Dominion Dynamics is an Ottawa-based defence technology startup developing autonomous combat aircraft and an Autonomous Collaborative Platform to operate alongside manned fighters.
Sensor Modeling & Simulation Engineer (M&S) Preferred Location: Ottawa or Toronto Reports to: Head of Simulation THE ROLE Simulation is the backbone of our Autonomous Collaborative Platform, and the sensing layer is central to it. This role owns the sensor and electronic-warfare models end to end — RF/radar, EW, multi-sensor fusion, and synthetic imagery — in a long-range, air-centric context. The fidelity and determinism of these models underpin the quality of everything built on top of them, so this is a high-autonomy, system-level seat for someone who wants the whole sensing problem, not a slice of it. WHAT YOU’LL DO - Model RF and radar sensing for long range. Build and tune active-radar and imaging-radar models for beyond-visual-range air-to-air and air-to-surface geometry. - Model the electronic-warfare fight. Build the contested-spectrum side: passive intercept and emitter classification, jamming and deception, counter-countermeasures, and decoy effects. - Own multi-sensor fusion. Combine active, passive, and cooperative sensors into a single tracked world picture, including the estimation and track management behind it. - Model sensor physics across the spectrum, at varying fidelity. Model cameras, EO/IR, LiDAR, and radar from their underlying physics, delivered at multiple fidelity tiers from fast approximations to high-fidelity synthetic imagery. - Engineer for real-time, deterministic performance. Implement the stack in Rust and/or C++, fast enough for real-time and accelerated-time simulation and reproducible run to run. - Integrate plugins and third-party capabilities. Fold external engines, renderers, and libraries into the platform, working around or fixing bugs as needed. - Iterate on fidelity and bridge sim-to-real. Work with autonomy and other teams to integrate synthetic imagery, and continuously tighten sensor fidelity and environmental realism. WHAT YOU BRING - 4+ years of professional systems programming in C++ and/or Rust, with real attention to performance, memory, concurrency, and deterministic behaviour — including hands-on Rust, or readiness to work primarily in Rust. - Understanding of sensor physics (cameras, LiDAR, radar, EO/IR) and how to model them accurately in simulation. - Depth in at least one of — and appetite to own all of — RF/radar modeling, electronic warfare, and multi-sensor fusion, plus comfort with the underlying math (link/detection budgets, estimation and tracking). - Mission-aligned: motivated to build sovereign Canadian defence capabilities and shape the future of allied autonomy programs. Nice to Have - Prior sensor M&S work in aerospace/defence — radar, EW, EO/IR, or fusion; beyond-visual-range or air-to-air modeling. - EW depth (jamming/deception, ESM/ELINT, ECCM) or fusion depth (IMM/PDA tracking, TDOA/FDOA geolocation). - Synthetic-data or RL training pipelines; integrating models via gRPC, DDS, ZeroMQ, or Zenoh; game-engine or flight-dynamics simulation (Unreal, DCS, X-Plane). No defence background required. We've hired people who didn't tick every box. If this is the work you want to do, please apply anyway. WHY JOIN US Building something meaningful starts with the right people. At Dominion Dynamics, you’ll: - Shape Canada’s future by building real defence capability for the CAF and our allies. - Make decisions that ship in a high-trust environment with short feedback loops and rapid iteration. - Move fast, field faster, and work directly with the operator — our systems are in the field with the CAF now. - Have an impact from day one with equity, responsibility, and direct access to leadership. If you’re curious, hands-on, and driven by the opportunity to make a difference, this is where you belong! COMPENSATION & BENEFITS - Competitive base salary and company equity - Comprehensive health benefits - Additional equity granted based on impact We use AI tools to support parts of the hiring process, including screening and reviewing responses. Final hiring decisions are always made by people and follow all applicable privacy and employment laws in Canada.