Senior GNC Engineer - Air Platform / Missile Systems

TSC•Washington, DC

2d•$130,000 - $185,000•Onsite

About The Position

TSC is seeking a highly skilled Senior Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) Engineer to lead the development of precision flight control, guidance, and navigation algorithms for next‑generation missile and advanced air‑platform systems. This position plays a critical role in shaping system‑level performance, informing requirements, and guiding technical strategy across the full development lifecycle. The ideal candidate has deep expertise designing and analyzing GNC architectures, developing high‑fidelity 6‑DOF simulations, integrating advanced navigation solutions, and validating algorithms through Hardware‑in‑the‑Loop (HWIL) and flight testing. This onsite role at the Naval Research Laboratory (Washington, DC) requires daily collaboration with government scientists, program managers, and multidisciplinary engineering teams.

Requirements

US Citizenship with an active DoD Secret clearance and the ability to obtain and maintain a TS/SCI clearance
Master’s degree or Ph.D. in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical, or related Engineering field
Minimum 8 years of direct experience developing GNC algorithms for missiles, air platforms, or other advanced aerospace systems
Expert proficiency in MATLAB/Simulink, C++, and model‑based design workflows
Hands‑on experience developing 6‑DOF simulations, HWIL environments, and flight‑test validated GNC algorithms
Experience in integrating and evaluating INS/GPS navigation, seekers, and multisensor fusion techniques
Strong communication and collaboration skills with the ability to interface effectively with technical teams, and senior decision‑makers

Nice To Haves

Background in hypersonic vehicle GNC, high‑speed aerodynamics, or aerothermal‑affected flight control
Familiarity with configuration management tools, version control workflows, and multidisciplinary engineering environments

Responsibilities

Lead the design, development, and tuning of guidance laws, flight control algorithms, and navigation filters
Develop and maintain high‑fidelity 6‑DOF time‑domain simulations to characterize system performance, evaluate mission effectiveness, and drive requirements allocation.
Integrate GPS/INS navigation solutions and seeker‑based measurements, including sensor fusion and denied‑environment navigation techniques.
Inform system and mission‑level requirements, supporting Systems Engineering in defining Technical Performance Metrics, and stability/control criteria.
Conduct Hardware‑in‑the‑Loop (HWIL) testing, bench testing, and flight‑test algorithm validation; analyze test telemetry and generate performance assessments.
Mentor junior GNC engineers and provide technical leadership across modeling, simulation, implementation, and verification activities.