Senior GNC Engineer

Senior GNC Engineer - Ground-Floor Opportunity with Cutting-Edge Space Startup

Opportunity Summary

Join a stealth-mode, venture-backed startup developing autonomous, self-assembling spacecraft structures for defense and commercial applications. As one of the first hires on the Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) team, you'll own core technical contributions from concept through flight and help shape both the product and company culture. This is a rare chance to get in early, build at the frontier of space tech, and make your mark on a future-defining capability. We're looking for an experienced Senior GNC Engineer with deep technical skills and a startup mindset: someone ready to architect, simulate, test, and iterate quickly on ambitious space missions.

About Us

We're an early-stage, pre-seed stealth company with strong financial backing from top-tier venture firms and a mission to redefine spacecraft design and deployment. Our core technology centers on in-space assembly, enabling scalable and adaptable space platforms that support critical national security and commercial missions. With a founding team that blends deep technical and entrepreneurial experience, we're building toward a future where spacecraft are agile and autonomous.

Job Duties

• Design and implement flight control systems for dynamic space vehicles, including satellites, upper stages, and novel spacecraft assemblies.
• Develop, test, and validate robust GNC algorithms for mission-critical performance in LEO, GEO, lunar, and deep space environments.
• Build modular simulation environments and high-fidelity testbeds for real-time flight and hardware-in-the-loop testing.
• Own architecture and integration of GNC subsystems across software, hardware, and mission ops.
• Perform Monte Carlo and worst-case analyses to ensure robust autonomous performance in uncertain environments.
• Collaborate with the broader engineering team to define requirements and inform vehicle design from a control-systems perspective.
• Mentor team members and establish best practices for GNC systems across the development lifecycle.
• Create internal tools and data packages that accelerate vehicle testing and mission readiness.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field.
• 3+ years of experience in spacecraft or aerospace GNC system design and analysis.
• Strong proficiency in MATLAB and C++ (or a similar object-oriented language).
• Familiarity with time-domain and frequency-domain control theory and simulation techniques.
• Experience developing GNC systems from concept through flight for space platforms.
• U.S. Person status required due to export-controlled work (citizen, permanent resident, or protected individual under U.S. law).

Preferred Experience

• Background in upper-stage, lander, or autonomous spacecraft control systems.
• Familiarity with RPOD (rendezvous, proximity operations, and docking) or in-orbit servicing missions.
• Experience working in a startup or fast-paced agile development environment.
• Hands-on with state-space modeling, flex-body dynamics, or GNC subsystem integration.
• Knowledge of orbital mechanics tools such as STK, ODTK, or custom mission-planning software.
• Prior work with spacecraft autonomy and on-orbit decision systems.

Security Clearance

• Must be able to obtain US Secret clearance.

Why Join Us

• Work on bleeding-edge in-space assembly and autonomy tech
• Opportunity to make foundational technical and strategic decisions
• Equity participation with significant upside potential
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Career growth in a high-impact, early-stage company

Compensation Details

$125,000 - $175,000