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Wardstone (YC F25) · 3 weeks ago

Guidance, Navigation, and Controls Engineer

Los Angeles, CA

Full-time

Onsite

Mid Level

$120K/yr - $180K/yr

Wardstone is a company focused on developing advanced interceptors, and they are seeking a Guidance, Navigation, and Controls Engineer to build and own the entire guidance, navigation, and control stack. The role involves designing development tools and flight control algorithms to ensure successful targeting, while collaborating with various engineering teams to deliver a high-performance autopilot.

AerospaceMilitaryNational Security

No H1B

U.S. Citizen Only

Responsibilities

Design guidance laws for midcourse and terminal homing under high-speed, non-linear dynamics

Implement proportional navigation, augmented PN, pursuit/lead guidance, and/or optimal control methods

Develop intercept prediction algorithms using sensed tracking and state estimation inputs

Design and tune control loops for aerodynamic surfaces, thrust vectoring, or impulse-based actuators

Model actuator bandwidth, latency, saturation, and uncertainties

Implement robust control strategies for high-G, high-rate maneuvers

Implement EKFs/UKFs for fusing IR sensor data, IMU, GPS, and onboard timing signals

Build prediction and filtering pipelines that operate reliably under noise, jitter, and thermal effects

Develop relative navigation and target-state estimation algorithms

Build and maintain high-fidelity 6DOF simulations of interceptor dynamics

Integrate aerodynamic models (> Mach 1), control response, propulsion events, and sensor models

Run Monte Carlo and worst-case analyses to drive design decisions

Develop GNC software that runs on embedded hardware with hard real-time constraints

Conduct hardware-in-the-loop tests with scene generators and real sensors

Support ground-based intercept tests, including flight software tuning, data collection, and analysis

Influence the Vehicle Design through controllability requirements

Work with perception engineers to integrate vision-based tracking into guidance algorithms

Work with propulsion engineers on control authority, ΔV budgets, and impulse timing

Work with embedded engineers to implement deterministic and reliable real-time GNC pipelines

Qualification

Guidance Algorithm DevelopmentControl Theory6DOF Flight SimulationsState EstimationEmbedded Real-Time SystemsNonlinear DynamicsFiltering TechniquesUAV Control TuningCoordinate FramesQuaternion MathCross-Functional Collaboration

Required

B.S. or M.S. in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Robotics, Controls, or similar

Deep understanding of classical and modern control theory

Experience building 6DOF flight simulations (MATLAB, Simulink, Python, C++)

Strong background in state estimation, nonlinear dynamics, filtering, or guidance algorithms

Hands-on experience tuning controllers for UAVs, rockets, missiles, or autonomous systems

Familiarity with coordinate frames, quaternion math, and navigation transformations

US CITIZENSHIP REQUIRED

Preferred

Experience with high-speed interceptors, hypersonics, or missile guidance

Familiarity with aerodynamics, actuator modeling, or impulse-based control

Experience with optimal control (MPC, LQR variants, differential games)

Experience with embedded real-time systems, RTOS, or high-rate control loops

Experience integrating perception (IR/EO, CV algorithms) into closed-loop guidance

Experience with MIL-STD flight hardware, environmental testing, or flight qualification

Company

Wardstone (YC F25)

Wardstone is a space defense-tech company developing next-generation capabilities to protect the United States and its allies from missiles and other space-based threats.

Founded in 2025