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Sr. Principal Engineer / Staff GNC Engineer - Auto Pilot Enginee

Northrop Grumman

Today
Secret
Unspecified
Unspecified
Aerospace and Aviation
Chandler, AZ (On-Site/Office)

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE TYPE: Secret

TRAVEL: Yes, 10% 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.

The Sr. Principal Engineer / Staff GNC Engineer will design, develop, implement, verify, and test high-quality software and simulation toolchains. The candidate will be working on a 6 degree of freedom (6DOF) simulation to design and test missile flight code. The applicant will be creating and implementing 6DoF simulation models to evaluate system performance. The candidate should have extensive experience with missile flight dynamics, autopilot and guidance design and implementation into the missile flight code. The candidate should have a strong background in autopilot design/development and be able to mentor early career engineers.

This position may be offered at the Sr. Principal Engineer GNC Level 4 or Staff GNC Level 5.

If offered at the Engineer GNC Level 4 requires:

Basic Qualifications:
  • 8 Years with Bachelors in Science; 6 Years with Masters; 4 Years with PhD
  • Experience designing, tuning, implementing, and testing guidance algorithms and autopilot parameters for guided missiles and/or interceptors.
  • Previous experience in designing, implementing, and testing missile autopilot systems. Including exposure to multiple control system schemes for guided missiles and linear stability analysis.
  • Strong understanding of missile control systems, including classical and modern control theory.
  • Proficiency in creating and maintaining analysis tools in C++, MATLAB and Python
  • Proficiency in C++ development in a Linux environment
  • Proficiency in MATLAB and Python toolchains
  • Travel 10% of the time
  • Must have current and active secret clearance at time of application


Preferred Qualifications:
  • Experience working with GNC algorithms for hypersonic missiles
  • Experience with AEGIS weapon system
  • Experience with IR discrimination and tracking


If offered at the Sr. Principal Engineer GNC Level 5 requires:

Basic Qualifications:
  • 12 Years with Bachelors in Science; 10 Years with Masters; 8 Years with PhD.
  • Experience designing, tuning, implementing, and testing guidance algorithms and autopilot parameters for guided missiles and/or interceptors.
  • Extensive experience in designing, implementing, and testing missile autopilot systems. Including exposure to multiple control system schemes for guided missiles and linear stability analysis.
  • Strong understanding of missile control systems, including classical and modern control theory.
  • Proficiency in creating and maintaining analysis tools in C++, MATLAB and Python
  • Proficiency in C++ development in a Linux environment
  • Proficiency in MATLAB and Python toolchains
  • Travel 10% of the time
  • Must have current and active secret clearance at time of application


Preferred Qualifications:
  • Experience working with GNC algorithms for hypersonic missiles
  • Experience with AEGIS weapon system
  • Experience with IR discrimination and tracking


Salary Range: $118,600.00 - $178,000.00Salary Range 2: $147,400.00 - $221,500.00

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.

The application period for the job is estimated to be 20 days from the job posting date. However, this timeline may be shortened or extended depending on business needs and the availability of qualified candidates.

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.
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Northrop Grumman solves the toughest problems in space, aeronautics, defense and cyberspace to meet the ever-evolving needs of our customers worldwide. Our 90,000 employees are Defining Possible every day using science, technology and engineering to create and deliver advanced systems, products and services. Northrop Grumman careers and internships are as varied as your interests, with a lifetime of potential that will allow you to work together with people from many backgrounds, personal passions and disciplines. © 2025 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.
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