Early Career Navigation, Guidance, and Control (NGC) Systems Engineer - Onsite

Sandia National Laboratories; New Mexico; On-site; USD 102,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance

Onsite facilities & amenities

Work-life balance programs

Job summary

Sandia National Laboratories seeks a systems engineer specializing in autonomous navigation, guidance, and control (NGC) to advance hypersonic flight systems. You will work across fundamental research, development, and demonstration with a focus on hypersonic environments and challenging operational contexts.

The role involves designing subsystems, defining interfaces, and establishing test/verification criteria, while collaborating with IPT leads and external partners to ensure timely delivery.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline or equivalent experience that demonstrates ability to perform independent R&D.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a DOE Q-level security clearance.
• Graduate degree in Engineering or related field with independent research project requirement.

Responsibilities

• Develop, integrate, test, and analyze results from navigation, guidance, and control systems including actuators and GNSS receivers.
• Collaborate with researchers and engineers to mature NGC technologies from concept to flight tests.
• Transition technologies from modeling/simulation to hardware prototype for flight test experimentation.
• Perform laboratory and field testing in complex environments and analyze results to support national security missions.
• Lead subcomponents of programs and verify/validate complex requirements with subsystem teams.

Skills

Navigation Systems

Guidance Systems

Control Systems

Aerospace System Design

Software Development

Systems Modeling & Simulation

Education

Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline

Graduate degree in Engineering or related field

Job description

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Early Career Navigation, Guidance, and Control (NGC) Systems Engineer - Onsite

Sandia National Laboratories is the nation’s premier science and engineering lab for national security and technology innovation, with teams of specialists focused on cutting-edge work in a broad array of areas. Some of the main reasons we love our jobs:

Challenging work with amazing impact that contributes to security, peace, and freedom worldwide

Extraordinary co-workers

Some of the best tools, equipment, and research facilities in the world

Career advancement and enrichment opportunities

Flexible work arrangements for many positions include 9/80 (work 80 hours every two weeks, with every other Friday off) and 4/10 (work 4 ten-hour days each week) compressed workweeks, part-time work, and telecommuting (a mix of onsite work and working from home)

Generous vacation, strong medical and other benefits, competitive 401k, learning opportunities, relocation assistance and amenities aimed at creating a solid work/life balance*

World-changing technologies. Life-changing careers. Learn more about Sandia at: http://www.sandia.gov

*These benefits vary by job classification.

What Your Job Will Be Like:

The Autonomy for Hypersonics and Navigation Warfare teams have need for a systems engineer who applies integrated technical judgment to anticipate, innovate, and deliver solutions across low to medium technical readiness levels on efforts primarily aligned with autonomous navigation, guidance, and control (NGC) of advanced flight systems for challenging mission spaces.

In this role, the successful candidate would apply multi-disciplinary knowledge to execute advanced autonomous aerospace system tasking within the spectrum of fundamental research, development, or demonstration, with a focus on hypersonic systems and challenging operational environments.

Key activities include working with project and team leads to develop solutions for new sensing and computing elements (e.g., hardware and software) within an autonomous system framework, working with the management team, external stakeholders, integrated product team (IPT) leads, and subsystem subject matter experts to negotiate and define the system requirements that enable mission function and performance; defining the necessary subsystems, components, and interfaces to realize the system; identifying test, validation and verification methods and develops acceptance criteria for the subsystems and system and delivers Objective Quality Evidence (OQE) as needed.

The ideal candidate will have a technical background and/or degree along with experience in systems design, analysis, test, and/or simulation for autonomous, flight, or weapon systems. The job will involve collaborative interaction with technical leads and team members, often including external partners, to determine the correct approach taken and execute the subsequent tasking alongside team members to ensure progress and timely delivery.

On any given day, you may:

Develop, integrate, test, and analyze results from hardware prototype navigation, guidance, and control systems, including elements such as actuators, GNSS receivers, and alternative navigation solutions.

Collaborate with a team of researchers, engineers, and technologists to develop innovative, integrated NGC technologies and to mature them from concept to simulation to flight tests.

Transition new NGC technologies, sensors, and software from Modeling and Simulation to hardware prototype for flight test experimentation.

Perform laboratory and field testing in complex environments and analyze results to draw meaningful conclusions in support of national security missions.

Develop substantial technical understanding of the engineering products to be delivered as well as lead subcomponents of programs.

Work with the various subsystem teams to verify and validate complex requirements, often from a combination of analysis, observation, real and simulated environmental testing, and an understanding of essential functional performance needs.

Due to the nature of the work, the selected applicant must be able to work onsite.

