Senior GNC Engineer - Hypersonic Flight Controls

Castelion; Rio Rancho (NM); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity stake

4 weeks PTO

Health benefits

Parental leave

Fitness stipend

EV charging onsite

Catered meals

Job summary

Castelion is seeking a Senior GNC Engineer to develop guidance, navigation, and control solutions for long-range hypersonic strike vehicles. You will craft flight control algorithms, verify them in hardware-in-the-loop, and collaborate across avionics, dynamics, and flight software teams.

Ideal candidates bring 5+ years in aerospace control, deep MATLAB/Simulink proficiency, and a track record of robust, adaptive control for high-speed vehicles.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in Aerospace or Electrical Engineering.
• 5+ years in control system design for aerospace or high-performance dynamics.
• Strong classical and modern control theory background incl. adaptive, nonlinear, and robust control methods.
• Experience developing autopilot algorithms for missiles, rockets, hypersonic vehicles, or similar systems.
• Proficiency in modeling and simulation tools such as MATLAB/Simulink or equivalent.
• Experience with 3DOF and 6DOF simulation environments and real-time control implementation.
• Familiarity with flight software integration and real-time embedded systems.
• Strong problem-solving mindset, thriving in a fast-paced, hardware-rich, high flight cadence environment.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop flight control and autopilot algorithms for high-speed flight vehicles across atmospheric and exo-atmospheric regimes
• Develop and implement advanced control strategies, including adaptive and robust control methods, to ensure performance under uncertain and dynamic conditions
• Conduct modeling, simulation, and analysis (3DOF/6DOF) to evaluate control system performance, stability, and robustness
• Work closely with avionics, flight sciences, mechanisms, and flight software teams to integrate control algorithms into real-time embedded systems
• Support hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing, flight testing, and post-flight analysis, translating results into system-level improvements
• Analyze vehicle dynamics, actuator behavior, and sensor characteristics to inform control system design and tuning
• Develop tools and frameworks for control system design, verification, and validation
• Mentor junior engineers and contribute to best practices in GNC and control system development
• Partner closely with program leadership to make technical trades aligned with mission success

Skills

Control theory

Real-time control

Autopilot algorithms

Modeling & simulation

Flight vehicle experience

Education

Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in Aerospace or Electrical Engineering

Tools

MATLAB/Simulink

Job description

Castelion is seeking a Senior GNC Engineer to develop guidance, navigation, and control solutions for long-range hypersonic strike vehicles. You will craft flight control algorithms, verify them in hardware-in-the-loop, and collaborate across avionics, dynamics, and flight software teams.

Ideal candidates bring 5+ years in aerospace control, deep MATLAB/Simulink proficiency, and a track record of robust, adaptive control for high-speed vehicles.