GNC Analyst w/Active TS/SCI Clearance

Columbus Technologies and Services; Pasadena (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Full benefits

Job summary

Columbus Technologies and Services seeks a Guidance, Navigation, and Control Analyst for Instrument Modeling and Simulation to support NASA JPL in Pasadena, CA. The role involves high-fidelity modeling of electromechanical actuators and sensors, with distillation to low-fidelity versions for system simulations.

You will balance rapid study delivery with long-term simulation infrastructure maintenance. The candidate should have a Bachelor's in a STEM field, 3–5 years’ experience, and proficiency

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required in Engineering, Science, Physics, Mathematics, or related STEM field.
• 3–5 years of relevant experience.
• Experience with Matlab/Simulink/C and delivering professional presentations.

Responsibilities

• Develop high-fidelity models of electromechanical actuators and sensors.
• Distill models into low-fidelity surrogates for larger simulations.
• Support risk reduction and requirements definition for mechanisms.

Skills

Matlab

Simulink

C programming

Presentation skills

Vendor coordination

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Science, Physics, or Mathematics

Tools

Matlab

Simulink

C programming

Job description

OVERVIEW

• Must be a US Citizen w/ Active TS/SCI Clearance
• Duration - 16 month contract position with potential to be extended or converted
• W2 with full benefits
• Customer and contract specific training will be required and provided.
• Location - Pasadena, CA (onsite)
• Offer contingent on ability to successfully pass a background check and drug screen
• The US base salary range for this full-time position is $120-160k + benefits. Salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position across all US locations. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Looking for a Guidance, Navigation, and Control Analyst for Instrument Modeling and Simulation to support exciting projects with NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, CA.

This role is critical for the risk reduction and requirement-definition phase of the project's mechanisms. High-fidelity modeling of electromechanical actuators and sensors is required to validate designs against testbed data and to inform the specifications of future hardware iterations. Furthermore, the project requires the ability to distill these complex models into low-fidelity versions for integration into larger system-level simulations. This role requires a professional comfortable with a dual-cadence workflow: providing rapid-turnaround study results for sponsors and maintaining long-term, high-fidelity simulation infrastructure.

What You Will Do:

• This role is critical for the risk reduction and requirement-definition phase of the project's mechanisms. High-fidelity modeling of electromechanical actuators and sensors is required to validate designs against testbed data and to inform the specifications of future hardware iterations.
• Distill complex models into low-fidelity versions for integration into larger system-level simulations.
• Provide rapid-turnaround study results for sponsors and maintaining long-term, high-fidelity simulation infrastructure.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• High-Fidelity Modeling: Maintain, modify, and develop high-fidelity behavioral simulations of electromechanical actuators and sensors.
• Model Validation: Tune and validate simulations against actual testbed data to ensure physical accuracy.
• Risk Reduction & Requirements: Utilize high-fidelity models to conduct risk reduction activities and establish technical requirements for future versions of mechanisms.
• System Integration: Create and maintain low-fidelity "surrogate" models that approximate actuator behavior for use in larger, integrated system simulations.
• Study Support: Execute rapid-turnaround tasks (2 to 3 week cycles) to support sponsor-driven studies, delivering results via plots and presentations.
• Simulation Maintenance: Provide ongoing maintenance and updates to the project's primary simulation environment to ensure stability for other project stakeholders.
• Vendor Technical Integration: Participate in vendor meetings and technical reviews to absorb critical design information, ensuring that behavioral models accurately reflect external hardware and software specifications.
• Technical Versatility: Act as a flexible resource within a small team, providing overlap and support for other GNC functions as bandwidth requires.
• Communication: Translate complex simulation data into clear, concise plots and PowerPoint presentations for internal and external stakeholders.

REQUIRED SKILLS

• Requires a Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Science, Physics, Mathematics, or a related STEM degree and a minimum of 3 to 5 years of prior relevant experience.
• Experience in Matlab and Simulink and the C programming language.
• Experience developing clear and adaptable models of complex electromechanical systems.
• Experience delivering professional presentations.
• Experience working directly with external vendors and hardware suppliers.
• Experience with controller design and system stability using frequency domain methods (e.g. Bode, Nyquist, or Nichols Plots).

DESIRED SKILLS

• Experience in signal processing.
• Experience with high-bandwidth mechatronics and dynamics.
• Experience in the research and development of precision pointing systems.
• Work in a complex multi-task, schedule-driven environment.
• Perform effectively with minimal day-to-day oversight.
• Advanced degree.

Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action

Columbus is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, marital status, age, national origin, veteran status, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. As a federal contractor, Columbus participates in the E-Verify Program to confirm eligibility to work in the United States.