GNC Engineer, Navigation-focused Verified today
About Stratolaunch
Stratolaunch is a technology accelerator that engineers operationally realistic testing at Mach 5+. Our air-launched Talon testbeds are reusable, cost-effective platforms enabling routine access to the hypersonic environment. We deliver flight data critical to validating system performance and achieving rapid technology deployment.
The Role
We are seeking a Sr, Staff, or Principal Level Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) Engineer with a focus in navigation to develop hypersonic vehicle flight control systems. You will contribute to design, development, requirements verification, and test execution across the full lifecycle.
What You Will Do
- Develop and evaluate advanced algorithms to satisfy navigation requirements
- Build navigation models and simulations to predict navigation performance
- Perform analyses to verify algorithm designs meet requirements
- Contribute to flight control system design, development, implementation, integration, and test
- Develop engineering tools as needed to complete tasking
- Communicate regularly with Vehicle Management System and GNC Leads
Required Qualifications
- Experience with navigation system design, development and testing on aerospace systems
- Experience in Kalman filtering, Extended Kalman filtering, and other estimation techniques
- Experience implementing tightly coupled GPS aided strapdown navigation solutions
- Experience building navigators to operate in contested environments and resilience approaches
- Experience with inertial measurements systems and common errors, drifts, and biases
- Experience developing and anchoring navigation simulation models to flight test data
- Familiarity with design robustness to address reset, initialization, dropout, and outlier rejection
- Familiarity with Anti-Jam approaches for modern GPS receivers such as CRPAs
- Familiarity with transfer alignment approaches for missile systems on military platforms
- Fundamental knowledge and understanding of flight dynamics and GPS technology
- Experience with software development processes and methodologies
- Ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance
Required Computer Skills
- Proficient with Matlab and Simulink
- Proficient with revision control tools (Git, Bitbucket)
- Proficient with MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook)
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience implementing and troubleshooting closed loop GPS simulations in HIL environments
- Experience fusing multiple navigation aiding sources including non-GPS based data sources
- Experience with alternative aiding approaches for denied or degraded environments (e.g. TDOA)
- Experience implementing mitigations to electronic attack and navigation signal spoofing for navigation systems
- Experience with cold start, warm start, and hot start for GPS systems
- Experience estimating wind relative angles utilizing synthetic air data and navigator states
- Experience with hypersonic or near-hypersonic missile or launch vehicle design
- Familiarity with P(Y) and M code GPS receivers and cryptographic keying of GPS receivers
- Familiarity with adjoint methods for miss distance decomposition and allocation
- Familiarity with trackers, target discrimination and classification, and aimpoint refinement
- Familiarity with collaborative navigation and targeting utilizing missile-to-missile datalinks
- Algorithm requirements development, design, implementation, test, and post-flight analysis
- Advanced degree with technical focus in GNC relevant areas
- TS/SCI security clearance
Preferred Computer Skills
- Familiar with C/C++ and Python
Education and Experience
- Sr-level: Bachelor's degree from accredited institution and 5-10 years of relevant experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience. Salary range $120,500-$158,000.
- Staff Level: Bachelor's degree from accredited institution and 10-20 years of engineering experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience. Salary range $157,000-$206,000.
- Principal Level: Bachelor's degree from accredited institution and 20-25 years of engineering experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience. Salary range $181,000-$237,200.
Work Environment
- Position based in Mojave, CA. Hybrid work arrangement (partial remote/on-site) available for well-qualified candidates.
- Travel estimated to be less than 5% as needed to support the department.
Benefits
- Healthcare (medical, dental, vision, prescription drugs)
- Paid Maternity and Parental Leave
- 50% company match per contributed dollar into 401(k) savings plan, up to $11,500
- Tuition reimbursement