Engineer Guidance Navigation Control 3

Job Title: Engineer Guidance Navigation Control 3 Job Description
The Engineer Guidance Navigation Control 3 designs, develops, and validates advanced software and simulation toolchains that support missile and aerospace flight systems. This role focuses on integrating guidance, navigation, and control algorithms into flight software, building highfidelity modeling and simulation frameworks, and analyzing complex data sets to ensure that system performance meets stringent technical and mission requirements. The position offers the opportunity to contribute to cuttingedge aerospace technologies in an environment that values bold ideas, intellectual curiosity, and collaborative innovation.
Responsibilities
- Design, develop, implement, verify, and test highquality software and simulation toolchains for missile flight systems.
- Develop and integrate autopilot and guidance algorithms directly into missile and aerospace vehicle flight code.
- Incorporate guidance, navigation, and control algorithms seamlessly into flight software while collaborating closely with software and hardware engineering teams.
- Utilize trajectoryoptimization tools to generate, interpret, and analyze vehicle trajectory results for a variety of mission profiles and operational scenarios.
- Modify or create new scripts in languages such as Python and MATLAB to capture customer requirements, automate workflows, and measure vehicle performance.
- Build, validate, and maintain modeling and simulation frameworks for aerospace vehicles and components, ensuring accuracy across diverse operating conditions.
- Enhance simulation fidelity by integrating advanced modeling techniques to support system analysis and robust testing of guidance, navigation, and control functions.
- Evaluate simulation models to identify and resolve discrepancies between simulated results and realworld performance metrics, improving model accuracy and reliability.
- Gather, postprocess, and analyze large, complex data sets to verify and validate system and simulation performance results.
- Ensure that simulation outcomes align with intended performance metrics, system specifications, and mission objectives.
- Support continuous improvement of software development processes, including the use of CI/CD pipelines for reliable and repeatable deployments.
- Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to integrate sensor fusion, tracking, discrimination, and survivability capabilities into guidance and control systems.
- Apply machine learning, artificial intelligence, or datadriven methods to improve guidance, navigation, targeting, tracking, autonomy, and vehicle performance analysis.
- Perform other engineering duties as assigned to support program objectives and technology development.
Essential Skills
- Bachelor's degree with 5+ years of professional experience, OR Master's degree with 2+ years of professional experience, OR PhD with 1+ years of professional experience in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
- Active Secret or Top Secret security clearance.
- Minimum 2+ years of experience applying Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) principles, algorithms, analysis, or system development for missile, aerospace, spacecraft, hypersonic, or autonomous vehicle systems.
- Minimum 2+ years of experience developing, implementing, or analyzing autopilot, guidance, seeker, tracking, discrimination, or flight control algorithms.
- Minimum 2+ years of experience modeling vehicle dynamics and conducting performance analysis using highfidelity simulation environments.
- Minimum 2+ years of experience developing, validating, or supporting 3DOF and/or 6DOF missile, aerospace, or autonomous vehicle simulations.
- Experience developing software in C++ within Linux or realtime embedded environments.
- Experience developing scripts and engineering tools using Python, MATLAB, or similar programming languages.
- Experience with sensor fusion algorithms, state estimation techniques, and target state estimation for aerospace, missile, or autonomous systems.
- Experience analyzing and integrating threat protection, tracking, discrimination, or survivability capabilities into guidance and control systems.
- Experience gathering, processing, and analyzing large data sets to validate system performance and simulation results.
- Working knowledge of navigation systems, state propagation, or advanced estimation techniques.
- Experience applying machine learning, artificial intelligence, or datadriven approaches to guidance, navigation, targeting, tracking, autonomy, or vehicle performance analysis.
- Strong background in algorithms, GNC, and vehicle dynamics.
- Ability to work with CI/CD pipelines and related software development practices.
Additional Skills & Qualifications
- Graduatelevel education (Master's or PhD) in an engineering discipline is highly valued for advanced analysis and researchoriented tasks.
- Experience with highperformance computing environments and workload managers such as SLURM or PBS for running largescale simulations.
- Familiarity with advanced trajectoryoptimization tools and methods used in aerospace mission design.
- Ability to develop robust modeling and simulation frameworks that support both 3DOF and 6DOF analyses.
- Strong analytical and problemsolving skills, with the ability to diagnose discrepancies between simulation and realworld performance.
- Effective communication skills to collaborate with multidisciplinary teams and clearly present technical findings to diverse stakeholders.
- Demonstrated intellectual curiosity and a pioneering mindset, with a desire to push the boundaries of aerospace technology.
- Comfort working in environments that emphasize innovation, cognitive diversity, and continuous learning.
Work Environment
The role operates in a fully onsite schedule within a highly technical aerospace environment that focuses on revolutionary systems impacting global missions today and in the future. Work is primarily performed in office, laboratory, and development spaces equipped with modern computing resources, Linuxbased systems, realtime embedded platforms, and highperformance computing clusters that support largescale simulations and data analysis. The culture emphasizes bold ideas, collaboration, and intellectual curiosity, encouraging team members to bring their whole selves to work and to contribute actively to groundbreaking technological advancements. Hours follow a standard fulltime engineering schedule, with additional flexibility driven by program milestones and testing activities. The environment is professional and safetyconscious, with attire aligned to typical engineering office standards and appropriate protective gear when working in lab or hardwareadjacent areas.
Job Type & Location
This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Chandler, AZ.
Pay and Benefits
The pay range for this position is $110.00 - $115.00/hr. Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors. Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job
classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be
subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits
available for this temporary role may include the following:

Medical, dental & vision
Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
401(k) Retirement Plan Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
Short and long-term disability
Health Spending Account (HSA)
Transportation benefits
Employee Assistance Program
Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)
Job Type & Location
This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Chandler, AZ.
Application Deadline
This position is anticipated to close on Nov 10, 2026.
Workplace Type
This is a fully onsite position in Chandler,AZ. About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

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sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected
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Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the
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