GNC Engineer: Autopilot – Level 4; Chandler

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE:
Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE TYPE:
Secret

TRAVEL:
Yes, 10% of the Time

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.

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 (6
  
  DoF) 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.

• 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 tool chains.

• 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?…