Senior Guidance, Navigation & Control (GNC) Engineer – Lead

SET Development•Broadlands, VA

7h•Remote

About The Position

SET Development is seeking a Senior Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) Engineer (Lead) to support spacecraft and satellite programs through full lifecycle GNC development. This role is a long-term independent contractor position, fully remote within the United States, with limited travel (up to 15%) as program needs require. The Senior GNC Engineer will serve as a technical lead, contributing to system architecture, analysis, simulation, verification, and integration of spacecraft GNC solutions across multiple missions or platforms.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a closely related field.
Minimum of 8 years of professional experience in guidance, navigation, and control system analysis, design, and verification for spacecraft or satellite systems.
Demonstrated experience across multiple phases of the spacecraft development lifecycle.
Advanced proficiency in MATLAB / Simulink, including simulation-based design and analysis.
Experience with automatic code generation and model-based testing.
Proficiency using Systems Tool Kit (STK) for mission analysis and visualization.
Strong experience modeling spacecraft dynamics, sensors, actuators, and control algorithms.
Familiarity with Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) practices (SysML/UML).
Experience with software development, verification, and validation processes.
Working knowledge of object-oriented programming (e.g., C, C++) and scripting languages such as Python.
Must be legally authorized to work in the United States.
U.S. citizenship may be required for certain programs or customer requirements.
Ability to work for extended periods at a computer workstation.
Ability to participate in virtual meetings and teleconferences.
Ability to travel domestically as required.

Responsibilities

Lead the design, development, and implementation of GNC architectures for spacecraft and satellite systems.
Develop and analyze GNC algorithms for attitude determination, control, and navigation.
Model and evaluate spacecraft sensors and actuators.
Support GNC flight software development, integration, and verification.
Develop and support mission concepts of operations (CONOPS) and mission planning activities.
Participate in subsystem-level requirements development and flow-down, with attention to technical performance, manufacturability, and testability.
Collaborate cross-functionally with systems engineering, software, hardware, AI&T, and mission operations teams.
Provide technical leadership across multiple programs or mission phases as required.
Develop and maintain high-fidelity GNC simulations, including spacecraft dynamics and space environment models.
Support Monte Carlo analysis and performance trade studies.
Develop and validate software-in-the-loop (SIL) and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) test environments.
Support real-time and non-real-time simulation frameworks for verification and validation activities.
Contribute to the evolution and sustainment of SET Development’s spacecraft GNC capabilities and engineering practices.
Support design reviews, test readiness reviews, and technical documentation as required.