Senior Field Test Engineer - AQNav

About the Role

Fresh off being named one of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2024 and Fast Company’s 'Next Big Thing in Transportation,' we’re expanding our team to drive the future of navigation. Join our AQNav team as a Senior Field Test Engineer to ensure the overall success and quality of system deployments and field tests. The Senior Field Test Engineer enables our clients to successfully use and value actualize our products. In addition, you will support engineering activities that look to validate and improve system performance.

As a key member of the AQNav Team, the Senior Field Test Engineer will work closely with physicists and systems engineering to perform customer-facing deployments in quantum sensing. This role requires a deep understanding of Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) theory and embedded sensor technology that will lead the development of specialized project delivery processes to our customers’ unique needs. This role will also be crucial in facilitating communication and collaboration across different AQNav teams, helping to align our internal strategies with our client objectives. You will be the first hire in our Field Operations team and should expect to build a team to manage the deployment of our systems globally. 

What You’ll Do

• Coordinate and collaborate with cross-functional teams and external stakeholders to conduct detailed flight planning, ensuring operational goals are aligned with safety, budget, and logistical considerations.
• Serve as an internal resource on technical issues and lead product customer concerns with the ability to operate and troubleshoot the technology stack (mechanical, electrical, software, network) in the field or during other experiments.
• Build, lead, mentor, and manage a team of field engineers responsible for deploying, installing, and testing aviation systems and equipment across multiple locations.
• Directly interface with customers leading up to and during test campaigns and adapting to last-minute changes.
• Review and assess flight readiness of the systems, ensuring that all systems are compliant with regulatory standards before each mission.
• Develop and maintain operational procedures and guidelines to enhance efficiency, safety, and regulatory compliance across all flight operations.
• Participate in operational readiness related to specific engagements, including risk management and issue resolution management.
• Oversee in-lab hardware testing and validation, ensuring all systems meet performance and reliability standards prior to field deployments.
• Collaborates with R&D to provide solutions to customers while actively establishing technical relationships with our customer’s engineers.
• Troubleshoot and perform root-cause analysis, both remotely and on-site. 

About You

• Degree in engineering or applicable equivalent technical field experience.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and experience in facilitating technical projects within the navigation industry
• Ability to perform in an unstructured environment typical of a start-up
• Passion for building processes, policies, methods, and tools necessary to improve delivery to our clients, including commercial and DoD customers
• Proficient in Linux and Python. 
• Strong project management skills with excellent decision-making, organization, and management capabilities.
• Must be self-directed and very committed to customer satisfaction

Job Requirements

• U.S. Citizenship is required due to U.S. Government contract requirements.
• Must be able to obtain and hold a U.S. Secret security clearance.
• Able to lift 75lbs. 
• You’re willing and able to travel domestically and internationally (50-75% of the time, depending on deployment cycles) to support operational units, including military installations.
• When you’re not traveling, you’re willing and able to work from our lab in Palo Alto, CA.

Nice to Haves

• Experience in the management of Government Property / Material.
• Familiarity with magnetometers, accelerometers, and other navigation-related sensors
• Familiarity with sensor calibration techniques.
• Understanding of basic electronics, regulatory compliance, requirements, and testing.
• Ability to provide subject matter expertise to support prototype projects related to. advanced technologies, collection orchestration, sensor technology, novel collection techniques, and commercial solutions.
• Thorough understanding of the U.S. Government and/or DoD/Intelligence Community. contract program management techniques and methods.
• Experience in flight test programs.

The US base salary range for this full-time position is expected to be $110k-$160k per year. Our salary ranges are determined by role and level. Within the range, individual pay is determined by factors including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. This role may be eligible for annual discretionary bonuses and equity.