US Head of Engineering

Advanced Navigation is the world’s most determined innovator in AI robotics and navigation technologies across land, air, sea and space applications. Founded on a culture of research and discovery, Advanced Navigation's mission is to be the catalyst of the autonomy revolution. Fields of expertise include artificial intelligence, underwater sonar, GNSS, radio frequency systems, inertial sensors, robotics, quantum sensors and photonics. 

Today, Advanced Navigation is a supplier to some of the world's largest companies, including Airbus, Boeing, Google, Tesla, NASA, Apple, and General Motors. Discover it for yourself: https://youtu.be/F7uAqs1gtuk

OVERVIEW OF ROLE 

As Advanced Navigation expands its R&D operations into the Americas, we are looking for our first senior engineering leader for the US region. 

The mission is to scale the Advanced Navigation portfolio across the Americas while maintaining a unified global product core. You will act as the technical authority for the region, ensuring that unique Americas-market requirements (including high-precision, resilient, and classified PNT needs) are effectively integrated into the products offered in this region. 

You will lead the US team for missionization of the current global products as needed, as well as identify capabilities required in support of the Americas customer markets now and in the future. You will connect with the global Product and Technology groups within the bounds of the SSA, ITAR, EAR and other US government restrictions. Your understanding of these regulations is essential.

As Head of Engineering, Americas, you will have the full support of Advanced Navigation’s ELT and global Product and Technology organization. You will lead with a founder's mindset: full ownership of outcomes, effective work with a lean multidisciplinary team. 

You will have the opportunity to build the local, cross-disciplinary team from scratch, making the early hiring decisions that define the team's character across Systems, Hardware, Electronics, and Software Engineering.

While remaining autonomous, you will effectively connect with the global Product & Technology organization to leverage the product core and coordinate the developments. You will establish engineering practices that bring Advanced Navigation's technology to the US market.

You must  be a U.S. citizen authorized to hold or holding a current security clearance and able to secure a TS/SCI/SAP or other if required

STRATEGIC PRIORITIES

• Unified Product Advocacy: Represent the Americas' technical interests within the Global Product Engineering Leadership Team. Your mandate is to ensure the global roadmap is "Americas-ready" by influencing core development to include regional requirements by design.
• Requirement Distillation: Act as the primary engineering filter for AdNav Americas opportunities. In coordination with the Navigation Solution Architect, you will analyze complex, often sensitive client needs and translate them into robust, general-purpose capabilities that enhance the value proposition.
• Strategic Modularity: For requirements governed by SSA or specific security air gaps, lead the design of a modular "secure layer." This approach ensures we meet the most stringent classified obligations while preserving the integrity and update-velocity of the core global platform.
• Operational Efficiency: Optimize the engineering footprint by championing "Common Core" development. You will drive a culture that prioritizes sustainable, platform-wide solutions over bespoke, localized engineering efforts, thereby maximizing the return on R&D investment.
• PNT Subject Matter Leadership: Provide executive-level technical guidance on the evolving Americas PNT landscape, ensuring our hardware and software evolution anticipates shifts in resilient navigation, sensor fusion, and regulatory standards.

ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Team Build-Out: Establish Advanced Navigation Americas’ engineering presence from the first hire. Define team structure, hiring requirements, and a multidisciplinary culture that balances Systems, Hardware, and Electronics with a core Software Engineering focus.
• Portfolio Ownership: Hold end-to-end responsibility for the Americas engineering portfolio, including