2026 Associate Guidance Navigation Control Engineer/Guidance Navigation Control Engineer Engineer - Dulles VA

Relocation assistance may be available. U.S. citizenship is required to obtain and maintain a government security clearance. Travel is required, approximately 10% of the time.

About the role

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. 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.

We are leaders in innovative solutions for rapidly growing and evolving fields such as space-based autonomous rendezvous and docking, and rapid design and production of small satellites. The GNC (Guidance, Navigation, and Control) team designs, builds, and tests spacecraft subsystems for a mix of DoD, NASA, and commercial customers.

Responsibilities

• 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)
• 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

Communication is a key element of the role. All GNC engineers are expected to apply engineering principles, industry standards, company processes, and knowledge of vehicle dynamics, aerodynamics, propulsion, classical/modern control, and estimation theory to perform tasks aligned with advanced program and project goals.

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications for Associate GNC Engineer

• Completing or has completed a Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited institution in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance (U.S. citizenship is required)

Basic Qualifications for GNC Engineer

• Completing or has completed a Master’s Degree from an accredited institution in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance (U.S. citizenship is required)

Preferred Qualifications for Both Levels

• Overall cumulative GPA of 3.4 out of 4.0 or higher
• Proficiency in MATLAB/Simulink and C/C++
• Experience in spacecraft GNC subsystem design, analysis, and testing
• Experience implementing GNC algorithms on embedded systems
• Prior work experience in a related field
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and version control tools such as SVN or Git
• Experience with Model-Based Systems Engineering and digital transformation tools such as the Atlassian suite
• Previous or current membership or leadership roles in professional groups, clubs, or extracurricular activities
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving abilities

Pay

Pay range for Associate Engineer: $76,200.00 - $114,400.00

Pay range for Engineer: $91,800.00 - $137,600.00

The above salary ranges represent general guidelines. Northrop Grumman considers factors such as the scope and responsibilities of the position, as well as the candidate's experience, education, skills, and current market conditions when determining base salary offers. Depending on the position, employees may also be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay. Annual bonuses are designed to reward individual contributions and allow employees to share in company results. Employees in Vice President or Director positions may be eligible for Long Term Incentives.

Benefits

• Health insurance coverage
• Life and disability insurance
• Savings plan
• Company-paid holidays
• Paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business