Guidance Navigation Controls Engineer
Quick Summary
Support research and development of flight control algorithms for manned and unmanned air vehicles. Design, develop, implement, verify, and test algorithms, software,
Northrop Grumman’s Aeronautics Systems – Research & Advanced Design (R&AD) transforms breakthrough ideas into mission-ready capabilities through intelligent anticipation. We’re the front-end design engine, defining what comes next. From developing cutting-edge next-generation future aircraft to trailblazing collaborative autonomous platforms, we push the boundaries of technology and forge industry-leading partnerships that set new standards for what’s possible.
Our team owns the full lifecycle of advanced concept creation, from visionary early-stage designs and rapid prototyping to high-impact demonstrations and solving the toughest technical challenges in survivability, autonomy, and battle management. We seek curious, adaptable people who thrive on turning intuition into breakthrough solutions. If you’re driven to invent the future, build what’s next, and shape the landscape of national security, this is where you belong.
R&AD has an opening for a Guidance Navigation Controls Engineer to join our team! This position can be filled in Rancho Bernardo, CA or Roy, Utah.
The selected candidate should thrive in a fast-paced work environment with high expectations and collaborative/team settings across all levels. This is a dynamic organization involved in deploying forward-leaning avionics, guidance, navigation, and control systems for developmental concepts for air vehicles, weapons, and many more platforms.
Responsibilities
~1 min read- →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 to perform guidance, navigation and control (GNC) of autonomous unmanned aircraft.
- →Develop control laws to meet air vehicle performance, flying qualities and stability margin requirements, both on ground and in flight.
- →Design outer and inner loop control laws, and associated logic and autonomy functions.
- →Develop air vehicle system linear and non-linear dynamic simulation models and integrate models 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 different stages in a development program, such as PDR, CDR, etc.
Requirements
~3 min read- Bachelor's degree in a relevant Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) discipline and 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 to design feedback control systems.
- 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 using MATLAB to create, process, analyze, and visually represent data.
- Experience using 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).
- 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 with autonomy algorithms (Autonomous Taxi/ Take Off And Landing, etc.) for driving control laws.
- Familiarity with Simulink Stateflow Modeling
- Familiarity with autocoding Simulink models
- Familiarity with C/C++ programming.
- Familiarity with Python programming.
- Experience with Lua Script programming.
Location & Eligibility
About this job
- Pay per year
- $79,300–$137,600 a year
- 59% above the $68,006 median for Other jobs on Jobera (131,969 salaries).
- Posted
- 17 days ago
Listing Details
- Posted
- October 14, 2026
- First seen
- October 17, 2026
- Last seen
- October 31, 2026
Posting Health
- Days active
- 13
- Repost count
- 0
- Trust Level
- 30%
- Scored at
- October 31, 2026
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