Staff Engineer - Guidance Navigation Controls (Project Talon)

Northrop Grumman Corp.; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 177,000 - 266,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discretionary bonus

Health insurance

Life insurance

Disability insurance

Savings plan

Paid holidays

PTO

Job summary

Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems in El Segundo, CA, seeks a Staff Engineer - Guidance Navigation Controls to advance flight control algorithms for manned and unmanned air vehicles within Project Talon. The role emphasizes design, implementation, and testing of GNC software and models in a fast-paced environment.

The candidate will develop outer/inner loop control laws, perform simulations, and support flight test activities while collaborating across teams in a cutting-edge avionics program.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with 12+ years experience or advanced degree with 8+ years in STEM.
• Experience with fixed-wing flight dynamics and linear control principles.
• Proficiency in MATLAB, Simulink, and Simulink Stateflow; C/C++ and Python.

Responsibilities

• Support research and development of flight control algorithms for manned and unmanned air vehicles.
• Design, develop, implement, verify, and test algorithms, software, and simulation tools for GNC of autonomous unmanned aircraft.
• Develop control laws to meet air vehicle performance and stability margins.

Skills

C/C++

Python

MATLAB

Simulink

Stateflow

Autocoding

Autopilot

Control theory

Education

Bachelor's degree in STEM

Job description

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes

CLEARANCE TYPE: Secret

TRAVEL: Yes, 25% of the Time

Description

At Northrop Grumman, our employees have incredible opportunities to work on revolutionary systems that impact people's lives around the world today, and for generations to come. Our pioneering and inventive spirit has enabled us to be at the forefront of many technological advancements in our nation's history - from the first flight across the Atlantic Ocean, to stealth bombers, to landing on the moon. We look for people who have bold new ideas, courage and a pioneering spirit to join forces to invent the future, and have fun along the way. Our culture thrives on intellectual curiosity, cognitive diversity and bringing your whole self to work — and we have an insatiable drive to do what others think is impossible. Our employees are not only part of history, they're making history.

Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems has an opening for a Staff Engineer - Guidance Navigation Controls to join our team of qualified individuals supporting Project Talon within our South Bay Vehicle Engineering organization. This position is located at El Segundo, CA.

The selected candidate should thrive in a fast-paced work environment with high expectations and collaborative/team settings across all levels. This is a dynamic organization involved in deploying forward-leaning avionics, guidance, navigation, and control systems for developmental concepts for air vehicles, weapons, and many more platforms.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

• Support research and development of flight control algorithms for manned and unmanned air vehicles.
• Design, develop, implement, verify, and test algorithms, software, and simulation tools to perform guidance, navigation and control (GNC) of autonomous unmanned aircraft.
• Develop control laws to meet air vehicle performance, flying qualities and stability margin requirements, both on ground and in flight.
• Design outer and inner loop control laws, and associated logic and autonomy functions.
• Develop air vehicle system linear and non-linear dynamic simulation models and integrate models into software and hardware-in-the-loop simulation environments.
• Perform performance and flying qualities analysis.
• Support non-linear simulation and hardware-in-the-loop lab testing.
• Support flight test activities and analyze air vehicle flight test data.
• Develop analysis to support design reviews at different stages in a development program, such as PDR, CDR, etc.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) discipline with 12 years of related experience; OR a Master’s degree in a relevant STEM discipline with 10 years of related experience; OR a PhD in a relevant STEM discipline with 8 years of related experience.
• Experience with the following:
  • Fixed-wing aircraft flight dynamics.
  • Using linear control principles and tools to design feedback control systems.
  • Analyzing non-linear simulations of aircraft closed-loop dynamics.
  • Autopilot functions.
  • Outer/inner loop control law performance requirements.
  • Using MATLAB to create, process, analyze, and visually represent data.
  • Using Simulink to model dynamic systems.
  • Using Simulink Stateflow Modeling
  • Autocoding Simulink models
  • Designing autopilot functions.
  • Logic, modes, and states for autonomous aircraft.
  • C/C++ and Python programming.
• Current, active in-scope US Government Secret security clearance or higher, with the ability to obtain Special Program Access (SAP).

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience designing control laws for fixed wing aircraft and performing handling qualities analysis
• Working knowledge of MIL-STD-1797 flying qualities requirements
• Experience with autonomy algorithms (Autonomous Taxi/ Take Off and Landing, etc.) for driving control laws.
• Experience with Lua Script programming.
• Working knowledge of SAE-94910 performance requirements.

Primary Level Salary Range: $177,000.00 - $265,600.00

The above salary range represents a general guideline; however, Northrop Grumman considers a number of factors when determining base salary offers such as the scope and responsibilities of the position and the candidate's experience, education, skills and current market conditions.

Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay. Annual bonuses are designed to reward individual contributions as well as allow employees to share in company results. Employees in Vice President or Director positions may be eligible for Long Term Incentives. In addition, Northrop Grumman provides a variety of benefits including health insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, savings plan, Company paid holidays and paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business.

Northrop Grumman is an Equal Opportunity Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class. For our complete EEO and pay transparency statement, please visit http://www.northropgrumman.com/EEO. U.S. Citizenship is required for all positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.