2026 Guidance Navigation Control Engineer (TS Cleared) - Dulles VA

We are looking for motivated GNC (Guidance, Navigation, and Control) engineers who want to solve interesting, complex problems, which protect our nation. Our GNC team is designing, building, testing spacecraft subsystems for a mix of DoD, NASA, and commercial customers. We are leaders in innovative solutions to the rapidly growing/evolving fields of space based autonomous rendezvous and docking and rapid design/production of small satellites. Spacecraft GNC analysis engineers will work within the GNC subsystem team and are expected to:

• Design, analyze, and tune spacecraft attitude and position control loops using time and frequency domain techniques
• Design, analyze, and tune sequential filters (e.g. Kalman filters) for attitude determination and relative navigation
• Design, develop, test and verify flight algorithms for the GNC subsystem and support flight software qualification testing
• Analyze and test the spacecraft GNC subsystem performance using simulations and other analytic tools
• Perform analysis to support early design phase concept development including actuator sizing and placement, sensor selection and placement, attitude and position guidance, rendezvous, proximity operations and docking analyses, and predicted performance assessments
• Develop simulation models for sensors (e.g. star tracker, rate gyro, accelerometer, GPS, magnetometer, sun sensors, visible and IR spectrum cameras, LIDAR), actuators (e.g. reaction wheel, torque bar, thruster, CMG), system dynamics (e.g. rigid body, multi-body, orbit mechanics, flexible models, propellant slosh), and the space environment (e.g. atmospheric, solar radiation pressure, third-body gravity, geopotential)

Communication is a key element of your role and all GNC engineers are expected to:

• Apply engineering principles, industry standards, company process, and knowledge of vehicle dynamics, aerodynamics, propulsion, classical/modern control, and estimation theory to perform tasks to advanced program/project goals
• Document designs, analysis, and test results and create presentation materials
• Present designs, analysis, and test results to internal and external customers
• Work well within small- to medium-sized groups

A candidate, regardless of age and hiring source, must meet ALL of the below criteria. The candidate must:

• Be completing or has completed their Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited institution.
• Be majoring in or having majored in an Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or related field
• Have an active Top Secret Clearance

Basic Qualifications for GNC Engineer:

A candidate, regardless of age and hiring source, must meet ALL of the below criteria. The candidate must:

• Be completing or has completed their Master’s Degree from an accredited institution.
• Be majoring in or having majored in an Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or related field
• Have an active Top Secret Clearance

Preferred Qualifications for both levels:

• Have an overall cumulative GPA of 3.7 out of 4.0 or higher

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.