Senior Principal Engineer – Guidance Navigation Control, GNC

Northrop Grumman

. Support, research, and develop flight control algorithms for manned and unmanned air vehicles.

Posted 4/29/2026full-timeEl Segundo • California • 🇺🇸 United StatesSenior💰 $142,200 - $213,400 per yearWebsite

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

Python

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Support, research, and develop flight control algorithms for manned and unmanned air vehicles.
Design, develop, implement, verify, and test algorithms, software, and simulation tools to perform guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) of autonomous unmanned aircraft.
Develop control laws to meet air vehicle performance, flying qualities, and stability margin requirements both on ground and in flight.
Design outer and inner loop control laws and associated logic and autonomy functions.
Develop air vehicle system linear and non-linear dynamic simulation models and integrate models into software and hardware-in-the-loop simulation environments.
Perform performance and flying qualities analysis.
Support non-linear simulation and hardware-in-the-loop lab testing.
Support flight test activities and analyze air vehicle flight test data.

Requirements

What you’ll need

Bachelor's degree in a relevant Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) discipline
8 years of experience; OR Master’s degree in a relevant STEM discipline with 6 years of experience; OR a PhD in a relevant STEM discipline with 4 years of experience.
Experience with all of the following:
- Fixed-wing aircraft flight dynamics.
- Using linear control principles and tools to design feedback control systems
- Analyzing non-linear simulations of aircraft closed-loop dynamics
- Designing autopilot functions
- Outer/inner loop control law performance requirements
- Using MATLAB to create, process, analyze, and visually represent data
- Using Simulink to model dynamic systems and Stateflow Modeling Logic, modes, and states for autonomous aircraft
- C/C++ and Python programming
A current, active in-scope US Government Secret clearance or higher, with the ability to obtain Special Program Access (SAP).

Benefits

Comp & perks

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

ATS Keywords

✓ Tailor your resume

Applicant Tracking System Keywords

Tip: use these terms in your resume and cover letter to boost ATS matches.

Hard Skills & Tools

flight control algorithmsguidance, navigation, and control (GNC)control lawsdynamic simulation modelsperformance analysisnon-linear simulationautopilot functionsfeedback control systemsMATLABC/C++

Certifications

Bachelor's degree in STEMMaster’s degree in STEMPhD in STEMUS Government Secret clearance