GNC Engineer: Autopilot (Secret) Level 4 (Chandler)

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE TYPE: Secret

TRAVEL: Yes, 10% of the Time

Description

At Northrop Grumman, our employees have incredible opportunities to work on revolutionary systems that impact people's lives around the world today, and for generations to come. Our pioneering and inventive spirit has enabled us to be at the forefront of many technological advancements in our nation's history - from the first flight across the Atlantic Ocean, to stealth bombers, to landing on the moon. We look for people who have bold new ideas, courage and a pioneering spirit to join forces to invent the future, and have fun along the way. Our culture thrives on intellectual curiosity, cognitive diversity and bringing your whole self to work — and we have an insatiable drive to do what others think is impossible. Our employees are not only part of history, they're making history.

Northrop Grumman’s Space Sector is seeking a GNC Engineer: Autopilot – Level 4 to join our team in Chandler, AZ. This position is 100% onsite and cannot accommodate telecommute work.

  

We are seeking a highly skilled Autopilot/Guidance Engineer to lead the creation, verification, and testing of algorithms, software, and simulation tools for the guidance, navigation, and control of advanced aerospace systems such as missiles, launch vehicles, and spacecraft. In this role you will build high‑fidelity 6‑degree‑of‑freedom (6‑DoF) models to evaluate flight dynamics, autopilot performance, and guidance strategies across powered, coast, and staging phases, as well as during orbital insertion and interplanetary cruise. Your work will involve formulating guidance equations to achieve desired positions or orientations, developing control laws and hardware/software requirements, and implementing statistical processing of sensor data to feed realistic simulation environments. You will also integrate these solutions into flight code, ensure seamless system integration, and mentor early‑career engineers, fostering knowledge transfer within the GNC team. A strong background in autopilot design, missile flight dynamics, and GNC algorithm development is essential, along with a proven ability to translate complex physical models into efficient, testable software. If you are passionate about cutting‑edge aerospace technology and innovative problem‑solving, we encourage you to apply.

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

In this job, you will:

• Design, develop, implement, verify, and test algorithms and software for guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) systems of aerospace vehicles, including missiles, launch vehicles, and spacecraft.
• Create and maintain high-fidelity 6-degree-of-freedom (6DoF) simulation models to analyze and evaluate system performance.
• Develop and implement autopilot and guidance algorithms into missile flight code to achieve desired trajectories, orientations, and system objectives.
• Perform statistical processing of measured data for navigation functions and simulate physical systems in software models.
• Formulate and analyze equations for achieving specific flight paths, orbital positions, and system orientations.
• Develop control laws and determine hardware and software requirements for launch vehicles, aircraft, and spacecraft control systems.
• Test, validate, and refine software and simulation tools to ensure functionality and reliability in real-world and simulated operations.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure integration of GNC systems into broader system designs and architectures.
• Conduct thorough model-based design and testing to support mission readiness and system validation.
• Mentor and train early-career engineers in guidance, navigation, and control design and implementation processes.
• Contribute to technical reviews and documentation of the GNC development lifecycle.
• 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.

Basic Qualifications:

• 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 DoD Secret security clearance at time of application, current and within scope
• Experience designing, tuning, implementing, and testing guidance algorithms and autopilot parameters for guided missiles and/or interceptors.
• Previous experience in designing, implementing, and testing missile autopilot systems. Including exposure to multiple control system schemes for guided missiles and linear stability analysis.
• Strong understanding of missile control systems, including classical and modern control theory.
• Proficiency in creating and maintaining analysis tools in C++, MATLAB and Python
• Proficiency in C++ development in a Linux environment
• Proficiency in MATLAB and Python toolchains

 Preferred Qualifications:  

• Experience working with GNC algorithms for hypersonic missiles
• Experience with AEGIS weapon system
• Experience with IR discrimination and tracking
• Familiarity with state estimation and state propagation techniques

Curious about all the exciting developments with the Northrop Grumman Space Sector? Click the link below:

https://www.northropgrumman.com/space

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.

Northrop Grumman Total Rewards 

Primary Level Salary Range: $122,800.00 - $184,200.00

The above salary range represents a general guideline; however, Northrop Grumman considers a number of factors when determining base salary offers such as the scope and responsibilities of the position and the candidate's experience, education, skills and current market conditions.

Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay. Annual bonuses are designed to reward individual contributions as well as allow employees to share in company results. Employees in Vice President or Director positions may be eligible for Long Term Incentives. In addition, Northrop Grumman provides a variety of benefits including health insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, savings plan, Company paid holidays and paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business.

The application period for the job is estimated to be 20 days from the job posting date. However, this timeline may be shortened or extended depending on business needs and the availability of qualified candidates.

Northrop Grumman is an Equal Opportunity Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class. For our complete EEO and pay transparency statement, please visit http://www.northropgrumman.com/EEO. U.S. Citizenship is required for all positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.