Guidance, Navigation, and Controls Engineer

Overview

We are looking for a Guidance, Navigation, and Controls Engineer to build and own the entire guidance, navigation, and control stack for Wardstone’s interceptors. You will design the necessary development tools and flight control algorithms to ensure that Wardstone’s interceptors hit their target.

This is a highly cross-functional role. You will work closely with sensing, actuation, and propulsion engineers to deliver a performant autopilot.

What You’ll Do

Guidance Algorithm Development

• Design guidance laws for midcourse and terminal homing under high-speed, non-linear dynamics.
• Implement proportional navigation, augmented PN, pursuit/lead guidance, and/or optimal control methods.
• Develop intercept prediction algorithms using sensed tracking and state estimation inputs.

Flight Controls & Actuator Modeling

• Design and tune control loops for aerodynamic surfaces, thrust vectoring, or impulse-based actuators.
• Model actuator bandwidth, latency, saturation, and uncertainties.
• Implement robust control strategies for high-G, high-rate maneuvers.

State Estimation & Sensor Fusion

• Implement EKFs/UKFs for fusing IR sensor data, IMU, GPS, and onboard timing signals.
• Build prediction and filtering pipelines that operate reliably under noise, jitter, and thermal effects.
• Develop relative navigation and target-state estimation algorithms.

Simulation & 6DOF Modeling

• Build and maintain high-fidelity 6DOF simulations of interceptor dynamics.
• Integrate aerodynamic models (> Mach 1), control response, propulsion events, and sensor models.
• Run Monte Carlo and worst-case analyses to drive design decisions.

Hardware-in-the-Loop & Real-World Testing

• Develop GNC software that runs on embedded hardware with hard real-time constraints.
• Conduct hardware-in-the-loop tests with scene generators and real sensors.
• Support ground-based intercept tests, including flight software tuning, data collection, and analysis.

Cross-Functional Collaboration and Vehicle Design

• Influence the Vehicle Design through controllability requirements.
• Work with perception engineers to integrate vision-based tracking into guidance algorithms.
• Work with propulsion engineers on control authority, ΔV budgets, and impulse timing.
• Work with embedded engineers to implement deterministic and reliable real-time GNC pipelines.

Required Qualifications

• B.S. or M.S. in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Robotics, Controls, or similar.
• Deep understanding of classical and modern control theory.
• Experience building 6DOF flight simulations (MATLAB, Simulink, Python, C++).
• Strong background in state estimation, nonlinear dynamics, filtering, or guidance algorithms.
• Hands-on experience tuning controllers for UAVs, rockets, missiles, or autonomous systems.
• Familiarity with coordinate frames, quaternion math, and navigation transformations.
• US Person or Lawful Permanent Resident status required.

Nice to Haves

• Experience with high-speed interceptors, hypersonics, or missile guidance.
• Familiarity with aerodynamics, actuator modeling, or impulse-based control.
• Experience with optimal control (MPC, LQR variants, differential games).
• Experience with embedded real-time systems, RTOS, or high-rate control loops.
• Experience integrating perception (IR/EO, CV algorithms) into closed-loop guidance.
• Experience with MIL-STD flight hardware, environmental testing, or flight qualification.

Compensation

The base pay range for this role is $100,000 - $160,000 per year.