Guidance Navigation Controls Engineer

Northrop Grumman is seeking a Guidance Navigation Controls Engineer to support research, development, and testing of flight control algorithms and GNC capabilities for both manned and unmanned air vehicles. The role focuses on translating control and autonomy concepts into verified analysis, simulation tools, and support for simulation and flight test activities.

Role Overview

In this position, you will help design guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) approaches for autonomous unmanned aircraft. Work includes developing control laws, creating linear and non-linear models, performing performance and flying qualities analysis, and contributing to verification efforts across ground, hardware-in-the-loop, and flight test environments.

Responsibilities

• Support research and development of flight control algorithms for manned and unmanned air vehicles.
• Design, develop, implement, verify, and test algorithms, software, and simulation tools for guidance, navigation and control of autonomous unmanned aircraft.
• Develop control laws to satisfy air vehicle performance, flying qualities, and stability margin requirements in ground and flight conditions.
• Design outer and inner loop control laws, along with associated logic and autonomy functions.
• Develop air vehicle system linear and non-linear dynamic simulation models and integrate them into software and hardware-in-the-loop simulation environments.
• Perform performance and flying qualities analysis.
• Support non-linear simulation and hardware-in-the-loop lab testing.
• Support flight test activities and analyze air vehicle flight test data.
• Develop analysis to support design reviews at various stages of a development program, such as PDR and CDR.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant STEM discipline plus 2 years of related engineering experience, or a Master’s degree in a relevant STEM discipline with 0 years of related engineering experience.
• Working knowledge of fixed-wing aircraft flight dynamics.
• Familiarity with linear control principles and tools for feedback control system design.
• Working knowledge of analyzing non-linear simulations of aircraft closed-loop dynamics.
• Working knowledge of outer and/or inner loop control law performance requirements.
• Experience with MATLAB to create, process, analyze, and visually represent data.
• Experience with Simulink to model dynamic systems.
• Working knowledge of logic, modes, and states for autonomous aircraft.
• Ability and willingness to travel up to 20% of the time.
• Ability to obtain a US Government Secret security clearance or higher and Special Program Access (SAP).

Preferred Qualifications

• Current, active in-scope US Government Secret security clearance or higher, with the ability to obtain Special Program Access (SAP).
• Experience designing control laws for fixed wing aircraft.
• Familiarity with MIL-STD-1797 flying qualities requirements.
• Familiarity with autonomy algorithms (Autonomous Taxi/Take Off And Landing, etc.) for driving control laws.
• Familiarity with Simulink Stateflow modeling and autocoding Simulink models.
• Familiarity with C/C++ programming, Python programming, and Lua Script programming.

Technologies

• MATLAB
• Simulink
• Simulink Stateflow
• C/C++
• Python
• Lua Script

Compensation, Location, and Logistics

• Location: Roy, UT (onsite)
• Salary: USD 79,300 - 137,600 per year
• Travel: Yes, 25% of the time
• Relocation assistance: May be available

Benefits

• Health insurance coverage
• Life and disability insurance
• Savings plan
• Company paid holidays
• Paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business
• Depending on the position, eligibility for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay
• Annual bonuses
• Vice President or Director positions may be eligible for Long Term Incentives

Security Clearance

• Clearance required for start: No
• Clearance type: Secret

Estimated application period: 20 days from the job posting date.