GNC Engineer: Autopilot/Guidance Level 5 (Secret) Chandler

Northrop Grumman•Chandler, AZ

3d•Onsite

About The Position

At Northrop Grumman, our employees have incredible opportunities to work on revolutionary systems that impact people's lives around the world today, and for generations to come. Our pioneering and inventive spirit has enabled us to be at the forefront of many technological advancements in our nation's history - from the first flight across the Atlantic Ocean, to stealth bombers, to landing on the moon. We look for people who have bold new ideas, courage and a pioneering spirit to join forces to invent the future, and have fun along the way. Our culture thrives on intellectual curiosity, cognitive diversity and bringing your whole self to work — and we have an insatiable drive to do what others think is impossible. Our employees are not only part of history, they're making history. Expand your horizons, advance your career, and contribute to a secure future for generations. Northrop Grumman's Space Sector invites you to bring your pioneering spirit to our collaborative teams. As a GNC Engineer: Autopilot/Guidance - Level 5 located in Chandler, AZ , you'll be a linchpin in missions of paramount importance, defining the art of the possible from day one. This position is 100% onsite and cannot accommodate telecommute work. We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Autopilot/Guidance Engineer to join our team. In this role, you will design, develop, implement, verify, and test algorithms, software, and simulation tools to support the guidance, navigation, and control of advanced aerospace systems, including missiles, launch vehicles, and spacecraft. Your primary focus will involve creating and testing high-fidelity 6-degree-of-freedom (6DoF) simulation models to evaluate system performance and refine missile flight dynamics, autopilot, and guidance systems. Key responsibilities include developing control algorithms, implementing navigation functions, and ensuring system integration into flight code. This position requires strong expertise in autopilot design and development, a solid foundation in missile flight dynamics, and a commitment to mentoring early-career engineers. If you are passionate about working on cutting-edge aerospace technologies and driving innovative solutions, we encourage you to apply. This position will work a 9/80 schedule, with every other Friday off.

Requirements

Experience designing, tuning, implementing, and testing guidance algorithms and autopilot parameters for guided missiles and/or interceptors.
Previous experience in designing, implementing, and testing missile autopilot systems. Including exposure to multiple control system schemes for guided missiles and linear stability analysis.
Strong understanding of missile control systems, including classical and modern control theory.
Proficiency in creating and maintaining analysis tools in C++, MATLAB and Python
Proficiency in C++ development in a Linux environment
Proficiency in MATLAB and Python toolchains
U.S. Citizenship is required for all positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.

Nice To Haves

Experience working with GNC algorithms for hypersonic missiles
Experience with AEGIS weapon system
Experience with IR discrimination and tracking
Familiarity with state estimation and state propagation techniques

Responsibilities

Design, develop, implement, verify, and test algorithms and software for guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) systems of aerospace vehicles, including missiles, launch vehicles, and spacecraft.
Create and maintain high-fidelity 6-degree-of-freedom (6DoF) simulation models to analyze and evaluate system performance.
Develop and implement autopilot and guidance algorithms into missile flight code to achieve desired trajectories, orientations, and system objectives.
Perform statistical processing of measured data for navigation functions and simulate physical systems in software models.
Formulate and analyze equations for achieving specific flight paths, orbital positions, and system orientations.
Develop control laws and determine hardware and software requirements for launch vehicles, aircraft, and spacecraft control systems.
Test, validate, and refine software and simulation tools to ensure functionality and reliability in real-world and simulated operations.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure integration of GNC systems into broader system designs and architectures.
Conduct thorough model-based design and testing to support mission readiness and system validation.
Mentor and train early-career engineers in guidance, navigation, and control design and implementation processes.
Contribute to technical reviews and documentation of the GNC development lifecycle.
Other duties as assigned