Engineer - Vehicle Flight Control & Inertial Navigation Systems

Penn State University•University Park, IL

3d•$105,900 - $231,000•Onsite

About The Position

Penn State’s Applied Research Laboratory (ARL) is seeking an engineer for its Vehicle Control and Dynamics Department within the Undersea Systems Office. The department supports the design, development, validation, and maintenance of large-scale undersea warfare models and simulations used by technology developers, analysts, the Navy, and allied partners. ARL is a research center of excellence in undersea weapons, unmanned undersea vehicles, and advanced sonars, and is an authorized DoD SkillBridge partner. The position develops and analyzes vehicle flight-control requirements and system designs; creates and maintains six-degree-of-freedom undersea-vehicle models and Software-in-the-Loop simulations; designs and validates control and strapdown inertial-navigation algorithms; and develops, tests, and documents Matlab/Simulink software and data-analysis tools. The work also includes planning and supporting laboratory and field tests, analyzing test data, and sharing knowledge and pursuing professional development. Higher-level roles may contribute to engineering products and systems, investigate technical approaches, conduct and support experiments, and prepare technical reports, proposals, papers, and presentations. The position is fully on-site in State College, Pennsylvania. Applicants must be U.S. citizens and eligible to obtain a government security clearance, participate in ARL’s drug-testing program, and comply with federal-contractor electronic and physical monitoring requirements. Employment requires successful completion of university background checks.

Requirements

Experience using Matlab, Simulink, C, or C++.
Experience in network and serial communications.
Experience with software configuration-management systems such as Git.
U.S. citizenship.
Eligibility to obtain a government security clearance and comply with ARL drug-testing and electronic and physical monitoring requirements.
Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or Science.
Relevant experience varies by level: 2+ years for Intermediate Professional, 5+ years for Advanced Professional, or 14+ years for Senior Professional.

Nice To Haves

Active government security clearance.
Strong oral and written interpersonal and communication skills.
Excellent time-management skills.
Ability to present ideas, concepts, and instructions clearly to peers, management, sponsors, and stakeholders.
Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
Ability to conform to project development standards and requirements.

Responsibilities

Develop and analyze flight-control system requirements, including system-design trade studies.
Create, validate, and maintain six-degree-of-freedom dynamic system models for undersea vehicles, including Software-in-the-Loop simulations in Matlab/Simulink.
Design, tune, and validate flight-control algorithms and software.
Design, analyze, and update strapdown inertial-navigation algorithms, including modeling and analysis of navigation sensors.
Develop, debug, and test Matlab/Simulink-based software and data-analysis tools.
Create unit, integration, and hardware-in-the-loop tests for vehicle software, and document algorithms, specifications, software, and defects.
Support laboratory and field-test planning, execution, and data analysis.
Proactively seek professional-development opportunities and share knowledge with team members.
For higher-level positions, contribute to the design, development, implementation, and analysis of technical engineering products, systems, and subsystems.
For higher-level positions, evaluate the practical applicability of scientific theories and engineering principles, identify technical approaches, and address problems and customer or grantor needs.
For higher-level positions, apply standard engineering practices, correlate data, recognize discrepancies, and carry processes through related detailed steps.
For higher-level positions, conduct or support laboratory and field experiments or tests, including planning, measurements, observations, data collection and processing, and supervision of test execution as applicable.
For higher-level positions, contribute data, analysis, or design to technical reports, documents, proposals, papers, and oral or written presentations.