Guidance, Navigation, and Control Engineer

Published 07.11.2026

Company : Safran Electronics & Defense Job field : Architecture and systems engineering Location : Sydney , New South Wales , Australia Contract type : Permanent Contract duration : Full-time Required degree : Bachelor's Degree Required experience : More than 5 years Professional status : Professional, Engineer & Manager

# 2026-183944

Published 07.11.2026

As a fully owned subsidiary of Safran Electronics & Defense, Safran Electronics & Defense Australasia Pty Ltd (SEDA) delivers and supports various products including high-performance optronics and inertial navigation equipment.

SEDA is experiencing strong growth and is seeking an experienced Guidance, Navigation, and Control Engineer (GNC) responsible for the design, development, integration, verification, and optimisation of guidance, navigation, and control functions for optronic gimbal products and terminal guidance solutions.

Reporting to the Head of Engineering, this role focuses online-of-sight stabilisation, target tracking, pointing performance, inertial sensing, servo control systems, control loop implementation, and structural interaction analysis. The GNC Engineer collaborates closely with mechanical, optical, software, electronics, systems, and test engineers to deliver high-performance electro-optical and infrared sensor solutions.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop control architectures for gimbals and optronic sensors from concept through to qualification.
• Design, implement, and tune line-of-sight (LOS) stabilization and target-tracking control loops.
• Develop guidance, navigation, and control algorithms for seeker operation.
• Model and analyze gimbal dynamics, servo systems, and control-structure interactions.
• Define performance budgets for pointing accuracy, tracking accuracy, jitter, and stabilization effectiveness.
• Integrate inertial sensors, encoders, resolvers, and actuator systems into seeker control solutions.
• Support boresighting, calibration, and performance characterization of seeker systems.
• Develop simulation environments to assess seeker and gimbal performance.
• Perform stability, frequency-domain, and time-domain analyses.
• Support the integration of infrared (IR) and EO/TV sensor channels with tracking and control systems.
• Participate in system verification, qualification testing, and flight-test campaigns.
• Develop detailed requirements, specifications, interface definitions, and verification plans.
• Conduct technical trade studies and risk assessments to guide design decisions.
• Support the transition to production and ongoing product improvement initiatives.

Technical Skill Requirements

The GNC Engineer should have demonstrated experience in many of the following areas:

• Line-of-sight stabilization and target tracking
• Servo control system design and optimization
• Guidance, navigation, and control algorithm development
• Gimbal dynamics and control-structure interaction
• Pointing, tracking, and jitter error budget management
• Sensor fusion and inertial measurement integration
• Technical authority for seeker/gimbal performance
• Classical and modern control theory (PID, state-space, advanced methods)
• Frequency-domain analysis
• Motion control architectures
• Inertial navigation integration

Complementary Description

We are looking for a candidate who is confident and has the following attributes:

• Solid planning skills and stakeholders engagement
• Good organizational skills, with the ability to manage technical requirements and

ensure their integration across multiple project areas.

• Must display initiative and be proactive in seeking solutions
• Well-developed problem-solving skills and analytical mind
• Demonstrated ability to multi-task
• Strong customer service ethic and interpersonal skills
• Ability to build & maintain superior customer relationships
• Strong attention to detail
• Must be able to work autonomously as well as within a team environment
• Interest in advanced defence technologies

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES:

• Eligibility to obtain and maintain an Australian Defence security clearance to Negative Vetting Level 1 (NV1) as a minimum.
• Strong analytical and structured problem-solving skills, with intellectual rigour to make and defend architectural decisions.
• Technically authoritative and confident in maintaining positions under challenge from customers, subcontractors, or parent company counterparts.
• Proactive and anticipatory, able to identify technical risks before they escalate into program issues.
• Effective at directing and developing engineers without relying on direct line management authority.
• Collaborative and constructive in working across organisational and national boundaries.

But what else? (advantages, specific features, etc.)

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Typically, 5–15+ years of relevant engineering experience.
• Postgraduate qualifications in control systems, aerospace engineering, or related fields are desirable.
• Experience taking products from prototype through to commercially delivered, fielded solutions (not limited to prototype development).
• Demonstrated ability to define system architecture, allocate functions across engineering domains, and manage inter-domain interfaces.
• Proven experience in establishing and implementing verification and validation (V&V) programs, including development of Acceptance Test Procedures (ATP/ATProcs) and formal acceptance with Defence or commercial customers.
• Experience leading complex technical reviews with customers and subcontractors, including formal design reviews or equivalent.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to engage effectively at executive, program, and technical specialist levels.
• Previous experience in a Design Authority or delegated technical authority role in the field of mechanical engineering.
• Knowledge of gyro-stabilisation, inertial measurement, or related optronics sub-domains.

Company Information

Safran is an international high-technology group operating in the fields of aerospace (propulsion, equipment and interiors), space and defense. Its mission is to contribute sustainably to a safer world, where air transport becomes ever more environmentally friendly, comfortable and accessible. Present on every continent, the Group employs 110,000 people and generated €31.3 billion in revenue in 2025. Safran holds, either independently or through partnerships, leading global or European positions in its markets.

Safran was ranked second in the Aerospace & Defense sector in TIME magazine's ""World's Best Companies 2025"" ranking.

Safran Electronics & Defense is an international company with more than 19,000 employees who bring together expertise and team spirit to design high-technology solutions for the aerospace, defense and space sectors. By combining human and technological intelligence, the company develops products and services for both civil and military customers, operating on land, at sea, in the air and in space.

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