What are the responsibilities and job description for the Guidance, Navigation, & Control Engineer (GNC) position at OKSI?
Description
Job Summary: The GNC Engineer will support the design, integration, testing, and flight validation of advanced autonomous systems, including UAVs, seekers, precision-guided munitions, and aerospace platforms. They will be responsible for autopilot configuration and tuning, aerodynamic performance analysis, SIL/HIL setup, and Monte Carlo-based performance assessment, working closely with systems, software, hardware, optics, and test teams. This role spans the full lifecycle from conceptual design through flight test and fielding.
Requirements
Guidance, Navigation, and Control Development:
Design, implement, and tune GNC algorithms for autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles, including:
Develop and analyze control laws, guidance strategies, and navigation filters to meet performance, stability, and robustness requirements.
Autopilot Integration & Tuning
Configure flight control architectures including:
Experience deploying solutions on both fixed and rotary wing platforms is preferred.
Modeling, Simulation, And Analysis
Develop and maintain 6-DOF vehicle models incorporating:
Build and execute Monte Carlo simulations to assess dispersion, miss distance, robustness, and system margins.
Support trade studies and design decisions using quantitative simulation results.
SIL/ HIL/ Test Infrastructure
Design, implement, and maintain Software-In-the-Loop (SIL) and Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL) test environments.
Integrate real flight software, avionics, and sensors into simulation frameworks.
Diagnose discrepancies between simulation, HIL, and flight results.
Support bench testing, captive-carry tests, and flight tests.
Flight Test & Data Analysis
Support ground and flight test planning, execution, and post-test analysis.
Analyze Flight Data To Assess
Iterate designs based on test results and operational feedback.
Documentation & Standards
Produce clear, disciplined engineering documentation, including:
Support technical reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, FRR).
Knowledge, Skills, And Qualifications
Strong fundamentals in:
We provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities in the application and hiring process.
The person hired will have access to information and items subject to U.S. export controls, and therefore, must either be a “U.S. person” as defined by 22 C.F.R.
This employer participates in E-Verify.
Job Summary: The GNC Engineer will support the design, integration, testing, and flight validation of advanced autonomous systems, including UAVs, seekers, precision-guided munitions, and aerospace platforms. They will be responsible for autopilot configuration and tuning, aerodynamic performance analysis, SIL/HIL setup, and Monte Carlo-based performance assessment, working closely with systems, software, hardware, optics, and test teams. This role spans the full lifecycle from conceptual design through flight test and fielding.
Requirements
Guidance, Navigation, and Control Development:
Design, implement, and tune GNC algorithms for autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles, including:
- UAVs (fixed-wing, rotary-wing, VTOL)
- Precision-guided munitions and seekers
- Small, high-dynamics aerospace vehicles
Develop and analyze control laws, guidance strategies, and navigation filters to meet performance, stability, and robustness requirements.
Autopilot Integration & Tuning
Configure flight control architectures including:
- Inner-loop attitude and rate control
- Outer-loop velocity, position, and guidance control
- Aerodynamic uncertainties
- Actuator limits and saturation
- Sensor noise, bias, and latency
Experience deploying solutions on both fixed and rotary wing platforms is preferred.
Modeling, Simulation, And Analysis
Develop and maintain 6-DOF vehicle models incorporating:
- Aerodynamics
- Mass properties
- Actuator and sensor models
Build and execute Monte Carlo simulations to assess dispersion, miss distance, robustness, and system margins.
Support trade studies and design decisions using quantitative simulation results.
SIL/ HIL/ Test Infrastructure
Design, implement, and maintain Software-In-the-Loop (SIL) and Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL) test environments.
Integrate real flight software, avionics, and sensors into simulation frameworks.
Diagnose discrepancies between simulation, HIL, and flight results.
Support bench testing, captive-carry tests, and flight tests.
Flight Test & Data Analysis
Support ground and flight test planning, execution, and post-test analysis.
Analyze Flight Data To Assess
- Stability and control performance
- Guidance behavior and tracking accuracy
- Navigation performance and sensor fusion
Iterate designs based on test results and operational feedback.
Documentation & Standards
Produce clear, disciplined engineering documentation, including:
- GNC requirements and design descriptions
- Simulation and test plans
- Test reports and performance summaries
Support technical reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, FRR).
Knowledge, Skills, And Qualifications
Strong fundamentals in:
- Rigid-body dynamics
- Flight mechanics
- Control theory (classical and modern)
- State estimation and sensor fusion
- Autopilot setup, configuration, and tuning
- UAV or small-vehicle flight control systems
- C code development, object-oriented design
- MATLAB/Simulink, Python, or equivalent modeling tools
- Ability to analyze complex data sets and communicate results clearly
We provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities in the application and hiring process.
The person hired will have access to information and items subject to U.S. export controls, and therefore, must either be a “U.S. person” as defined by 22 C.F.R.
This employer participates in E-Verify.