Principal / Senior Principal Engineer - Guidance Navigation Controls

Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems is looking for a Principal or Senior Principal Engineer Guidance Navigation Controls to support the Vehicle Engineering organization in Redondo Beach, CA . The selected candidate will support research and development of flight control algorithms for manned and unmanned air vehicles. This is a dynamic and fun organization involved in deploying forward-leaning avionics, guidance, navigation, and control systems for developmental concepts for air vehicles, weapons, and many more platforms.

Responsibilities:

• 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 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.

Basic Qualifications:

• Principal Guidance, Navigation and Controls Engineer: Bachelor's degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) discipline with a minimum of 5 years of experience OR Master’s degree in a STEM discipline from an accredited university with a minimum of 3 years of experience OR PhD in a STEM discipline from an accredited university with a minimum of 0 years of experience.
• Senior Principal Engineer Guidance Navigation and Controls: Bachelor's degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) discipline with a minimum of 9 years of experience OR Master’s degree in a STEM discipline with a minimum of 7 years of experience OR PhD in a STEM discipline with a minimum of 4 years of experience.
• Excellent communication, analysis, and problem-solving skills.
• A current active in-scope DoD Secret security clearance or higher, with the ability to obtain Special Program Access (SAP).
• Working knowledge of fixed-wing aircraft flight dynamics.
• Experience using linear control principles and tools to design feedback control systems.
• Experience analyzing non-linear simulations of aircraft closed-loop dynamics.
• Working knowledge of autopilot functions.
• Working knowledge of outer loop control law performance requirements.
• Experience using MATLAB to create, process, analyze, and visually represent data.
• Experience using Simulink to model dynamic systems.
• Experience designing autopilot functions.
• Experience with logic, modes, and states for autonomous aircraft.
• Familiarity with C/C++ programming.
• Familiarity with Python programming.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with crewed/uncrewed teaming algorithms such as performing a Combat Air Patrol (CAP), formation flight, Hold patterns.
• Experience with NURBS curve generation.
• Familiar with in-flight routing behaviors for Sense and Avoid, and 4D keep out/keep in zones
• Familiar with autonomy algorithms (Autonomous Taxi/ Take Off And Landing, etc.) for driving control laws.