Salary Range:

$102,400 - $199,700

*Salary range is estimated, and actual salary will be determined after consideration of the selected candidate's experience and qualifications, and application of any approved geographic salary differential.

Qualifications We Require:

Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline, or an equivalent combination of directly relevant education and engineering or scientific experience that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and ability to perform independent research and development.

Ability to obtain and maintain a DOE Q-level security clearance.

Qualifications We Desire:

The ideal R&D S&E Systems Engineering candidate for Sandia National Laboratories will in addition possess the following:

Graduate degree in Engineering or a highly related field where an independent research project was a graduation requirement (e.g., independent project, thesis, or dissertation).

Experience working with Nuclear Security Enterprise (NSE) laboratories and plants including Pantex, Kansas City National Security Campus (KCNSC), Lawrence Livermore Laboratory (LLNL) and Kansas City National Security Campus/New Mexico Operations (KCNSC/NMO).

Experience working on engineering design, qualification, production, or related modeling/simulation projects.

Strong verbal and written communication skills, ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary teams.

Ideally, one's background includes some of the following:

Master's degree or equivalent experience in a relevant field.

Multidisciplinary technical knowledge and competencies appropriate to the position.

Ability to perform the integrated technical analyses that underpin the development of a realizable system concept.

Ability to synthesize operational concepts for experimental or exploratory systems to innovate and deliver solutions to customers in mission areas not fully defined or understood.

Thorough and demonstrated knowledge of and applied experience with systems engineering, scientific and multidisciplinary engineering methods and with the discipline¿s standards for the ethical conduct of research.

Thorough and demonstrated knowledge of and experience with scoping, designing, planning, executing, and documenting research, design, and development projects.

Demonstrated knowledge of and experience with implementing Sandia policies affecting research, design, and development activities, projects, or initiatives.

Ability to model behaviors that reflect Sandia's core values.

Experience with Navigation, Guidance, and/or Control Systems.

Experience with Contested Environments and Operational Constraints.

Experience with Electro-mechanical Systems.

Experience with Aerospace System Design.

Experience with Software Development.

Experience with Systems Modeling and Simulation.

Strong written and verbal communication, as well as technical and programmatic content presentation skills.

About Our Team:

Autonomy for Hypersonics (A4H) Department (5449) manages an innovative research portfolio in autonomous systems development and flight demonstrations of technological advancements. A4H supports the research and development of software, autonomy algorithms, prototype hardware, target recognition, and navigation/guidance/control. We actively partner with domain experts both at the Labs and throughout the nation to implement high-impact research to meet national defense needs. The challenging flight environment and limited available flight data make hypersonics one of the most complex applications for autonomy.

The Navigation Warfare (Navwar) Department (5443) seeks to develop technology for robust and resilient navigation in increasingly challenging operational environments. Through Navigation Warfare Assessments to characterize and respond to US navigation contestation, engagement with the national Navwar community, and R&D towards the development of GPS-denied and contested technologies such as Alt-PNT (Position, Navigation, and Timing), the Navwar department creates enduring capabilities to support warfighter needs in increasingly contested navigation engagements.

Posting Duration:

This posting will be open for application submissions for a minimum of three (3) calendar days, including the 'posting date'. Sandia reserves the right to extend the posting date at any time.

Security Clearance:

Sandia is required by DOE to conduct a pre-employment drug test and background review that includes checks of personal references, credit, law enforcement records, and employment/education verifications. Applicants for employment need to be able to obtain and maintain a DOE Q-level security clearance, which requires U.S. citizenship. If you hold more than one citizenship (i.e., of the U.S. and another country), your ability to obtain a security clearance may be impacted.

Applicants offered employment with Sandia are subject to a federal background investigation to meet the requirements for access to classified information or matter if the duties of the position require a DOE security clearance. Substance abuse or illegal drug use, falsification of information, criminal activity, serious misconduct or other indicators of untrustworthiness can cause a clearance to be denied or terminated by DOE, resulting in the inability to perform the duties assigned and subsequent termination of employment.

EEO:

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status and any other protected class under state or federal law.

NNSA Requirements for MedPEDs:

If you have a Medical Portable Electronic Device (MedPED), such as a pacemaker, defibrillator, drug-releasing pump, hearing aids, and diagnostic equipment and other equipment for measuring, monitoring, and recording body functions such as heartbeat and brain waves, if employed by Sandia National Laboratories you may be required to comply with NNSA security requirements for MedPEDs.

If you have a MedPED and you are selected for an on-site interview at Sandia National Laboratories, there may be additional steps necessary to ensure compliance with NNSA security requirements prior to the interview date.