Senior GNC Engineer (Navigation)

Pow.bio; Rio Rancho (NM); On-site; USD 100,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity options

Paid time off

Comprehensive health benefits

Parental leave

Fitness stipend

Onsite EV charging

Catered meals

Fully stocked kitchen

Job summary

Pow.bio is looking for a Senior GNC Engineer to develop advanced navigation solutions for hypersonic strike vehicles. This role involves designing and validating multi-sensor navigation algorithms and working with diverse engineering teams.

Qualifications include a degree in Aerospace Engineering, 5+ years experience in relevant fields, and a strong background in estimation theory. Employees enjoy benefits such as 4 weeks paid time off, comprehensive health coverage, and long-term equity opportunities.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in navigation algorithm development, analysis, and validation.
• Strong background in estimation theory, including Extended Kalman Filters (EKF).
• Proficiency in modeling and simulation tools such as MATLAB/Simulink.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop navigation algorithms for high-speed flight vehicles.
• Implement multi-sensor fusion architectures using Extended Kalman Filters.
• Integrate data from IMUs, star trackers, and GNSS for state estimation.

Skills

Navigation algorithm development

Multi-sensor fusion

Estimation theory

Inertial navigation systems

Problem-solving mindset

Education

Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in Aerospace Engineering or related field

Tools

MATLAB/Simulink

3DOF and 6DOF simulation environments

Job description

Senior GNC Engineer (Navigation)

We are seeking a Senior GNC Engineer to develop advanced navigation solutions for Castelion's long-range hypersonic strike vehicles. This role is critical to enabling precise state estimation across all mission phases, including GPS-denied environments. You will work hands‑on with multidisciplinary engineering teams to design, analyze, implement, and validate multi-sensor navigation algorithms, including star tracker-based alternative navigation and sensor fusion architectures, in a fast‑paced, hardware‑driven environment.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop navigation algorithms for high‑speed flight vehicles, including inertial navigation and alternative navigation (alt‑nav) methods
• Develop and implement multi‑sensor fusion architectures using Extended Kalman Filters (EKF) and related estimation techniques
• Integrate data from IMUs, star trackers, GNSS (when available), and other onboard sensors to provide robust, high‑accuracy state estimation
• Work closely with avionics, flight sciences, and flight software teams to integrate navigation algorithms into real‑time embedded systems
• Conduct modeling, simulation, and analysis to evaluate navigation performance, error growth, and robustness under GPS‑denied and degraded conditions
• Support hardware‑in‑the‑loop (HIL) testing, flight testing, and post‑flight analysis, translating results into system‑level improvements
• Characterize sensor performance, biases, and error sources to inform filter design and tuning
• Develop tools and frameworks for navigation algorithm development, verification, and validation
• Mentor junior engineers and contribute to best practices in navigation and estimation
• Partner closely with program leadership to make technical trades aligned with mission success

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related field
• 5+ years of experience in navigation algorithm development, analysis, and validation for aerospace or high‑performance dynamic systems
• Strong background in estimation theory, including Extended Kalman Filters (EKF) and multi‑sensor fusion
• Experience with inertial navigation systems (INS) and integration with external aiding sources (e.g., GNSS, star trackers, or similar sensors)
• Familiarity with alternative navigation (alt‑nav) techniques for GPS‑denied environments
• Proficiency in modeling and simulation tools such as MATLAB/Simulink or equivalent
• Experience with 3DOF and 6DOF simulation environments and real‑time implementation of navigation algorithms
• Strong understanding of sensor error modeling (IMUs, star trackers, etc.) and calibration techniques
• 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

Benefits And Perks

All full‑time employees are granted meaningful long‑term equity, sharing in the company's significant growth trajectory. We offer four (4) weeks of paid time off, ten (10) company‑paid holidays, and comprehensive health benefits – including 100% employee‑covered medical and strong dependent coverage, along with dental and vision plans. We also provide paid parental leave to support growing families, a $100 monthly fitness stipend to promote health and performance, and onsite EV charging for convenience. In addition, employees enjoy perks like catered meals, company‑covered food during high‑demand periods, and a fully stocked kitchen to stay fueled throughout the day.

While this position does not currently require a U.S government‑issued security clearance, it may in the near future. Therefore, the ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government–issued security clearance is required. U.S. citizenship is required, as only U.S. citizens are eligible for a security clearance.

Affirmative Action/EEO Statement

Employment with Castelion is governed on the basis of competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.