{"id":1245380,"url":"https://alion.io/job/wardstone-guidance-navigation-and-controls-engineer","title":"Guidance, Navigation, and Controls Engineer","company":{"id":3806068,"name":"Wardstone","domain":"wardstone.space","url":"https://alion.io/company/wardstone-2","size_band":"51-200","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Gem","truth_index":null},"role":"Industrial Engineering","role_family":"Industrial Engineering","seniority":null,"employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["El Segundo, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":{"min_usd":79000,"max_usd":198000,"period":"year","method":"role_country_seniority_unknown","sample_n":6763},"experience_years_min":null,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"C++","optional":false},{"name":"MATLAB","optional":false},{"name":"Python","optional":false},{"name":"Sensor Fusion","optional":false},{"name":"Simulink","optional":false},{"name":"RTOS","optional":true}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-07-13T18:31:37Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-07-26","last_verified_at":"2026-10-04T00:42:11Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":82,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":82},"description":"Overview\nWe 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.\nThis is a highly cross-functional role. You will work closely with sensing, actuation, and propulsion engineers to deliver a performant autopilot.\nWhat You’ll Do\nGuidance Algorithm Development\nDesign guidance laws for midcourse and terminal homing under high-speed, non-linear dynamics.\nImplement proportional navigation, augmented PN, pursuit/lead guidance, and/or optimal control methods.\nDevelop intercept prediction algorithms using sensed tracking and state estimation inputs.\nFlight Controls & Actuator Modeling\nDesign and tune control loops for aerodynamic surfaces, thrust vectoring, or impulse-based actuators.\nModel actuator bandwidth, latency, saturation, and uncertainties.\nImplement robust control strategies for high-G, high-rate maneuvers.\nState Estimation & Sensor Fusion\nImplement EKFs/UKFs for fusing IR sensor data, IMU, GPS, and onboard timing signals.\nBuild prediction and filtering pipelines that operate reliably under noise, jitter, and thermal effects.\nDevelop relative navigation and target-state estimation algorithms.\nSimulation & 6DOF Modeling\nBuild and maintain high-fidelity 6DOF simulations of interceptor dynamics.\nIntegrate aerodynamic models (> Mach 1), control response, propulsion events, and sensor models.\nRun Monte Carlo and worst-case analyses to drive design decisions.\nHardware-in-the-Loop & Real-World Testing\nDevelop GNC software that runs on embedded hardware with hard real-time constraints.\nConduct hardware-in-the-loop tests with scene generators and real sensors.\nSupport ground-based intercept tests, including flight software tuning, data collection, and analysis.\nCross-Functional Collaboration and Vehicle Design\nInfluence the Vehicle Design through controllability requirements.\nWork with perception engineers to integrate vision-based tracking into guidance algorithms.\nWork with propulsion engineers on control authority, ΔV budgets, and impulse timing.\nWork with embedded engineers to implement deterministic and reliable real-time GNC pipelines.\nRequired Qualifications\nB.S. or M.S. in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Robotics, Controls, or similar.\nDeep understanding of classical and modern control theory.\nExperience building 6DOF flight simulations (MATLAB, Simulink, Python, C++).\nStrong background in state estimation, nonlinear dynamics, filtering, or guidance algorithms.\nHands-on experience tuning controllers for UAVs, rockets, missiles, or autonomous systems.\nFamiliarity with coordinate frames, quaternion math, and navigation transformations.\nUS Person or Lawful Permanent Resident status required.\nNice to Haves\nExperience with high-speed interceptors, hypersonics, or missile guidance.\nFamiliarity with aerodynamics, actuator modeling, or impulse-based control.\nExperience with optimal control (MPC, LQR variants, differential games).\nExperience with embedded real-time systems, RTOS, or high-rate control loops.\nExperience integrating perception (IR/EO, CV algorithms) into closed-loop guidance.\nExperience with MIL-STD flight hardware, environmental testing, or flight qualification.\nCompensation\nThe base pay range for this role is $100,000 - $160,000 per year.","description_format":"text","description_chars":3461,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":null,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":[],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Military","Missiles","Defense Manufacturing"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-09-25T17:22:42Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":10,"band":"cold","label":"Long shot","p_open":1,"p_active":0.357,"p_room":0.28,"age_days":81,"expected_fill_days":35,"reasons":["conf:15","win:tail","crowd:"],"computed_at":"2026-10-03T05:45:00Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/wardstone-guidance-navigation-and-controls-engineer","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/wardstone-guidance-navigation-and-controls-engineer.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-04T02:30:54Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","usage":{"tier":"crawler","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":3594,"day_limit":5000,"remaining_today":1406,"minute_limit":60,"resets_at":"2026-10-05T00:00:00Z"}}}