Mid-career TS-cleared Guidance Navigation Control; GNC Engineers

Overview

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE:
Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START:
Yes

CLEARANCE TYPE:
Top Secret

TRAVEL:
Yes, 10% of the Time

This role 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.

As a Guidance Navigation Control (GNC) Engineer supporting our Space team, this role can be based at either our Dulles, VA or Gilbert, AZ locations. On our team, you’ll be a linchpin in missions of paramount importance, defining the art of the possible from day one.

This position description does not represent a current opening but may be used to identify candidates with skills and experience for positions within Northrop Grumman that frequently become available. Candidates who express an interest may be considered for future positions at Northrop Grumman.

• 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

• Requires an active/current U.S. Government DoD Top-Secret (TS) security clearance at time of application, current and within scope, with an ability to obtain and maintain Special Access Program (SAP) approval AND Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) approval/access within a reasonable period of time
• Level 3: (Principal level)
• Bachelor’s degree with 5 years of relevant engineering experience
• May consider an additional 4+ years of experience in lieu of a completed degree
• Master’s degree with 3 years of relevant engineering experience
• PhD with 1 year of relevant engineering experience
• Level 4: (Sr Principal level)
• Bachelor’s degree with 8 years of relevant engineering experience
• May consider an additional 4+ years of experience in lieu of a completed degree
• Master’s degree with 6 years of relevant engineering experience
• PhD with 4 years of relevant engineering experience
• 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)

• Current/Active TS with SCI
• 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…