Flight Systems Futures - GN&C Engineer 3/4

Northrop Grumman•Roy, UT

6d•$98,400 - $229,300•Onsite

About The Position

Northrop Grumman Defense Systems is seeking Principal / Sr. Principal GN&C Engineer to support activities including flight simulator development, GN&C algorithm development and implementation, and "test as you fly" with rigorous model and requirements verification and validation. This position will be in Roy, Utah supporting Flight Systems Futures. The selected engineer will develop and mature guidance, navigation, and control (GN&C) algorithms, autopilots, and high-fidelity 6-DOF flight simulations for complex aerospace systems. This includes strap-down inertial navigation design, GPS integration, Kalman-filter–based navigation solutions, and the tuning of control laws using classical and modern techniques (PID, gain scheduling, optimal/robust control). The engineer will enhance existing GN&C and navigation analysis tools, perform covariance and CEP accuracy assessments, and contribute to emerging mission capabilities across advanced programs. The ideal candidate is a collaborative team player and strong independent contributor who demonstrates ownership of tasks, initiative, and sound technical judgment. They show advanced problem-solving skills and excellent written and verbal communication, coupled with strong interpersonal and organizational capabilities, a proactive mindset, and a meticulous, detail-oriented approach to their work.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in STEM and 5 years of experience, 3 years of experience with master’s degree, 0 years of experience with PhD. (Principal)
Bachelor's degree in STEM and 8 years of experience, 6 years of experience with master’s degree, 4 years of experience with PhD. (Sr. Principal)
Must have an active U.S. Government DoD Secret security clearance at time of application, current and within scope, with an investigation date within the last 6 years
Must have the ability to obtain Top Secret Clearance and Special Access Program (SAP) within a reasonable period as determined by the business needs of the company. (Principal)
Must have current Special Access Program (SAP) approval at time of hire. (Sr. Principal)
1 year of experience in state estimation techniques: Kalman filters (KF, EKF, UKF), particle filters, and smoothing algorithms. (Principal)
2 years of experience in state estimation techniques: Kalman filters (KF, EKF, UKF), particle filters, and smoothing algorithms. (Sr. Principal)
1 year of experience with high fidelity vehicle modeling (6 DOF dynamics, aerodynamic heating, propulsion) and simulation environments (MATLAB/Simulink, Python, C/C++) (Principal)
3 years of experience with high fidelity vehicle modeling (6 DOF dynamics, aerodynamic heating, propulsion) and simulation environments (MATLAB/Simulink, Python, C/C++) (Sr. Principal)
1 year of experience with linear stability analysis to determine control system stability margins (Principal)
3 years of experience with linear stability analysis to determine control system stability margins (Sr. Principal)
2 years of experience with MATLAB/Simulink for modeling, simulation, and code generation (Principal)
4 years of experience with MATLAB/Simulink for modeling, simulation, and code generation (Sr. Principal)
1 year of experience with Monte Carlo, robustness, and performance analysis tools (Principal)
3 years of experience with Monte Carlo, robustness, and performance analysis tools (Sr. Principal)
Participation in at least one flight test program (e.g., sounding rocket, missile, UAV)

Nice To Haves

Ability to implement and optimize algorithms for real time execution on embedded processors (FPGA, DSP, multicore CPUs).
Experience in deploying algorithms to software, hardware, and testing.
Knowledge of Navigation and sensor fusion (INS, GPS, star tracker, lidar)
Knowledge of Real-time embedded systems and hard real-time constraints
Knowledge of test article instrumentation, telemetry, and fault diagnostics
Familiarity with hypersonic phenomena: shock wave interactions, real gas effects, ablative heating, plasma communication blackout
Ability to work in multidisciplinary teams (aero, structures, thermal, software)
Clear communication of technical concepts to non-specialists
Proven track record of troubleshooting complex real time systems
Python for data analysis & rapid prototyping
Use of version control (Git) and CI/CD pipelines
Familiarity with real-time operating systems
Experience with hardware in the loop (HIL) and software in the loop (SIL) testbeds
Experience evaluating impacts of control effectors on guidance and control (latency, bandwidth, etc.)
Experience evaluating impacts of navigation sensors on guidance and control (latency, frequency, etc.)
Experience integrating guidance law design with navigation and control to achieve stringent terminal accuracy and precision impact requirements in contested environments.
Knowledge of Advanced control theory (state space, optimal, robust, nonlinear, adaptive)
Knowledge of Flight dynamics of high Mach vehicles (aerodynamics, thermodynamics, propulsion integration)

Responsibilities

Collaborate with a team of GN&C engineers in an Agile environment to meet critical milestones
Develop, verify, and validate GN&C algorithms and 6-DOF flight simulations in a multi-disciplinary team environment
Design and implement strap-down inertial navigation systems integrated with GPS and Kalman filters
Perform trajectory assessment, flight analyses, covariance analysis, and CEP/accuracy evaluations
Apply trajectory optimization and nonlinear control techniques to improve missile trajectory performance.
Enhance and maintain GN&C and navigation analysis tools for new mission requirements
Participate in engineering review boards, technical interchange meetings, and critical milestone reviews
Model key subsystems such as IMUs, control actuators, and propulsion / thrust-vector control
Manage version control, continuous integration, and automated testing of GN&C software toolchains (Git, CI/CD).
Work with the GN&C Flight Software Team to automatically generate code from high-level specifications or models, ensuring consistency and reducing manual errors
Use C++ and MATLAB with object-oriented design principles to implement and analyze GN&C software
Collaborate closely with GN&C flight software teams to transition algorithms into flight-worthy implementations