Senior GNC Engineer (NASA Sounding Rocket Program)

Peraton•Wallops Island, VA

8d•Onsite

About The Position

Peraton is seeking a GNC Engineer to support NASA’s Sounding Rocket Operations Contract (NSROC) at 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 engineer will contribute primarily to software and electrical hardware design for guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) systems, while applying knowledge across disciplines such as pneumatic component testing, real-time software, mechanical systems, cold-gas pneumatics, and sensors. The role supports attitude control systems and other program projects, and includes serving as the Boost Guidance System engineer for sounding rocket missions. Work spans the full mission lifecycle, including launch operations at remote sites. The position involves working with high-pressure pneumatic systems, handling multiple projects, and collaborating both independently and with a team. Travel to remote launch sites is required and typically lasts three to seven weeks.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or Physics.
At least two years of general engineering experience; three to five years is preferred.
Programming or scripting experience.
Comfort using test equipment and power supplies, and experience with oscilloscopes and hands-on hardware testing and troubleshooting.
MATLAB experience.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office.
Must be a U.S. citizen.
Ability to understand and apply a broad range of technical disciplines to GNC problems.
Ability to communicate GNC concepts effectively in writing, orally, and through presentations.
Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
Ability to travel to remote launch sites.

Nice To Haves

Three to five years of general engineering experience.
A master’s degree or higher in a related discipline; this reduces the experience requirement.
Real-time system development experience.
GNC-related experience.

Responsibilities

Analyze attitude control systems, attitude control problems, navigation issues, sensor performance, and their contribution to system performance.
Support the design of attitude control system software and associated hardware and support equipment.
Apply engineering concepts, procedures, and practices to GNC problems.
Participate in technical design and modification negotiations with customers.
Present system designs and analyses to customers and technical disciplines.
Perform system integration and testing of in-house-designed and built attitude control systems (ACS).
Analyze post-flight data and redesign or modify equipment to improve performance.
Perform integration tests to validate assemblies.
Design, develop, manufacture, refurbish, and evaluate hardware for ACS sensors and pneumatic attitude control systems.
Work with attitude sensor data, particularly from a roll-gimbal-mounted fiber optic gyro.
Contribute to new engineering or specialty products and develop applicable engineering specifications.
Contribute to the work of engineers, technicians, and fabrication areas.
Test control systems with high-pressure hardware and electromechanical components for control-payload attitude.
Provide software and hardware support for attitude control systems and other program projects.
Serve as the Boost Guidance System engineer for sounding rocket missions and support system development throughout the mission lifecycle, including remote-site launches.
Travel to remote launch sites, with typical trips lasting three to seven weeks.