Senior GNC Robotics Engineer
About The Position
Mission Control is seeking an enthusiastic and talented Senior GNC Robotics Engineer to join their team in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. This role involves designing, implementing, and validating Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) systems for robotic space missions. The ideal candidate will be passionate about building ground and flight software solutions, possess a deep understanding of GNC across space robotic platforms, and excel at technical communication. This position offers the opportunity to contribute to the growth of a small company in the emerging space sector, working on a variety of tasks from fundamental R&D to flight missions. The successful candidate will be a versatile self-starter who collaborates effectively with software, autonomy, and mission operations teams to deliver high-performance solutions for spacecraft, rovers, and other robotic platforms. The role is part of a team of engineers, scientists, and space enthusiasts dedicated to advancing space exploration and inspiring the next generation.
Requirements
- A Bachelor’s degree in a technical discipline, e.g. engineering, physics, data science, computer science, mathematics etc.
- 8-12+ years of relevant industry experience in GNC, robotics, or space systems.
- Strong foundations in control theory, orbital mechanics, and dynamics.
- Experience with estimation techniques (Extended/Unscented Kalman Filters, SLAM, etc.).
- Proficiency in simulation and modeling tools (e.g., MATLAB/Simulink, Python-based frameworks).
- Experience with various types of robotics-related concepts and algorithms such as Transformation Frames, Sensor Fusion, Guidance Navigation and Control, Computer Vision, Path planning for Mobile Robots or Robotic Arms, Behavioral Command Trees.
- Experience developing real-time or embedded systems.
- Familiarity with robotic systems, autonomy, and perception pipelines.
- Strong proficiency in C++ and/or Python.
- Experience with ROS, ROS2 or similar robotics middleware.
- Ability to prioritize workload and work efficiently and autonomously.
- Proven capacity to meet deadlines in an environment with constantly shifting priorities; ready to showcase your organizational and time management skills.
- Proactive approach to problem-solving and strong decision-making skills.
- Motivated/skilled in finding new processes/tools to improve workflow.
- Professional level written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills.
- Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
Nice To Haves
- Graduate degree
- Hands-on experience in mobile robotics
- Experience in space missions, aerospace systems or orbital dynamics
- Knowledge of flight software development and verification processes.
- Experience with technologies such as Yamcs, Postgres, Redis, Grafana, Docker
- Experience with hardware-in-the-loop testing or robotics hardware integration.
- Experience or familiarity with space industry, standards, development phases, government procurement and commercial space sector.
Responsibilities
- Design, develop, implement and test Guidance, Navigation and Control algorithms for rover and robotic manipulator operations as part of flight and/or ground segment operations, which include but are not limited to sensor fusion, simultaneous localization and mapping, visual odometry, obstacle detection, path planning, state estimation.
- Lead and participate in concept studies, requirements analysis, design trade-off studies, architecting, software design and implementation for space robotic GN&C solutions, including potential interactions with subcontractors and customers.
- Lead and support research and development in a wide range of space robotics applications areas including but not limited to autonomous navigation and proximity operations in low bandwidth and high latency environments.
- Support flight and analogue robotic operations, collaborating cross-functionally with flight software, robotics, and mission operations teams.
- Manage robotic hardware and software infrastructure used to support R&D initiatives, flight technology development, analogue mission services and outreach activities.
- Model and simulate dynamic systems to support autonomy and navigation solutions for planetary rovers and on-orbit systems.
- Analyze system performance and conduct testing, including hardware-in-the-loop and mission simulations, to deliver robust, validated GNC solutions meeting mission requirements.
- Author and review technical documentation, including requirements specs, analysis reports, design documents, test procedures and test reports.
- Mentor junior engineers and foster a culture of rigorous mechanical engineering and technical excellence.
- Contribute to continuous improvement of engineering processes, tools, and standards.
Benefits
- Comprehensive Compensation and Benefits Package
- vacation pay
- wellness plan (health, vision, dental)
- unlimited unpaid time off
- Relocation assistance
- Two weeks of sick/personal leave per year
- Employee Stock Option plan for equity sharing
- Flexible working hours
- respectful and inclusive workplace
- family-friendly company
- Bi-weekly coffee chats for connecting with colleagues socially, and for mentorship by senior staff.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
