Guidance, Navigation & Control (GNC) Engineer

Salary: $50,500 - 78,500 per year Requirements:

• Bachelors degree in electrical engineering, aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, or a related discipline with 14 years of professional experience; or a masters degree with 12 years; or a PhD with 10 years.
• Existing U.S. Government Secret security clearance.
• Demonstrated experience with GNC concepts, algorithms, or analysis for aerospace or missile systems.
• Experience leading or significantly contributing to development, modeling, simulation, testing, integration, or analysis for aerospace, missile, spacecraft, or autonomous systems.
• Proficiency with one or more technical software tools such as MATLAB/Simulink, Python, or C/C++, and experience developing in a Linux environment.
• Advanced degree in electrical engineering, aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, or a related engineering discipline is preferred.
• Strong foundation in control systems theory, guidance law development, and flight software implementation is preferred.
• Experience with state estimation and nonlinear filtering, including Kalman, Extended Kalman, or Unscented Kalman filters, and their tuning and performance assessment in realistic scenarios is preferred.
• Deep knowledge of target tracking and infrared and/or radio-frequency seeker systems, including requirements definition and algorithm design, is preferred.
• Experience developing and validating target dynamics and measurement models and integrating them into end-to-end 6 DOF simulations is preferred.
• Experience with seeker measurements, such as angle-only measurements, line-of-sight rate estimation, infrared pixel- or centroid-based measurements, and/or RF range, range rate (Doppler), azimuth/elevation, and angle-only tracking, is preferred.
• Experience with data association, track initiation and maintenance, and multi-target tracking amid false alarms and clutter is preferred.
• Ability to lead small technical teams or work packages, mentor junior engineers, and communicate complex technical concepts to varied stakeholders is preferred.
• Strong C/C++ and Python skills, along with experience using software development tools such as Jira, version control, and continuous integration in a Linux environment, are preferred.
• Must obtain and maintain required program access within a reasonable period, as determined by us.

• Lead the development and evaluation of GNC systems for advanced aerospace applications, emphasizing seeker-based missile engagements and precision intercept performance.
• Own algorithm design and analysis, using mathematical models, control theory, and state-estimation methods to process seeker measurements and develop guidance and control laws.
• Architect and maintain six-degree-of-freedom (6 DOF) simulations, define performance metrics, integrate hardware and software components, and conduct performance assessments and trade studies.
• Lead the design, development, implementation, verification, and testing of high-quality flight and simulation software.
• Maintain 6 DOF simulations used to develop, analyze, and validate flight algorithms and code.
• Improve flight and simulation software performance, robustness, and maintainability.
• Define and execute analysis campaigns using trajectory optimization and evaluation tools.
• Present technical findings, risks, and recommendations to program leadership.
• Provide technical direction on seeker and tracking approaches, mentor early-career engineers, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to support system reliability and mission success.

• Architect
• Hardware
• Support
• JIRA
• Linux
• Matlab
• Python
• Security

More:

We are Northrop Grummans Space Sector, where collaborative teams take on missions of national importance. This GNC Engineer role is based at our Chandler, Arizona location and focuses on seeker modeling, target tracking, and advanced algorithms for missile and launch vehicle systems. The position is fully onsite and follows a 9/80 schedule, with every other Friday off.

last updated 40 week of 2026