, marine, land/autonomous, and industrial use cases. The role combines deep, hands-on expertise in inertial sensing, sensor-fusion algorithms, digital signal processing (DSP), and embedded systems with the leadership required to build and guide multi-disciplinary teams and to deliver reliable, certifiable avionics sensors for airborne platforms, alongside non-avionics variants built on a common technology platform.

Key Responsibilities

Technology Strategy & Roadmap

• Define and own the multi-year technology and product roadmap for INS, AHRS, and IMU product families across aerospace, defence, marine, land, and industrial applications
• Establish a common, scalable platform architecture (sensor, electronics, firmware, and navigation-algorithm building blocks) that can be tailored to different performance grades, form factors, and use cases
• Drive technology selection and make-vs-buy decisions for inertial sensors (MEMS, FOG, RLG, and others), GNSS receivers, processors, and FPGAs
• Track emerging technologies such as new gyroscope and accelerometer technologies, GNSS-denied and alternative-aiding navigation, and AI/ML-assisted error modeling, and assess their applicability to the product portfolio

Product Architecture & Systems Engineering

• Lead system-level architecture and design of inertial systems from concept, design, integration, and qualification through certification and production readiness
• Apply systems engineering processes across the product lifecycle including:
• Requirements definition and management
• Performance and error-budget allocation
• Interface management (electrical, mechanical, data, and protocol)
• Verification and validation
• Configuration control
• Ensure requirements traceability from system-level requirements to hardware, firmware, and algorithm implementation
• Lead system-level design reviews such as:
• SRR (System Requirements Review)
• PDR (Preliminary Design Review)
• CDR (Critical Design Review)
• TRR (Test Readiness Review)
• PRR (Production Readiness Review)
• Oversee integration of inertial systems with host platforms such as aircraft, UAVs, vessels, ground vehicles, and stabilized payloads

Sensor & Hardware Development

• Guide the design of inertial sensor assemblies including sensor selection, analog and digital front-ends, mixed-signal electronics, power, and mechanical/thermal packaging optimized for size, weight, power, and cost (SWaP-C)
• Lead sensor characterization, error modeling, and calibration (bias, scale factor, misalignment, temperature, and g-sensitivity effects), including noise analysis such as Allan variance
• Define production calibration and test strategy, including automated test equipment, rate tables, and thermal chambers
• Own hardware reliability targets, including MTBF and environmental performance

Navigation Algorithms, Sensor Fusion & DSP

• Lead development of strapdown navigation algorithms including attitude, velocity, and position computation, initial alignment (static and in-motion), and coning/sculling compensation
• Guide the design of Kalman-filter-based sensor fusion (EKF / UKF / error-state) for GNSS/INS integration (loosely and tightly coupled) and aiding sensors such as magnetometers, air data, barometers, odometers, Doppler velocity logs, and vision/optical-flow sensors
• Oversee DSP design including digital filtering, sampling and timing, anti-aliasing, decimation, vibration rejection, and multi-sensor time synchronization
• Define integrity monitoring, fault detection, isolation and recovery (FDIR), and built-in test (BIT) strategies
• Ensure algorithms are validated through simulation, Monte Carlo analysis, hardware-in-the-loop testing, and field/flight testing, and remain robust under GNSS outage, jamming, and spoofing conditions

Embedded Systems & Software

• Oversee real-time embedded architecture across microcontrollers, DSPs, FPGAs, and SoCs, including RTOS or bare-metal design, deterministic timing, and low-latency processing
• Define software architecture, coding standards, and development processes aligned with airborne software certification requirements
• Ensure robust data interfaces and protocols such as ARINC 429, CAN / CAN Aerospace, RS-422 / RS-485, and Ethernet
• Drive modern engineering practices including model-based development, continuous integration, and automated regression testing
• Define firmware update, configuration management, and data-logging capabilities for fielded units

Certification & Airworthiness Compliance

• Manage certification and qualification activities for avionics inertial sensors and systems
• Coordinate with certification authorities and designated representatives (such as FAA, EASA, DGCA, and CEMILAC, as applicable)
• Ensure compliance with applicable aviation and safety standards such as:
• DO-178C (Airborne Software)
• DO-254 (Airborne Electronic Hardware)
• ARP4754A (Development of Civil Aircraft and Systems)
• ARP4761 (Safety Assessment)
• DO-160 (Environmental Qualification)
• AS9100D (Quality Management)
• Support qualification of defence and industrial variants to standards such as MIL-STD-810 and MIL-STD-461, as applicable
• Support preparation of certification documentation including compliance matrices, test plans, and certification artifacts

Team Building & Organizational Leadership

• Build, mentor, and lead a multi-disciplinary team across sensors, hardware, firmware, algorithms/DSP, systems engineering, and test
• Set engineering standards, design practices, and a strong design- and code-review culture
• Recruit, develop, and retain key technical talent, and define technical career paths
• Foster a culture of technical rigor, safety, and quality

