Principal Spacecraft GNC Engineer, Controls

Firefly Aerospace•Cedar Park, TX

About The Position

Firefly Aerospace is a space and defense technology company on a mission to reliably and repeatedly launch, land, and operate space systems from Earth to the Moon and beyond. As the partner of choice for critical space missions, Firefly is the first commercial company to launch a satellite to orbit with 24-hour notice and the first company to achieve a successful Moon landing. Headquartered in north Austin, Texas, Firefly is looking for passionate, hardworking innovators to join our team and help fuel our successful trajectory into space. SUMMARY As a Principal Spacecraft GNC Engineer specializing in controls and autonomy at Firefly, you will design and implement advanced control systems and autonomous flight software for operational spacecraft. In this role, you will develop and tune attitude control software, support hardware-in-the-loop testing and system integration, and provide technical leadership while collaborating with multidisciplinary teams. This position combines advanced control theory, real-time embedded systems development, and hands-on flight operations support while mentoring junior engineers in a fast-paced operational environment.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer science, or related field
8-12 years of experience in spacecraft ADCS systems with significant depth in attitude control system design or flight software development
Advanced knowledge of attitude dynamics and control theory, including rotational dynamics, attitude representations, control moment generation, and stability analysis
Strong understanding of classical control theory and frequency domain analysis techniques
Proficiency in thrust vector control design and interaction with the greater GNC subsystem
Expertise in real-time software development using C++ for mission-critical applications
Experience developing high-fidelity actuator models and attitude control system testbeds
Proficiency in hardware-in-the-loop testing and requirement verification for mission-critical systems
Understanding of software development best practices including version control (Git), code documentation, and testing
Excellent communication and presentation skills

Nice To Haves

Master's degree or PhD in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, applied mathematics, or related field
Experience architecting and implementing control systems for operational spacecraft from development through mission operations
Expertise in advanced control techniques such as nonlinear control methods, optimal control, model predictive control, or adaptive control applied to spacecraft applications
Advanced knowledge of state estimation techniques including Kalman filtering
Advanced knowledge of numerical methods for control law tuning, root-solving, and parameter optimization
Experience with modern flight software frameworks and real-time operating systems
Software engineering expertise with proficiency in development practices including version control, code review, testing, documentation, and CI/CD workflows
Proficiency in Python for scripting, data analysis, and automation
Working knowledge of spacecraft systems and mission operations
Proven ability to develop junior engineers while managing technical responsibilities
Track record of thought leadership through publications, presentations, or contributions to industry state-of-the-art

Responsibilities

Provide technical direction on system architecture and serve as subject matter expert for spacecraft control
Design, analyze, and tune spacecraft attitude control software to ensure accurate pointing across all mission phases
Own design and implementation of control laws for orbital maneuvering and descent and landing
Develop control systems accounting for complex spacecraft dynamics including structural flex modes, propellant slosh, gimbal dynamics, and control structure interaction
Establish technical standards and validation methodologies for control system design, software development, and hardware-in-the-loop testing
Conduct stability analysis, sensitivity studies, and performance optimization for control systems under nominal and off-nominal conditions
Support hardware-in-the-loop test campaigns for integrated ADCS systems including control algorithm validation, flight software verification, and system-level performance testing
Drive resolution of complex ADCS challenges requiring deep technical expertise and rapid problem-solving
Mentor junior engineers in control theory and flight software development
Interface with cross-discipline teams to integrate control software with spacecraft hardware
Serve as an ADCS console operator for spacecraft operations and perform post-mission analysis to improve spacecraft models
Champion continuous improvement initiatives for ADCS processes, tools, and operational efficiency