Director, Guidance Navigation & Control

Turion Space • Irvine, CA

1d • $200,000 - $273,000

About The Position

We are seeking a Director of GNC to shape and lead the technical and organizational direction of our Guidance, Navigation, Control (GNC) team. In this role, you will own the architecture, roadmap, engineering standards, team development, and cross-functional execution required to deliver high-performance GNC systems across the product lifecycle. You will lead a team of GNC engineers and technical leads working on Turion’s upcoming spacecraft missions – including RPO, reconnaissance, surveillance, refueling and Space Domain Awareness – and provide support for our current on-orbit LEO operations.

Requirements

• Minimum 10 years of experience in roles related to guidance, navigation, and control engineering, with progressive growth from hands-on technical execution to senior technical leadership, architecture ownership, and strategic decision-making.
• Expertise implementing GNC algorithms as production flight code (C/C++) and ground analysis tools (Python/MATLAB).
• Extensive experience leading GNC engineering teams for complex aerospace, robotics, autonomous systems, defense, space, aviation, or similarly platforms.
• Proven experience supporting satellite bus operations, providing support for GNC-related activities and resolving on-orbit anomalies.
• Demonstrated ownership of GNC architecture, technology roadmaps, and system-level technical direction across multiple programs or product generations.
• Deep expertise in control theory, estimation/navigation, flight dynamics, guidance algorithms, modeling and simulation, and verification and validation.
• Proven ability to influence executive stakeholders, manage technical risk, and make high-impact decisions under uncertainty.
• Experience building, mentoring, and scaling high-performing engineering teams.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to translate complex technical topics into clear strategical recommendations.

Nice To Haves

• Direct spacecraft GNC experience in SDA, autonomous navigation, rendezvous safety, maneuver planning, or proximity operations.

Responsibilities

• Set the long-term technical vision, strategy, and roadmap for GNC capabilities, tools, processes, and team development.
• Own system-level architecture decisions for guidance, navigation, control, simulation, validation, and autonomy-related functions.
• Lead the GNC team at Turion Space by owning team structure, hiring plans, and team development.
• Serve as the senior technical authority for GNC, providing direction on trade studies, requirements, interfaces, performance targets, and risk management.
• Establish engineering standards, review practices, modeling and simulation expectations, verification methods, and certification or compliance approaches where applicable.
• Mentor and develop senior engineers and technical leads, while raising the overall technical bar of the organization.
• Drive make-versus-buy decisions, provide technical oversight of suppliers, and manage external partnerships related to GNC/RPO technologies.
• Represent GNC technical direction and program status in executive reviews, customer discussions, design reviews, and major decision forums.

Benefits

• Company stock
• Equity in Turion Space
• Health Insurance: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and their dependents.
• Retirement Plans: Access to a 401(k) plan with a 3% Employer Direct Contribution.
• Paid Time Off: Generous vacation days, personal days, sick days, and holidays.
• Parental Leave: Paid parental leave following the birth of a newborn or adoption.
• Emotional Wellbeing: A no-cost Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
• Professional Development: Opportunities for ongoing internal training, workshops, and courses.
• Team Building Activities: Regular social events, team outings, and company-sponsored activities.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: No Education Listed