GNC Principal Engineer

Principal Guidance, Navigation & Control (GNC) Engineer

Location:

Tempe, Arizona (On-Site)

Employment Type:

Full-Time

Security Clearance:
Must be eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance

We are seeking a Principal Guidance, Navigation & Control (GNC) Engineer to lead the design, development, integration, and testing of the complete GNC architecture for an advanced aerospace platform. This is a highly visible technical leadership role with direct ownership over flight-critical algorithms and systems from simulation through live flight testing.

The ideal candidate will have deep expertise in flight dynamics, controls, estimation, and autonomous systems, along with the ability to take a system from concept through deployment in a fast-paced engineering environment.

• Design, develop, and maintain high-fidelity 6-degree-of-freedom (6
  
  DOF) simulations serving as the authoritative system model.
• Develop and implement guidance laws, state estimation algorithms, navigation solutions, and flight control systems.
• Design, tune, and validate autopilot architectures to meet mission requirements.
• Integrate GNC algorithms into production flight software operating on embedded, real-time systems.
• Lead hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing and support live flight test activities.
• Analyze simulation and flight test data to improve system performance and reliability.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams including software, avionics, autonomy, and systems engineering.
• Drive technical architecture decisions and establish best practices for GNC development.
• Support rapid prototyping and iterative development efforts.

• Bachelor's, Master's, or Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a related technical discipline.
• Strong foundation in:
  Flight Dynamics, Control Systems, Guidance Algorithms, Navigation and State Estimation.
• Demonstrated experience developing systems end-to-end, from simulation through testing and deployment.
• Proficiency in modern C++ development for production environments.
• Experience with embedded systems and real-time software constraints.
• Strong troubleshooting and debugging skills for complex hardware and software systems.
• U.S. Citizenship required.
• Ability to work on-site in Tempe, Arizona.
• Eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance.

• Approximately 5–10+ years of industry experience in GNC, flight controls, autonomy, or related fields.
• Experience supporting:
  Missile Systems, Interceptors, Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), Autonomous Aerospace Platforms.
• Hands-on experience with: 6
  
  DOF Simulation Development, Hardware-in-the-Loop Testing, Flight Test Execution and Analysis, Sensor Fusion, Kalman Filtering, Navigation Algorithms.
• Experience in startup or rapid-development environments.
• Active security clearance or prior clearance eligibility.

• The complete Guidance, Navigation & Control architecture.
• High-fidelity simulation development and maintenance.
• Autopilot, guidance, controls, and state estimation development.
• Integration of GNC software into flight systems.
• Validation through simulation, HIL testing, and live flight testing.

• Ownership of the entire GNC stack from concept to flight.
• Opportunity to develop a C++-first flight architecture.
• Rapid design, test, and iteration cycles with real-world hardware.
• Significant influence on system design and technical direction.
• Direct impact on a platform intended for near-term deployment and operational use.

Job Type & Location

This is a Permanent position based out of Tempe, AZ.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $150000.00 - $200000.00/yr.

o Benefits:
Nivagen offers a wide variety of benefits and programs to support health and well-being o Medical, dental and vision coverage o Paid time off plan o 401k savings plan

Workplace Type

This is a fully onsite position in Tempe,AZ.

Final date to receive applications

This position is anticipated to close on Jul 31, 2026.