GNC Engineer

Northrop Grumman

. Design and analyze relative guidance solutions for Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (RPO) .

Posted 9/28/2026full-timeUnited StatesJunior💰 $65,800 - $98,800 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates expertise in Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) systems, including the design and implementation of algorithms for attitude determination and relative navigation. Proficient in modeling, simulation, and verification of 3-DOF/6-DOF systems, with a strong foundation in spacecraft dynamics and control principles.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Guidance, Navigation, And Control (GNC)Kalman Filter Design3-DOF/6-DOF ModelingSimulation And VerificationActive U.S. Government Security Clearance

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

Attitude DeterminationRelative NavigationAlgorithm DevelopmentSystem Dynamics ModelingKinematics AnalysisDynamics AnalysisControl Systems DesignSimulation Tool DevelopmentSoftware IntegrationFlight Operations Testing

Soft Skills

Analytical AbilitiesProblem-Solving Skills

Tools & Technologies

SVNGitSimulation ToolsAnalytic Tools

Certifications & Qualifications

U.S. Government Secret ClearanceU.S. Government Top Secret Clearance

Industry Keywords

Rendezvous And Proximity Operations (RPO)Spacecraft DynamicsEmbedded SystemsHardware Integration And Test (I&T)Flight Telemetry

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

Subversion

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Design and analyze relative guidance solutions for Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (RPO)
Design, analyze, and tune sequential filters such as Kalman filters for attitude determination and relative navigation
Analyze and test spacecraft GNC subsystem performance using simulations and analytic tools
Develop simulation models for sensors, actuators, system dynamics, and the space environment
Develop and validate high-fidelity 3 DOF/6 DOF models and simulations of attitude, ephemeris, and line-of-sight dynamics
Design, implement, and verify GNC algorithms, including trackers, filters, and controllers
Build, test, and integrate software and simulation tools for space vehicle and payload GNC throughout flight operations
Design, develop, implement, verify, and test software and simulation toolchains
Work on 6-degree-of-freedom simulations to design and test missile flight code
Evaluate system performance using 6DoF simulation models
Apply engineering principles, industry standards, company processes, and knowledge of vehicle dynamics, aerodynamics, propulsion, control, and estimation theory to advanced program/project goals

Requirements

What you’ll need

Bachelor’s degree with 1 year of professional experience (Level 1)
Bachelor’s degree with 2 years of professional experience, or Master’s degree with 1 year (Level 2)
Bachelor’s degree with 5 years of professional experience, or Master’s degree with 3 years, or PhD with 1 year (Level 3)
Bachelor’s degree with 8 years of professional experience, or Master’s degree with 6 years, or PhD with 4 years (Level 4)
Active U.S. Government Secret or Top Secret security clearance at the time of application, current and within scope
Directly related Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) experience
U.S. Citizenship required for positions with a government clearance
Preferred: Master’s or PhD in a relevant engineering discipline
Preferred: experience designing and implementing attitude-control or state-estimation algorithms
Preferred: experience with actuator/sensor sizing and selection
Preferred: experience with modeling, simulation, and verification/validation of 3-DOF/6-DOF GNC systems
Preferred: ability to conduct complex kinematics and dynamics analyses and contribute to early-stage space vehicle and payload conceptual design
Preferred: experience with software and hardware-in-the-loop testing
Preferred: experience with SVN or Git
Preferred: experience implementing spacecraft GNC algorithms on embedded systems
Preferred: technical fundamentals in spacecraft attitude and orbit dynamics, navigation filtering and/or control systems design
Preferred: experience with on-orbit space vehicle operations, commanding, debugging, and flight telemetry
Preferred: experience with Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (RPO) algorithms, practices and planning strategies
Preferred: spacecraft GNC design, analysis, Hardware (HW) and Integration & Test (I&T), or flight operations
Preferred: excellent analytical and problem-solving abilities

Benefits

Comp & perks

Relocation assistance may be available
Overtime eligibility may be available
Shift differential may be available
Discretionary bonus may be available
Health insurance coverage
Life and disability insurance
Savings plan
Company-paid holidays
Paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business