Guidance Navigation Control (GNC) Engineering Analyst - Level 3 or 4 (Hiring Immediately)

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 Guidance Navigation Control (GNC) Engineering Analyst – Level 3 or 4 located in Dulles, VA , 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.

The GNC team designs, builds, and tests spacecraft subsystems for a mix of DoD, NASA, and commercial customers. We are leaders in innovative solutions to the rapidly growing/evolving fields of space based autonomous rendezvous and docking and rapid design/production of small satellites.

This position will work a 9/80 schedule, with every other Friday off.

Job responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Design, analyze, and tune spacecraft attitude and position control loops using time and frequency domain techniques

• Design and analyze relative guidance solutions for Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (RPO)

• Design, analyze, and tune sequential filters (e.g. Kalman filters) for attitude determination and relative navigation

• Analyze and test the spacecraft GNC subsystem performance using simulations and other analytic tools

• Perform analysis to support early design phase concept development including actuator sizing and placement, sensor selection and placement, attitude and position guidance, rendezvous, proximity operations and docking analyses, and predicted performance assessments

• Develop simulation models for sensors (e.g. star tracker, rate gyro, accelerometer, GPS, magnetometer, sun sensors), actuators (e.g. reaction wheel, torque bar, thruster, CMG), system dynamics (e.g. rigid body, multi-body, orbit mechanics, flexible models, propellant slosh), and the space environment (e.g. atmospheric, solar radiation pressure, third-body gravity, geopotential)

• Communication is a key element of your role and all GNC engineers are expected to:

• Apply engineering principles, industry standards, company process, and knowledge of vehicle dynamics, aerodynamics, propulsion, classical/modern control, and estimation theory to perform tasks to advanced program/project goals

• Document designs, analysis, and test results and create presentation materials

• Present designs, analysis, and test results to internal and external customers

• Work well within small- to medium-sized groups

• Other duties as assigned

If this job description reads like it was written specifically for you, consider joining our team!

This position is contingent upon the candidate obtaining final clearances and program access(es) within a reasonable period of time as determined by the company.

This position can be filled at either a Level 3 or Level 4.

Basic Qualifications for Level 3 :

• Bachelor’s degree with 5 years of professional experience – OR – Master’s degree with 3 years of professional experience – OR – PhD with 1 year of professional experience. Will consider an additional 4+ years of experience in lieu of degree .

• Requires an active U.S. Government Top-Secret [ TS ] security clearance at time of application , current and within scope, with the ability to obtain and maintain SCI approval/access

• Experience developing software in MATLAB/Simulink and C/C++

• Experience in Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) subsystem design, analysis, and testing; can include Attitude Determination and Control System (ADCS)

Basic Qualifications for Level 4 :

• Bachelor’s degree with 8 years of professional experience – OR – Master’s degree with 6 years of professional experience – OR – PhD with 4 years of professional experience. Will consider an additional 4+ years of experience in lieu of degree .

• Requires an active U.S. Government Top-Secret [ TS ] security clearance at time of application , current and within scope, with the ability to obtain and maintain SCI approval/access

• Experience developing software in MATLAB/Simulink and C/C++

• Experience in Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) subsystem design, analysis, and testing; can include Attitude Determination and Control System (ADCS)

Preferred Qualifications:

• Current/Active SCI and/or SAP

• MS or PhD in engineering, physics, or math

• Experience with version control tools such as SVN or Git

• Experience implementing spacecraft GNC algorithms on embedded systems

• Strong technical fundamentals in the areas of spacecraft attitude and orbit dynamics, navigation filtering and/or control systems design

• Experience with on-orbit space vehicle operations, commanding, debugging, and use of flight telemetry to track performance metrics

• Experience with Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (RPO) algorithms, practices and planning strategies

• Experience with performing spacecraft GNC design, analysis, Hardware (HW) and Integration & Test (I&T), or flight operations.

• Excellent analytical and problem-solving abilities

• Previous/current membership or leadership roles in professional groups, clubs, or extracurricular activities are desired

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Working at Northrop Grumman is more than just a paycheck. We offer a comprehensive Total Rewards and benefits package designed to help you thrive at work and in life. For more information on our Total Rewards package, please visit our Total Rewards site.