Customer, Partner & Supplier Engagement

• Serve as the senior technical interface with customers, aircraft OEMs, integrators, defence primes, and research institutions
• Translate use-case requirements (accuracy, SWaP-C, environment, and certification needs) into product variants and configurations
• Manage strategic relationships with inertial sensor, component, and GNSS suppliers, and evaluate supplier technical risk
• Support customer acceptance, qualification testing, and field issue resolution

Program, Risk & Resource Management

• Provide technical oversight of multiple concurrent development programs, ensuring delivery within scope, timeline, and budget
• Identify and manage technical, schedule, certification, and integration risks, and maintain risk registers and mitigation plans
• Own the R&D budget, cost-of-goods targets, and engineering resource planning across disciplines
• Protect and grow intellectual property through patents, trade secrets, and technical publications

Integration, Verification & Production Transition

• Oversee system integration, verification, validation, and qualification testing
• Ensure readiness for environmental and reliability testing including:
• Vibration and shock
• Thermal cycling
• EMI/EMC
• Environmental qualification
• Coordinate transition from development to production, including:
• Design transfer
• Manufacturing readiness
• Calibration and production test readiness
• Configuration baseline release
• Drive continuous improvement, obsolescence management, and field-performance feedback across the product lifecycle

Required Skills

Technical Skills – Inertial Systems & Navigation

• Strong understanding of inertial navigation including strapdown mechanization, coordinate frames, error propagation, and gyroscope/accelerometer error models
• Working knowledge of inertial sensor technologies (MEMS, FOG, RLG) and their performance grades and trade-offs
• Experience with Kalman filtering and multi-sensor fusion (GNSS, magnetometer, air data, and other aiding sources)
• Understanding of GNSS fundamentals and navigation in degraded or GNSS-denied environments

Sensor, Hardware & Embedded Systems Skills

• Proven experience developing sensor systems, including characterization, calibration, compensation, and noise analysis
• Solid grounding in mixed-signal hardware design: low-noise analog, high-speed digital, power, EMI, thermal, and PCB design
• Strong embedded systems experience: C / C++, RTOS or bare-metal firmware, and MCU / DSP / FPGA / SoC platforms
• Familiarity with avionics communication protocols such as:
• ARINC 429
• CAN / CAN Aerospace
• RS-422 / RS-485
• Ethernet

Algorithms & DSP Skills

• Digital signal processing: filter design, multirate processing, spectral analysis, and timing/synchronization
• Estimation and control theory, modeling, and simulation (MATLAB / Simulink, Python)
• Test and validation methodology including Monte Carlo analysis, hardware-in-the-loop testing, and motion-table / flight-test data analysis

Avionics, Systems Engineering & Certification Skills

• Hands-on experience developing avionics sensors for aerospace applications
• Knowledge of safety-critical and flight-critical system development
• Working knowledge of DO-178C, DO-254, ARP4754A / ARP4761, and DO-160 (Optional)
• Requirements management and traceability
• Functional and physical architecture development
• Interface control document (ICD) management
• Understanding of environmental qualification and reliability testing for avionics
• Experience with requirements, project, and configuration management tools. Examples:
• DOORS / Polarion / Jama
• Jira / MS Project
• Git / SVN / configuration control systems

Leadership & Communication

• Technical leadership of multi-disciplinary engineering teams
• Strategic thinking and ownership of technology roadmaps, balancing R&D with delivery
• Decision-making under technical, schedule, and cost constraints
• Communication with customers, executives, and other stakeholders
• Structured problem-solving and escalation management

Experience and Qualifications

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree (PhD an advantage) in:

• Electronics Engineering / Electrical Engineering
• Aerospace Engineering / Avionics Engineering
• Control / Instrumentation Engineering

Experience

• Typically 15–20+ years of experience in inertial systems, avionics sensors, or safety-critical electronics development, including at least 5 years in senior technical leadership
• Demonstrated experience developing INS, AHRS, IMU, or comparable sensor systems from concept through production
• Proven track record developing avionics sensors for aerospace applications through qualification and certification
• Demonstrated experience leading multi-disciplinary teams across hardware, firmware, algorithms/DSP, and test

Preferred Experience

• Experience delivering inertial products for multiple use cases (for example manned aircraft, UAVs, defence, marine, and land vehicles)
• Experience with tactical- or navigation-grade systems using FOG, RLG, or high-performance MEMS sensors
• Experience with GNSS/INS integration and GNSS-denied navigation
• Experience with hardware and software certification programs (DO-254 / DO-178C)
• Experience working with aircraft OEMs, avionics integrators, or defence primes
• Experience transitioning products from development to production, including calibration and test automation
• Patents or publications in inertial navigation, sensor fusion, or related fields

Certifications (Optional)

• PMP
• INCOSE Systems Engineering certification
• Experience working under AS9100D quality systems