General information

Entity

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.  

Reference number

2026-183944  

Job details

Domain

Research, design and development

Job field / Job profile

Architecture and systems engineering - Modeling and simulation

Job title

Guidance, Navigation, and Control Engineer

Employment type

Permanent

Professional category

Professional, Engineer & Manager

Part time / Full time

Full-time

Job description

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 a SED engineer from the Safran Group for a three-year period. We are looking for an experienced Senior to Principal Guidance, Navigation & Control (GNC) Engineer to lead the development of advanced control systems for high-performance technologies.

Reporting to the Product Engineering Manager, this role focuses on line-of-sight stabilisation, inertial sensing, servo control systems, control loop implementation, and structural interaction analysis.

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.

But what else? (advantages, specificities, 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.

Candidate skills & requirements

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES:

• Eligibility to obtain and maintain an Australian Defence security clearance to a Baseline 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.

Job location

Job location

Oceania, Australia, New South Wales

City (-ies)

Applicant criteria

Minimum education level achieved

Bachelor's Degree

Minimum experience level required

More than 5 years

Requesting party

Number of position(s)

1