This role involve being responsible for the design, development, verification, and validation of Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) software for the LUVMI-M rover. The position covers navigation software architecture, requirements definition, and the selection of rover and ground-based GNC algorithms, while providing technical leadership for localisation, perception, and autonomous navigation capabilities. The role also oversees test strategy, verification and validation activities, and acts as the primary interface between the development team and the LUVMI-M programme to ensure technical alignment and successful system integration.

• Location: Sint-Stevens-Woluwe (Brussels Area)

• Start date: January 2027

Tasks and Responsibilities

• Analyse requirements from use cases and trade off designs

• Coordinate the system design as per conops for distributed processing on the rover and ground segment

• Lead:

  • Design of robot navigation software and hardware architectures, components, interfaces etc

  • Technical activities related to inertial and visual localisation, camera based perception and navigation

  • GNC verification and validation activities, including the definition of the test plans and coordinating the design of the necessary test set-ups

• Guide the navigation ground segment software design and interfaces

• Design and develop embedded software interfaces with sensors, actuators, commuications etc. related to navigation

• Agile task management, code reviews and effort estimation

• End-to-end implementation, ground testing, integration and optimisation/tuning on target robot architecture

• Assist with operations preparation

• Generating the technical documentation

• A Masters or PhD in robotics, control, computer vision, computer science, embedded software engineering

• 3+ years of demonstrable R&D or industrial experience in developing navigation software for space, and optionally ground mobile robots

• 2+ years of demonstrable system engineering and technical project management skills

• Good domain knowledge of space robotics and constraints.

• Strong background in:

  • Space rover navigation – localisation, mapping, path & motion planning, kinematics, control & obstacle avoidance

  • Computer vision, state estimation, sensor data fusion

• Very strong programming skills (C++, Python) on Linux environment, RTOS, ROS and Git tools

• Experience with/in:

  • Electromechanical integration of sensors, drivers, calibration

  • Proficient user of git version control tools, setup CI/CD process

  • Fast learner and ability to adopt new technologies

  • Available to be involved and support off-site activities in robotics tests and demonstrations

  • Ability to work independently, guide junior engineers technically, define work scopes, effort, code reviewso    A good sense of responsibility, pro-activeness and results driven

  • Fluent in English, both spoken and written with good skills in technical documentation delivery

  • Capability to cope with ambitious schedules and deadlines

• Working within an exceptional sector with Staff located in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands

• A professional and modern working environment with motivated Administrative Staff, Engineers, Astronaut Training Instructors and Scientists coming from all different horizons and countries with a common passion for space and their own expertise

• A full-time position with an indefinite contract of employment

• A competitive remuneration package and good working conditions

• Working from home in part can be a possibility

• An individualised training and development programmes.