Senior Research Engineer, Precise Positioning Algorithms

Topcon Positioning Group is headquartered in Livermore, California, USA (topconpositioning.com). We design, manufacture and distribute productivity tools for developing a brighter future. Whether cultivating the earth or building upon it, Topcon brings innovation in workflow automation and seamless connectivity of data to construction, geopositioning and agriculture industries focused on developing a sustainable tomorrow.

Location: Hybrid (Home Office & Concordia Sulla Secchia – MO)

Employment Type: Full-time

Department: Precise Positioning Software

Position Summary

We are looking for a Senior Software Algorithm developer to join our innovative team focused on GNSS technology. This position offers the opportunity to work on cutting-edge location-based solutions and contribute to the evolution of high-precision positioning systems. The main focus of this role will be in developing advanced algorithms that drive the performance of our technology. You will collaborate with various teams to enhance product integration and system performance, leveraging your technical expertise and experience in software development processes. A background in multidisciplinary teamwork and modern development practices is highly valued. We are looking for not only a strong researcher, but also an engineer who can translate complex mathematical concepts into well-structured, reliable, and high-performance C++ production code, ensuring accuracy, maintainability, and scalability in deployed systems.

Core Job Duties:

• Research, design, and develop advanced algorithms for centimeter-level precise positioning using GNSS measurements, with a focus on PPP and RTK techniques.
• Enhance and optimize correction services (e.g., Topcon correction service) based on State Space Representation and real-time correction data.
• Integrate additional sensor data (INS, visual odometry, etc.) to improve reliability in challenging environments.
• Develop and validate precise ionosphere estimation methods using network interpolation and advanced mathematical models.
• Collaborate with DevOps and software engineering teams to ensure seamless integration of algorithms into production services and hardware.
• Conduct comparative research on state-of-the-art approaches, prepare technical reports, and present findings to stakeholders.
• Analyze requirements, clarify objectives, and develop optimal solutions with complexity assessment.
• Prototype solutions using high-level languages (Python, Matlab), with subsequent porting to embedded systems (C++).
• Debug and support developed algorithms on embedded platforms; create diagnostic tools for post-processing logs and simulation of positioning issues.
• Evaluate performance, conduct quality control, and perform error analysis using automated and manual testing frameworks.
• Participate in CI/CD workflows (TeamCity, Bitbucket/GitHub, Jira) for continuous integration and deployment of algorithmic modules.
• Collaborate in cross-functional teams, including hardware, QA, and cloud infrastructure (AWS, Kubernetes).

Job Requirements:

Education & Experience:

• Master’s or Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Radio Engineering, Computer Science, or related field.
• Deep expertise in radiolocation/radionavigation and GNSS algorithm principles.
• Proven experience in developing GNSS and precise positioning algorithms (RTK, PPP).
• Strong background in inertial navigation systems and sensor fusion.
• Advanced knowledge of Kalman filtering, estimation theory, and error modeling.
• 5+ years of experience developing applications in C++ (Windows, VC++, MSVC).
• Experience with Python (5+ years preferred) or Matlab for prototyping and testing.
• Familiarity with Java for integration tasks is a plus.
• Experience with version control (Git, Mercurial, SVN), CI/CD, code quality, and refactoring.
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS), containerization (Kubernetes), and monitoring tools (Grafana, Prometheus, Loki) is highly desirable.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Long-term orientation, responsibility, punctuality.
• Ability to work in an international, cross-disciplinary team.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to understand and extend existing architectures and codebases.
• Intermediate or higher English proficiency.
• Excellent C++ programming skills.