Lead GNC Engineer - Hypersonic Flight Controls

Castelion Corporation; Rio Rancho, Torrance (NM, CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous benefits package

Job summary

Castelion is rapidly advancing defense technologies and seeks a Senior GNC Engineer to develop guidance, navigation, and control solutions for long-range hypersonic strike vehicles. You will design, analyze, implement, and validate autopilot algorithms in a fast-paced, hardware-driven environment.

You will collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to ensure stable, precise flight performance across mission phases, working hands-on with embedded systems and participating in hardware-in-the-loop

Qualifications

• 5+ years in control system design, analysis, and validation for aerospace or high-performance dynamic systems.
• Strong background in classical and modern control theory, including adaptive, nonlinear, and robust control methods.
• Experience developing autopilot algorithms for missiles, rockets, hypersonic vehicles, or similar systems.
• Proficiency with modeling/simulation tools (e.g., MATLAB/Simulink) and real-time embedded systems.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop flight control and autopilot algorithms for high-speed flight vehicles across atmospheric and exo-atmospheric regimes.
• Develop and implement adaptive and robust control strategies to perform under uncertain conditions.
• Conduct modeling, simulation, and analysis (3DOF/6DOF) to evaluate control performance, stability, and robustness.
• Integrate control algorithms into real-time embedded systems with avionics, flight sciences, and software teams.
• Support hardware-in-the-loop testing, flight testing, and post-flight analysis to drive system improvements.
• Analyze dynamics, actuator behavior, and sensor characteristics to inform control design and tuning.
• Develop tools/frameworks for control system design, verification, and validation.
• Mentor junior engineers and contribute to best practices in GNC and control development.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Problem solving

Team collaboration

Technical leadership

Education

Bachelors/Masters/PhD in Aerospace Engineering

Tools

MATLAB/Simulink

RTOS

HIL testing

Job description

Castelion is rapidly advancing defense technologies and seeks a Senior GNC Engineer to develop guidance, navigation, and control solutions for long-range hypersonic strike vehicles. You will design, analyze, implement, and validate autopilot algorithms in a fast-paced, hardware-driven environment.

You will collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to ensure stable, precise flight performance across mission phases, working hands-on with embedded systems and participating in hardware-in-the-loop