GNC Engineer: Autopilot/Guidance (GPI Program) Level 2 or 3 (Chandler)

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes

CLEARANCE TYPE: Interim 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.

If forging a secure future excites you, look no further! Northrop Grumman’s Space Sector provides an arena where your passion for innovation and quest for exploration are welcome. As a GNC Engineer: Autopilot/Guidance – Level 2 or Level 3 your role at Chandler, AZ will be pivotal in supporting missions critical to national and global security. This position is 100% onsite and cannot accommodate telecommute work.

Ready to join forces with our visionary team?   

The GPI Program Team seeks a highly skilled GNC Engineer to design, develop, and validate algorithms and simulation tools for guidance, navigation, and control across a broad spectrum of vehicles—from aircraft and missiles to spacecraft and launch vehicles—through all phases of powered flight, coast, and staging events. This role will integrate statistical data processing, formulate precise guidance equations, and create robust control laws, delivering both hardware and software solutions that ensure accurate positioning, orientation, and orbital insertion.
 

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

In this job, you will:

• Design, develop, and implement algorithms and software for guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) across a variety of platforms (aircraft, missiles, launch vehicles, spacecraft, submersibles, surface ships).
• Build and maintain high‑fidelity simulation tools to model powered and coast phases, Earth orbit, interplanetary cruise, orbital insertion, and staging events.
• Perform verification and testing activities, including unit tests, hardware‑in‑the‑loop (HIL) simulations, and flight‑software integration.
• Conduct statistical processing of sensor measurements and integrate the processed data into navigation algorithms that estimate states and simulate physical reality.
• Formulate guidance equations and trajectory‑generation logic to achieve specific position, orientation, or orbital objectives.
• Develop control laws and conduct control‑system analyses, defining hardware and software requirements for implementation on aircraft, launch vehicles, and spacecraft.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to translate system requirements into functional GNC solutions and produce comprehensive documentation.
• Support post‑flight/mission analysis to validate algorithm performance and iterate on designs for continuous improvement.
• 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.

This position can be filled at either a Level 2 or Level 3.

Basic Qualifications for Level 2:

• Bachelor’s degree with 2 years of professional experience – OR – Master’s degree with 0 years of professional experience.  Will consider an additional 4+ years of experience in lieu of degree.
• Must have the ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government DoD Secret security clearance
• Proven experience designing, tuning, implementing, and testing guidance algorithms and autopilot parameters for guided missiles or interceptors.
• Hands‑on experience developing and validating missile autopilot systems, including work with multiple control‑scheme architectures and conducting linear stability analyses.
• Strong grasp of missile control theory, encompassing both classical and modern control techniques.
• Ability to create and maintain analysis and simulation tools using C++, MATLAB, and Python.
• Proficiency in C++ development within a Linux environment.
• Proficiency with MATLAB and Python toolchains for modeling, analysis, and test automation.

Basic Qualifications for Level 3:

• Bachelor’s degree with 5 years of professional experience – OR – Master’s degree with 3 years of professional experience – OR – PhD with 1 year of professional experience.  Will consider an additional 4+ years of experience in lieu of degree.
• Must have the ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government DoD Secret security clearance
• Proven experience designing, tuning, implementing, and testing guidance algorithms and autopilot parameters for guided missiles or interceptors.
• Hands‑on experience developing and validating missile autopilot systems, including work with multiple control‑scheme architectures and conducting linear stability analyses.
• Strong grasp of missile control theory, encompassing both classical and modern control techniques.
• Ability to create and maintain analysis and simulation tools using C++, MATLAB, and Python.
• Proficiency in C++ development within a Linux environment.
• Proficiency with MATLAB and Python toolchains for modeling, analysis, and test automation.

 Preferred Qualifications:  

• Demonstrated experience developing and testing GNC algorithms for hypersonic missile systems.
• Hands‑on work with the AEGIS weapon system, including integration and performance validation.
• Proven expertise in infrared (IR) discrimination and tracking techniques for target identification.
• Strong familiarity with state‑estimation and state‑propagation methods used in advanced guidance and navigation solutions.

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: $79,300.00 - $118,900.00

Secondary Level Salary Range: $98,400.00 - $147,600.00

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.