What Your Job Will Be LikeThe rapid growth and proliferation of navigation warfare technologies, alternative Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) solutions, and Navigation, Guidance, and Control (NGC) capabilities provides impactful opportunities for applying these tools to solve national security problems. The Navigation Warfare department is applying next-generation aerospace technologies and capabilities to solve urgent mission needs in Navigation Warfare.
Our organization is actively seeking an Early/Mid-Career Autonomous Aerospace Systems Engineer who has [1] significant interest and knowledge in Navigation warfare technologies (e.g., GNSS resiliency, counter-spoofing, alternative PNT such as Signals of Opportunity, Radar, and Sensor Fusion), [2] experience/familiarity in sensing, control, navigation, and/or dynamical systems, such as flight vehicle mechanics, and [3] formal training in Aerospace Engineering or a closely related autonomous systems field such as Electrical, Computer, or Mechanical Engineering.
If you are passionate about making valuable contributions to a high-impact program, we urge you to apply! You will collaborate with a team of researchers, engineers, and technologists to develop autonomous flight system technologies and to mature them from concept to simulation to flight. In the near-term, you will be supporting projects from the Navigation Warfare developmental research portfolio. These projects are applying state-of-the-art autonomous systems concepts to sensing, mission planning, hardware testing, and analysis for hypersonic vehicle missions. Long-term, you will be developing autonomous flight solutions for prototype vehicle demonstrations (i.e., flight tests), developing agent-driven simulation and analysis tools for challenging mission scenarios, and creating/executing/leading new projects for applying trusted PNT to high-consequence missions.
On any given day, one may be called upon to:
- Collaborate with a team of researchers, engineers, and technologists to develop resilient PNT technologies and to mature them from concept to simulation to flight
- Develop autonomous flight solutions, such as design of subsystems/payloads or development of algorithms in flight software, for full flight vehicle demonstrations
- Develop physics-based and/or agent-driven simulation and analysis tools for challenging Navigation Warfare mission scenarios
- Create, implement, and lead new projects for applying PNT resiliency (such as alt-PNT navigation technologies) to high-consequence missions
This position will include simulation, laboratory, and field-testing operations. You will work at Sandia's laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, including the Flight Dynamics Laboratory and Navigation Warfare Laboratory, for prototyping autonomous system hardware, algorithms, and communications. You will be working on highly collaborative teams but will be given responsibility for, and ownership of, a growing body of R&D work as you progress in your career at the Labs. Components of your work will be classified and will consequently require a security clearance.
Due to the nature of the work, the selected applicant must be able to work onsite at Sandia's laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Some travel is required for this position.
Salary Range$102,400 - $199,700
*Salary range is estimated, and actual salary will be determined after consideration of the selected candidate's experience and qualifications, and application of any approved geographic salary differential.
Qualifications We Require- Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline, or an equivalent combination of directly relevant education and engineering or scientific experience that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and ability to perform independent research and development.
- Ability to obtain and maintain a DOE Q-level security clearance.
Qualifications We DesireThe ideal R&D S&E Aerospace Engineer candidate for Sandia National Laboratories will in addition possess the following:
- Graduate degree in Aerospace Engineering, Aeronautical Engineering, or a highly related field where an independent research project was a graduation requirement (e.g., independent project, thesis, or dissertation).
- Experience in applied aerodynamics, flight mechanics, or trajectory simulation with application to the design, modeling, simulation, optimization, and analysis of aerospace flight systems.
- Experience with the capabilities, use, and application of MATLAB®, Simulink®, Python¿, C/C++, or other modern programming languages and repositories in technical analysis/computing and software development.
- Proven ability to work and communicate effectively in a collaborative and interdisciplinary team environment.
- Demonstrated ability to work in a fast-paced/schedule driven environment.
Also, for this posting we are seeking individuals with the following experience:
- Coursework and/or experience with modern applied information science and/or autonomous systems concepts.
- Coursework and/or experience with dynamical system modeling, simulation, navigation, guidance, and/or control, especially for flight systems.
- Ability to acquire and maintain an SCI-level clearance, which may require a polygraph test; or an active SCI-level Clearance.
About Our TeamThe Navigation Warfare (Navwar) Department (5443) seeks to develop technology for robust and resilient navigation in increasingly challenging operational environments. Through Navigation Warfare Assessments to characterize and respond to US navigation contestation, engagement with the national Navwar community, and R&D towards the development of GPS-denied and contested technologies such as Alt-PNT (Position, Navigation, and Timing), the Navwar department creates enduring capabilities to support warfighter needs in increasingly contested navigation engagements.
Posting DurationThis posting will be open for application submissions for a minimum of three (3) calendar days, including the 'posting date'. Sandia reserves the right to extend the posting date at any time.
