Senior Guidance, Navigation, & Control (GNC) Engineer

K2 Space

4h • $160,000 - $235,000

About The Position

K2 is building the largest and highest-power satellites ever flown, unlocking performance levels previously out of reach across every orbit. Backed by $450M from leading investors and with an additional $500M in signed contracts, K2 is mass-producing the highest-power satellite platforms for missions from LEO to deep space. The company believes the rise of heavy-lift launch vehicles demands a fundamentally different class of spacecraft, engineered to survive harsh radiation environments and capitalize on massive rockets, delivering unmatched capability at constellation scale and across multiple orbits. With multiple launches planned through 2026 and 2027, K2 aims to develop the solar system and become a Kardashev Type II (K2) civilization. The role of a Senior GNC engineer is central to the overall spacecraft GNC architecture. This individual will conduct detailed trade studies to implement the spacecraft’s orbital guidance, orbital control, and attitude and orbit estimation systems. In the initial months, the engineer will support MEO navigation development, applying lessons from the Gravitas mission, and later develop novel navigation approaches for GEO, cis lunar, and interplanetary programs. They will also support the development of the in-house trajectory design scheme and associated analysis workflow, contributing code to the 6-DOF sim and owning a portion of the GNC flight software. Within the first year, the engineer will support launch and on-orbit operations for the Trinity mission (3 K2 Mega spacecraft) and continue to drive improvements through the design, build, test, fly lifecycle.

Requirements

• Experience with implementing estimation algorithms on for flight software and ground software, specifically Kalman Filters, Extended Kalman Filters, and Unscented Kalman Filters
• Experience performing Monte Carlo based analyses and covariance analysis
• Experience with verification and validation of GNC flight software in an integrated environment, leveraging 6-DOF simulation and HITL testing.
• Experience with GNC sensor sizing, selection, and system design
• Experience with Python, Julia, C/C++, Rust, or Matlab for algorithm development, implementation, and simulation

Nice To Haves

• Experience with system identification, leveraging on-orbit data
• Experience with early-stage spacecraft conceptual design, i.e. “clean sheet” design work
• Breadth in control algorithm development
• Experience with reaction wheel, control moment gyroscope, or thruster sizing and algorithm implementation
• Experience with trajectory analysis, modeling, optimization, and mission design for GEO, cislunar, interplanetary missions

Responsibilities

• Work with other engineering leads to develop and validate a novel high level vehicle architecture
• Develop novel algorithms for precise navigation in LEO, MEO, GEO, cis lunar, and interplanetary space.
• Develop simulation and modeling tools to support vehicle and GNC trade studies. This includes mission design, controls analysis, and 6-DOF simulation development.
• Contribute to building the GNC organization by recruiting, hiring, and mentoring other engineers

Benefits

• Base salary range for this role is $160,000 - $235,000 + equity in the company
• Comprehensive benefits package including paid time off, medical/dental/vision coverage, life insurance, paid parental leave, and many other perks

What This Job Offers

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