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
As Navigation Solutions Architect – EMEA, you will be responsible for designing technical solutions for Advanced Navigation's key EMEA customers, utilising the full Advanced Navigation product and configuration portfolio. This role is remote-based within EMEA and will require significant travel (in excess of 30%) to customer sites, clustered around key deliverables.
In this key technical role, you will work closely with some of Advanced Navigation's largest and most strategic EMEA customer accounts, with a portfolio weighted approximately 80% Defence (UK, NATO and wider European markets) and 20% Commercial. You will provide strategic advice internally and externally, assisting with product design and configuration, and bridging the relationship between the customer and Advanced Navigation's Product and Engineering teams.
Success in this position will be measured by technically qualified opportunity development and XL deal capture resulting from fit-for-purpose technical solution designs and the quality of the customer relationships you develop. Your role will be crucial in facilitating technical discovery and mapping the right Advanced Navigation solutions to meet customer needs. Although an individual contributor role, you will provide the technical direction for the EMEA Forward Deployed Engineers in a matrix relationship with the Sales Operations Manager – EMEA (who retains commercial and operational line management of that team), as well as offering technical mentorship to the wider Application Engineering team and critical insight to inform the product roadmap of the global Navigation Solutions Team.
ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES
- Solution architecture validation and design:
- Deeply understand customer requirements
- Translate high-level client performance requirements into architectural navigation system designs and hardware/software configurations
- Lead the design and architectural validation of Advanced Navigation product configurations tailored to specific client mission profiles
- Lead the design and execution of proof of concept projects to validate the feasibility and effectiveness of proposed solutions
- Serve as the primary technical authority for EMEA sales teams, providing strategic advice on complex system integration
- Collaborate closely with counterparts from key accounts to provide consultation in relation to systems integration and performance optimisation
- Provide technical direction to the Forward Deployed Engineers, in a matrix relationship with the Sales Operations Manager – EMEA, who retains commercial and operational line management of that team
- Technical leadership and expertise:
- Maintain an expert-level understanding of the entire Advanced Navigation product ecosystem, including inertial sensors (MEMS & FOG), GNSS technologies and other peripheral sensors, including Laser and Acoustic Velocity systems
- Apply deeply technical engineering acumen to troubleshoot and optimise system performance for extreme environments (e.g., subsea, aerospace, or autonomous defence platforms)
- Conduct technical workshops and deep-dive sessions for Tier-0 clients to demonstrate the value proposition of proposed architectures
- Market and domain alignment:
- Anticipate and interpret evolving navigation requirements within UK, NATO and wider European Defence and Commercial markets
- Stay abreast of industry trends, emerging technologies, and competitive offerings to maintain a deep understanding of our products and their positioning in the EMEA market
- Collaborate with the global Navigation Solutions Team to feed regional market requirements back into the product development lifecycle
- Foster strong relationships with cross-functional teams, including Sales, Product, Engineering, Marketing and Customer Success
- Growing & developing with the Company as Advanced Navigation continues to evolve;
- Taking on additional duties & tasks, as directed, as the position evolves.
- Develop a solid operational understanding of all aspects within the Company:
- Immersing yourself into the team & wider organisation to develop an understanding of how each role & team all contribute to our strategic vision.
- Set quantifiable targets that demonstrate your commitment to our values.
- Safety:
- Live & breathe a safety culture;
- Be an advocate for safety within the workplace;
- Remain compliant with all HSE requirements & obligations.
