GNC Engineer, Advanced Modeling

Xona; Burlingame (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Xona is seeking a GNC Engineer to develop high-fidelity simulation environments for space vehicle guidance, navigation, and control. You will build nonlinear 6-DoF digital twins, flexible-body models, and physics-based subsystems to support design, analysis, and flight data validation.

Collaborate across GNC, structures, and test teams to ensure model fidelity. Proficiency in MATLAB, C++, Git, and Linux is essential for model-based software development and verification.

Qualifications

• Experience developing nonlinear six-degree-of-freedom simulation platforms for aerospace vehicles.
• Experience modeling and validating aerospace vehicle dynamics, sensors, actuators, environmental effects, and other vehicle subsystems.
• Experience developing or integrating flexible-body and structural-dynamics models.
• Strong understanding of rigid-body dynamics, control systems, numerical methods, and linear systems.
• Expertise in system identification and deriving linear approximations of nonlinear dynamic systems.
• Experience with model-based software development and verification processes.
• Strong proficiency in MATLAB, C++, Git, and Linux development environments.

Responsibilities

• Develop, maintain, and validate high-fidelity nonlinear six-degree-of-freedom digital twin of the spacecraft bus for design, analysis, and verification.
• Develop flexible-body and structural-dynamics models for integration into vehicle simulations.
• Build and validate physics-based models of vehicle dynamics, sensors, actuators, environmental disturbances, and other subsystems.
• Apply system identification techniques to estimate system parameters and improve model fidelity.
• Derive linear approximate models from nonlinear systems using numerical and analytical techniques.
• Develop simulation capabilities supporting control design, Monte Carlo analysis, software-in-the-loop, and hardware-in-the-loop testing.
• Contribute to model-based software development, verification, documentation, and technical reviews.

Skills

Nonlinear six-DoF simulation

Rigid-body dynamics

Control systems

System identification

Numerical methods

Linearization of nonlinear systems

Model-based software development

MATLAB

C++

Git

Linux development environments

Education

Master’s degree or Ph.D. in aerospace engineering/controls/robotics/applied mathematics

Tools

MATLAB

C++

Git

Linux

Job description

Xona is the navigational intelligence company bringing real-time, centimeter-level certainty to any device, anywhere on Earth.

Overview

We are seeking a GNC Engineer specializing in advanced modeling to develop high-fidelity simulation and analysis capabilities for aerospace vehicle guidance, navigation, and control systems. You will build nonlinear six-degree-of-freedom simulation environments, develop flexible-body and vehicle subsystem models, and validate those models using analytical, test, and flight data.

You will collaborate with GNC, structural, and test engineers to ensure simulation models accurately represent vehicle dynamics and hardware behavior throughout the development lifecycle.

What You’ll Do

• Develop, maintain, and validate high-fidelity nonlinear six-degree-of-freedom digital twin of the spacecraft bus for design, analysis, and verification.
• Develop flexible-body and structural-dynamics models for integration into vehicle simulations.
• Build and validate physics-based models of vehicle dynamics, sensors, actuators, environmental disturbances, and other subsystems.
• Apply system identification techniques to estimate system parameters and improve model fidelity.
• Derive linear approximate models from nonlinear systems using numerical and analytical techniques.
• Develop simulation capabilities supporting control design, Monte Carlo analysis, software-in-the-loop, and hardware-in-the-loop testing.
• Contribute to model-based software development, verification, documentation, and technical reviews.

Required Qualifications

• Experience developing nonlinear six-degree-of-freedom simulation platforms for aerospace vehicles.
• Experience modeling and validating aerospace vehicle dynamics, sensors, actuators, environmental effects, and other vehicle subsystems.
• Experience developing or integrating flexible-body and structural-dynamics models.
• Strong understanding of rigid-body dynamics, control systems, numerical methods, and linear systems.
• Expertise in system identification and deriving linear approximations of nonlinear dynamic systems.
• Experience with model-based software development and verification processes.
• Strong proficiency in MATLAB, C++, Git, and Linux development environments.

Desired Qualifications

• Master’s degree or Ph.D. in aerospace engineering, controls, robotics, applied mathematics, or a related field.
• Experience developing aerospace vehicle GNC simulations from initial architecture through integrated testing or flight validation.
• Experience with MATLAB/Simulink and automatic code-generation workflows.
• Experience with modal analysis, or flexible-mode identification.
• Experience with software-in-the-loop, or hardware-in-the-loop test environments.
• Experience correlating simulation models with component, subsystem, integrated vehicle, or flight-test data.
• Familiarity with Monte Carlo analysis, uncertainty modeling, sensitivity analysis, continuous integration, and automated testing workflows.

For U.S. Roles

To comply with U.S. Government space technology export regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the United States (i.e. Green Card holder), or other protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3).

For U.K. Roles

To comply with U.K. regulations, this role requires Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks, and successful candidates must be eligible to obtain UK Security Clearance (SC).

For Canada Roles

Successful candidates must obtain and hold a security clearance at the reliability status level, and pass security assessment for the Canadian Controlled Goods Program (CGP) and ITAR.

We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.