Principal GNC Engineer - Autonomy Algorithm Developer
Quick Summary
Support research and development of flight control algorithms for manned and unmanned air vehicles. Design, develop, implement, verify, and test algorithms, software,
Bachelor's degree in a relevant Science, Technology,
Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems has an opening for a Principal GNC Engineer - Autonomy Algorithm Developer to join our team of qualified individuals within our South Bay Vehicle Engineering organization. This position is located at El Segundo, CA.
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 both on ground and in flight.
- →Design outer and inner loop control laws, and associated logic and autonomy functions, with a focus on outer loop.
- →Develop air vehicle system linear and non-linear dynamic simulation models and integrate models into software and hardware-in-the-loop simulation environments.
- →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 with 5 years of related experience; OR Master’s degree in a relevant STEM discipline with 3 years of related experience; OR a PhD in a relevant STEM discipline with 1 year of related experience.
- Working knowledge of fixed-wing aircraft flight dynamics.
- Experience using linear control principles and tools to design feedback control systems.
- Experience analyzing non-linear simulations of aircraft closed-loop dynamics.
- Working knowledge of autopilot functions.
- Working knowledge of outer loop control law performance requirements.
- Experience using MATLAB to create, process, analyze, and visually represent data.
- Experience using Simulink to model dynamic systems.
- Must have the ability to obtain and maintain a US Government Secret clearance and Special Access Program (SAP) within a reasonable amount of time as determined by business needs
- Current active in-scope US Government Secret security clearance or higher, with the ability to obtain Special Program Access (SAP).
- Knowledgeable in flight sciences, outer loop control algorithms, optimal trajectory generation techniques (e.g. RRT, A-star) and air vehicle missions (e.g. shipboard operations, search)
- Familiarity with C/C++ programming.
- Familiarity with Python programming.
- Familiarity with Java programming.
- Experience with autonomy algorithms (Autonomous Taxi/ Take Off and Landing, etc.) for driving control laws.
- Familiarity with Simulink Stateflow Modeling
Location & Eligibility
Listing Details
- First seen
- October 8, 2026
- Last seen
- October 8, 2026
Posting Health
- Days active
- 0
- Repost count
- 0
- Trust Level
- 51%
- Scored at
- October 8, 2026
Signal breakdown
Browse Similar Jobs
Stay ahead of the market
Get the latest job openings, salary trends, and hiring insights delivered to your inbox every week.
No spam. Unsubscribe at any time.