KEY MEASURABLES
- Technically qualified pipeline development: Generation of high-value, technically qualified opportunities in target applications and accounts
- Win Rate / Capture: Percentage and value of converted opportunities to closed-won
- Client Satisfaction (NPS): Post-deployment Net Promoter Scores reflecting the technical efficacy and reliability of the designed solutions
- Standard solution delivery: Optimising for the utilisation of the off-the-shelf Advanced Navigation products and configurations
KEY RELATIONSHIPS
- Managing Director, EMEA
- Sales Director, EMEA
- Sales Operations Manager, EMEA (matrix relationship – commercial and operational line management of Forward Deployed Engineers)
- Forward Deployed Engineers (technical direction, matrix)
- Global Navigation Solutions Team
- Product and Engineering teams
- Global Marketing
- Customer Success
BEHAVIOURAL ATTRIBUTES FOR SUCCESS
- Organising Self
- Manages own tasks and processes within projects, working independently under general direction. Independently determines and develops approach to solutions. Work is reviewed upon completion for soundness of technical judgement and adequacy in meeting objectives
- Maintaining Positive Energy
- Being relentless. Operating with a positive attitude, vigour and determination in the face of challenging situations, consistently maintaining high levels of effectiveness and productivity throughout
- Delivering Excellence
- Setting high standards of performance for self and others; assuming responsibility and accountability for successfully completing assignments or tasks; self-imposing standards and expectations of excellence rather than having standards imposed
- Communication
- Conducting positive and open interactions with others by conveying information and ideas clearly and concisely in an engaging manner that helps them understand and retain the message; listening actively to others and sharing proactively information
- Decision Making
- Identifying and understanding problems and opportunities relevant to role by gathering and analysing quantitative and qualitative information; generating and evaluating alternatives, identifying the best course of action, and making timely decisions within own decision making scope
- Initiating Action
- Taking proactive and independent action to accomplish work goals; taking prompt action to achieve results beyond what is required; anticipating addresses problems without being prompted
- Leveraging Feedback
- Taking full advantage of opportunities to receive and explore feedback about own performance; responding favourably to feedback and using it constructively to deliver outcomes and improve knowledge, skills and behaviours
QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE & SKILLS
Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in relevant field (Master's preferred) or 10+ years of relevant experience
- No security clearance required at the point of hire; the successful candidate may be required to apply for UK/European security clearance (e.g. SC) at a later date, depending on programme requirements
Experience:
- Proven depth of experience and seniority spanning multiple engineering and commercial disciplines: Sales, Mechatronics, Software Engineering (SWE), Electrical Engineering (EE), and Mechanical Engineering (MechE)
- Solid technical knowledge of inertial navigation systems, GNSS, and fibre optic gyroscopes, Laser and Acoustic Velocity aiding
- High level of familiarity with UK and European export control regimes (e.g. UK Export Control Joint Unit (ECJU) licensing, Open General Export Licences (OGELs), and the EU Dual-Use Regulation); working knowledge of U.S. ITAR/EAR requirements beneficial where solutions incorporate U.S.-origin technology
- Willingness to take on an outsized portion of Defence programmes and accept that the role may involve travel in excess of 30%
- Extensive experience (10+ years) in a highly technical, customer-facing role focused on deep technical embedment or forward-deployed engineering
- Experience in configuration and data management on and off premises in multinational matrixed organisations
- Experience integrating solutions with customer/government-furnished information and equipment (GFI/GFE) within UK MOD, NATO or wider European defence procurement frameworks
- Experience in managing multi-year, multi-phase programmes of work under UK MOD or European defence procurement frameworks (e.g. Category/Framework agreements, NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) contracts) for acquisition, cost-down, and lifecycle upgrades
- Proven track record of driving successful sales outcomes, building customer relationships, and delivering exceptional service
- Customer-focused mindset with a passion for problem-solving, innovation, and continuous learning
- Customer-facing role, with a balanced capability across pre-sales, implementation, and support functions
- A dedication to delivering a great customer experience while being a creative problem-solver in response to technical, product, and business questions
- Experience working with Python for data analysis
- Enjoyment in being in a fast-paced environment, to help customers accelerate their journey to creating an accurate position, velocity, acceleration and orientation under the most demanding conditions
- A collaborative and team-oriented mindset for accomplishing goals
Skills:
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Excellent time management, driven to work quickly
- Strong attention to detail
- Effective presentation crafting and delivery skills
- Coding experience is a plus