Lead Production Engineer - Join the journey from Sydney to Huntsville

Advanced Navigation

Advanced Navigation

Huntsville, AL, USA
Posted on Feb 20, 2026

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

The Mission

Advanced Navigation is a catalyst for the global autonomy revolution. We are moving from a single Australian hub to a multi-hub, global manufacturing model, and we need a foundational engineer to lead the charge in Huntsville, Alabama. This isn't just a role; it’s a multi-year mission to establish a Sovereign Strategic Instrument (SSI) facility from the ground up.

The journey: from Sydney to Huntsville

We don't expect you to know our proprietary processes on day one. We are looking for an exceptional engineer who is hungry to learn.

  • The Immersion: You will spend approximately 3 months of your first year at our global HQ in Sydney, Australia. You’ll work alongside our R&D and Production Engineering SMEs to master the "AdNav Way" of manufacturing world-class optics and inertial sensors.
  • The Launch: Back in Huntsville, you’ll be the "hands and feet" on the ground, installing our optimized production lines and launching our US operations with final testing and shipping.
  • The Evolution: Once launched, you will facilitate the transition of increasingly complex manufacturing processes from Sydney to Huntsville. You will evolve from an individual contributor to a technical leader as the Engineering function grows.
  • The Goal: You will be instrumental in the setup of a fully independent, world-class manufacturing facility capable of producing the most advanced navigation systems on the planet.

Who you are:

You are a highly technical engineer (Mechanical/Electronics) with a "player-coach" mindset. You’re happy turning a wrench today to lead a department tomorrow.

You have experience in regulated environments (Aerospace/Defense) and understand the discipline required for high-precision assembly.

You are curious. You want to understand the "why" behind every calibration and the "how" of every optical alignment.

You are comfortable with autonomy. Working within an SSA framework, you will eventually be the technical "captain of the ship" on the US floor.

The successful candidate will demonstrate flexibility in working arrangements and be comfortable collaborating across multiple time zones. This role may require adjusting work hours to support global teams and accommodate different regional schedules.

Why Join Us?

This is a rare opportunity to be Employee #1 for the US Engineering team of a global tech leader. You’ll have the backing of a world-class Sydney team and the autonomy to build a legacy in Huntsville.