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Navigation Systems Product Owner - MagNav / Alternative PNT

SBQuantum Full-time Reports to the CTO Onsite in Sherbrooke, Quebec

About SBQuantum

SBQuantum builds diamond-based vectorial quantum magnetometers that, combined with AI-driven interpretation, deliver precision magnetic intelligence where GPS, radar, and sonar fail - enabling magnetic navigation (MagNav), anomaly detection, and mapping for defense, aerospace, autonomous systems, and space. We're a 28-person team of physicists, engineers, and data scientists, with deep experience building and scaling products and companies and the teams behind them, recently funded and scaling. We've moved past the lab: sensors are sold and deployed with government customers, paid pilots are underway with defense and aerospace partners, and our sensing hardware is already orbiting the Earth in LEO.

The Mission

You will be our first dedicated navigation-systems hire - the architect who turns our quantum magnetometer into a navigation system. You'll own the product design and roadmaps, get it integrated into drones, aircraft, and autonomous platforms. You report to the CTO, work shoulder-to-shoulder with our engineering and product development teams, our Director of Business Development, and our Joint-Development-Partners, and grow into the Product lead of the navigation team you'll help build.

What You'll Do

• Architect the end-to-end MagNav solution - define the product roadmap, building off the POC system, to version alpha and beyond, tailored to customer profiles.
• Set the technical requirements and roadmap - translate customer platform constraints (SWaP, dynamics, environment, cost) into our product roadmap, partnering with engineering and BD.
• Validate the roadmap with end users - setup user focus groups and keep product features closely aligned with the mission requirements.
• Drive integration on real platforms - define the hardware/firmware/software interfaces, work into drone-OEM and INS-maker guidance systems, and lead bench and flight-test campaigns.
• Be our product voice to customers - engage chief engineers credibly and help scope the joint development agreements and funded evaluations that carry us into their programs.
• Lay the foundation for the team - establish the design practices, tooling, and documentation the navigation group will scale on, and shape its first hires.

First-Year Success

• 30 days: Deep on our sensor and current navigation stack; an error-budget and gap analysis of today's MagNav pipeline; alignment on the first target platform(s). Preliminary roadmap established.
• 90 days: A reference architecture for the productized MagNav navigation solution defined and bought into; compensation and filtering approach selected; a concrete integration plan for the first target platform. Roadmap fully established and validated with end clients.
• 6 months: A working navigation solution demonstrated on real or recorded flight data (or a bench/HIL setup); interfaces defined for at least one drone or INS integration; technically supporting at least one customer evaluation.
• 12 months: MagNav solution integrated and field/flight-tested on target platforms; finalized execution on the roadmap for first product release at a global event.

What You Bring

• Degree in aerospace, electrical, robotics, physics, or a related engineering field (MS/PhD a plus).
• ~8+ years designing navigation systems, including hands-on INS/IMU integration and sensor fusion (Kalman/EKF/UKF/particle filtering) for airborne, autonomous, or precision-guided platforms.
• You have personally owned at least one navigation system from architecture through integration to field or flight test on real hardware - not only simulation or research.
• Hands-on with at least one of: MagNav / magnetic-anomaly navigation, aeromagnetic compensation, or GPS-denied / alternative-PNT navigation.
• Comfortable close to hardware, firmware, and real-time/embedded constraints, and fluent working across the guidance / autopilot / mission-computer interface.
• Practitioner of modern systems engineering and architecture techniques (MBSE/SysML).
• Strong proficiency in the tools of the trade - MATLAB/Simulink, Python, and C/C++.
• A self-directed first-mover who can define the reference design as the only navigation architect in the room, not inherit one.
• Eligible to work under the applicable export-control regime (Canadian Controlled Goods Program and/or US ITAR/EAR) for defense navigation technical data.

Nice to Have

• Direct MagNav / magnetic-anomaly-navigation experience and work with geomagnetic or crustal anomaly maps (WMM/EMM).
• Magnetometry, quantum sensing, OPM, or NV-diamond exposure.
• Drone autopilot ecosystems (PX4/ArduPilot) or defense GNC / missile navigation.
• Experience with specific MBSE/SysML tools (e.g., Capella, Cameo, or similar) and the ability to tailor their use to a dynamic startup environment.
• Flight-test or field-test campaign experience.
• Active or prior security clearance (US or Canadian), or eligibility.
• Startup or first-technical-hire experience; patents or publications in navigation or magnetics.

Compensation & Benefits

Base and performance bonus with meaningful early-employee equity as well as health benefits, flexible vacation, and a professional-development budget.

Why Join

GPS-denied navigation is one of the most urgent unsolved problems in defense, and magnetic navigation is one of the most credible answers. We have working sensors - hardware already flying in LEO - government customers, and paid pilots with defense and aerospace partners. What we don't have yet is the person who turns that sensor into a navigation system. That's this job, with the ownership, equity, and growth path to match.

SBQuantum is mission-driven and welcomes people independently of gender, race, beliefs, citizenship status where legally permissible, and orientation - and we value unconventional paths. Let's meet.