Flight Sciences Engineer – Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC)

About the Role

At Boeing, we innovate and collaborate to make the world a better place. We’re committed to fostering an inclusive, respectful, and welcoming environment with great opportunities for professional growth.

Responsibilities

• Design and analyze enhancements for Group 2 and Group 3 UAS and their derivatives, ensuring optimized aerodynamics, flight performance, and safety.
• Develop and refine flight control, guidance, and navigation algorithms for UAS, including those supporting autonomous flight and new flight modes.
• Build, validate, and maintain high-fidelity mathematical models, simulations, and analysis tools for standalone, Software-In-The-Loop (SIL), and Hardware-In-The-Loop (HIL) simulations.
• Investigate and mitigate mishaps and failure modes through telemetry analysis, root cause investigation, and Monte Carlo simulations.
• Update and customize autopilot and simulation software to support product enhancements and align with control system design best practices.
• Collaborate with our autopilot supplier to address system integration challenges, improve performance, and design for product effectiveness.
• Stay informed on regulatory trends in unmanned airspace operations and provide design inputs aligned with modern regulatory environments and industry advances.
• Support flight test planning, execution, and data analysis for hardware, software, and systems integration.
• Work with engineering, operations, and project management to deliver solutions meeting system performance goals while promoting a safety-focused, innovative engineering culture.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Aerospace / Mechanical Engineering, or a related field, with an emphasis on aerodynamics, flight dynamics, and control systems.
• Bachelor’s degree with 5-8 years of relevant experience in aerodynamics or GNC-specific roles, or Master’s degree with 3-6 years of experience.
• Strong understanding of controls, navigation, and guidance methods as applied to air vehicle flight dynamics.
• Proficiency in MATLAB/Simulink for developing and validating models for standalone, SIL, and HIL simulations.
• Proven experience applying digital-discrete time control laws to air vehicles.
• Excellent problem-solving skills, with a track record of identifying failure modes and developing effective solutions.
• Knowledge of air vehicle performance and design trade-offs, including vehicle layout, propulsion requirements, and stability and control analyses.
• Proficiency in at least one programming language such as C++, with familiarity in implementing and integrating control systems in software environments.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, and ability to collaborate within a multi-disciplinary engineering team.

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with U.S. airspace regulations and operational environments for unmanned systems, including FAA Part 107 guidelines.
• Knowledge of GPS/INS systems and autopilot requirements, as well as experience in their integration into complete air vehicle systems.
• Experience with numerical programming, Python, MATLAB/Simulink, C#, and GIT version control systems.
• Background in unmanned aircraft or drone operations; consideration given to candidates holding a pilot’s license or drone operator’s license.
• Understanding of unmanned aircraft data links and their operational considerations.
• Experience with advanced navigation methods.

Schedule

This position is eligible for hybrid work, with a preference for on-site presence 1-3 days weekly. Must be within commutable distance from Bingen, WA.

Pay

Typical hiring range: $108,500.00 - $149,050.00, based on candidate experience, qualifications, and work location.

Benefits

• Competitive base pay and variable compensation opportunities.
• Health insurance, flexible spending accounts, and health savings accounts.
• Retirement savings plans.
• Life and disability programs.
• Paid and unpaid time away from work.