GNC Engineer (NASA Sounding Rocket Program)

Peraton•Wallops Island, VA

9d•$66,000 - $106,000•Onsite

About The Position

Peraton is seeking a GNC Engineer to support the NASA Sounding Rocket Operations Contract (NSROC) at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Virginia. NSROC is a suborbital spaceflight program that provides launch vehicles, payload development, and field operations support for NASA science missions. The program supports approximately 14 sounding rocket launches each year from sites including Wallops, White Sands Missile Range, Poker Flats Rocket Range, Alaska, Kwajalein, and Andoya, Norway. The role applies a broad range of technical disciplines to guidance, navigation, and control problems, including software, electrical design, mechanical systems, cold-gas pneumatics, pneumatic component testing, and sensors. The primary technical contributions are expected in software and electrical hardware design. The engineer supports attitude control systems and other program projects, serves as the Boost Guidance System engineer for sounding rocket missions, and supports system development throughout the mission lifecycle, including launches at remote sites. The work includes high-pressure pneumatic systems and requires both independent and collaborative work across multiple projects. The engineer will support software and hardware design, development, integration, testing, and maintenance; develop engineering specifications and software capabilities; conduct acceptance and integration testing; and communicate system designs and analyses to customers and technical teams. Remote launch-site travel is required, typically for three to seven weeks per trip.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree and at least two years of engineering or technician experience, or a high school diploma and at least six years of engineering or technician experience in lieu of a degree.
Demonstrated C programming capability.
Demonstrated electrical hardware capability.
MATLAB experience.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office.
Hands-on pneumatic operations and training.
Understanding of software design practices and software version control.
Comfort working within the GIT software control platform.
Ability to develop and test complex software solutions for custom flight computers.
Must be a U.S. citizen.
Ability to work independently and in a team environment.
Ability to communicate GNC concepts in writing, orally, and through presentations.
Ability to work with high-pressure pneumatic systems.
Ability to travel to remote launch sites.

Nice To Haves

Six or more years of engineering or technician experience.
Real-time system development experience.
GNC-related experience.

Responsibilities

Support the design of software for attitude control systems, program needs, and support equipment.
Develop new software capabilities in coordination with the GNC group, electrical group, and Sounding Rocket Program Office.
Apply engineering concepts, procedures, and practices to GNC problems.
Support the creation of automated acceptance-test platforms for electrical and pneumatic components.
Support the Boost Guidance System throughout the mission lifecycle.
Present system designs and analyses to customers and a variety of technical disciplines.
Perform system integration and testing of subcontractor-supplied Boost Guidance Systems.
Conduct acceptance testing on electrical and pneumatic parts and assemblies.
Perform integration tests to validate assemblies.
Design, develop, manufacture, refurbish, and evaluate hardware for ACS sensors and pneumatic attitude-control systems.
Contribute to the development of components, assemblies, and systems, and develop applicable engineering specifications.
Test control systems containing high-pressure hardware and electromechanical components used to control payload attitude.
Perform software verification testing and maintain software control infrastructure; assist the GNC group with software compliance efforts.
Travel to remote launch sites, typically for three to seven weeks.