Senior GNC Engineer - NASA Sounding Rocket Program

Peraton Overview

Peraton is a next-generation national security company that drives missions of consequence spanning the globe and extending to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. As the world’s leading mission capability integrator and transformative enterprise IT provider, we deliver trusted, highly differentiated solutions and technologies to protect our nation and allies. Peraton operates at the critical nexus between traditional and nontraditional threats across all domains: land, sea, space, air, and cyberspace. The company serves as a valued partner to essential government agencies and supports every branch of the U.S. armed forces. Each day, our employees do the can’t be done by solving the most daunting challenges facing our customers. Visit peraton.com to learn how we’re keeping people around the world safe and secure.

Responsibilities

NASA’s Sounding Rocket Operations Contract (NSROC) is a suborbital spaceflight program located at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility (WFF), part of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC). NSROC provides suborbital launch vehicles, payload development, and field operations support to NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, enabling Earth, Heliophysics, and Astrophysics research.

Peraton is seeking a GNC Engineer – to support the NSROC program at Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, VA.

NSROC IV supports approximately 14 sounding rocket shots per year.  This program supports a range of scientific and government experiments.  Missions are flown from a variety of launch sites including Wallops, White Sands Missile Range, Poker Flats Rocket Range, Alaska, Kwajalein, and Andoya, Norway.

This position requires the ability to understand and apply a broad range of technical disciplines to GNC problems.  These areas include but are not limited to:  pneumatic component testing, software (C and others, real-time applications), electrical design, mechanical systems, cold gas pneumatics, and various sensors including rate gyros, inertial measurement units, star trackers, solar sensors, accelerometers, and magnetometers.  The applicant’s specific technical contribution is expected to be primarily in the software and electrical hardware design area.  The applicant also must be able to adeptly communicate GNC concepts within the program and to the customer in written, oral, and presentation formats.  The Applicant will be working with high pressure pneumatics systems.

This position requires an individual to be able to work individually and work in a team environment.  Applicant will work on a variety of projects, typically multiple at any one time.  The applicant will provide software and hardware support for attitude control systems and additional projects across the program.  They will also work as the Boost Guidance System engineer for sounding rocket missions.  The application will support system development throughout the entire mission life cycle including launch at remote sites.  

Key Responsibilities:

• Perform analyses of attitude control systems, attitude control problems, navigation issues, sensor performance and their contribution to system performance.
• Develop the ability to support the design of software for attitude control systems and associated hardware and support equipment.
• Apply comprehensive knowledge of engineering concepts, procedures and practices to GNC problems.
• Participate in technical design/modification negotiations with customers.
• Present system designs and analyses to customers and a variety of technical disciplines.
• Performs system integration and testing of in-house designed and built ACS.
• Analyze post-flight data and redesign or modify equipment to improve performance.
• Perform integration tests to validate assemblies.
• Design, development, manufacturing, refurbishment and evaluation of hardware relevant to ACS Sensors and Pneumatic Attitude Control Systems
• Work with data from various attitude sensors including particularly a roll gimbal mounted fiber optic gyro.
• Contribute to the development of new engineering products or specialty products and develop engineering specifications for applicable projects.
• Productively contribute to the efforts of multiple engineers, technicians, and fabrication areas.
• Test control systems which include high-pressure hardware and electro-mechanical components relevant to the control payload attitude.

Must be able to travel, typical travel to the remote launch site lasts 3 to 7 weeks.   

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree (BA/BS) in Engineering, Computer Science, or Physics
• Two or more years of general engineering experience, 3-5 years preferred
• Programming/scripting experience
• Comfort with test equipment, power supplies, oscilloscopes, and additional hands-on hardware testing and troubleshooting experience.
• MATLAB experience
• Microsoft Office proficiency
• Must be a US Citizen

Preferred Qualifications:

• MS or higher in related discipline (reduces experience requirement).
• Real-time system development
• GNC related experience

Target Salary Range

$66,000 - $106,000. This represents the typical salary range for this position. Salary is determined by various factors, including but not limited to, the scope and responsibilities of the position, the individual’s experience, education, knowledge, skills, and competencies, as well as geographic location and business and contract considerations. Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay.

Benefits Statement

Peraton offers eligible employees a variety of benefits including medical, dental, vision, life, health savings account, short/long term disability, EAP, parental leave, 401(k), paid time off (PTO) for vacation, and company paid holidays. A full listing of available benefits can be viewed at https://www.careers.peraton.com/benefits.

Application Statements

The application period for the job is estimated to be 30 days from the job posting date. However, this timeline may be shortened or extended depending on business needs and the availability of qualified candidates. By applying to this job, you are expressing interest in the role and the Company. During the review of your application, you may be required to participate in an on-camera interview, as well as participate in a process to verify your identity. Use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools of any kind during Peraton interviews is strictly prohibited unless the candidate has obtained prior written authorization. All interview responses must be the candidate’s own.

EEO

EEO: Equal opportunity employer, including disability and protected veterans, or other characteristics protected by law.