Spacecraft GNC Engineer III

Firefly Aerospace•Cedar Park, TX

About The Position

As a Spacecraft GNC Engineer at Firefly, you will design, analyze, and operate the GNC systems of operational spacecraft. You will develop GNC flight and simulation software, perform analyses, and support mission operations while building breadth across core GNC competencies. The role provides hands-on experience with spacecraft attitude determination and control systems, onboard navigation, sensor and actuator modeling, and real-time mission operations across multiple spacecraft. You will take ownership of system elements and software tools while developing your technical capabilities and career trajectory toward a senior GNC role at Firefly.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, physics, mathematics, computer science, or a related field.
4–8 years of professional experience in spacecraft guidance, navigation, and control, or a related technical discipline.
Advanced knowledge of spacecraft orbital mechanics, spacecraft dynamics, state estimation, attitude dynamics, and sensor modeling.
Experience developing high-fidelity sensor and actuator models.
Proficiency in a spacecraft GNC specialization: Navigation, Guidance, Controls, or Software Development.
Proficiency in hardware-in-the-loop testing and requirement verification for mission-critical systems.
Proficiency with Python for scripting, data analysis, and visualization.
Experience with C++ for real-time or flight-critical applications.
Software engineering expertise, including version control, code review, testing, documentation, and CI/CD.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree (master's or PhD) in aerospace engineering or a related field with a focus on GNC.
Experience supporting spacecraft GNC across development, integration, and mission operations.
Expertise in C++ for embedded systems or real-time applications.
Experience with modern flight software frameworks and real-time operating systems.
Proficiency with CI/CD workflows and automated testing practices.
Experience with Linux development environments and command-line tools.
Exposure to spaceflight mission operations or spacecraft commissioning.

Responsibilities

Develop and validate GNC software to ensure successful spacecraft mission execution.
Tune and configure GNC algorithms for all phases of spacecraft flight.
Perform 6DOF simulation analysis of nominal and dispersed flight profiles.
Develop and maintain simulation models for sensors, actuators, and environmental effects.
Create tools to automate workflows, process simulation and flight data, and generate technical reports.
Conduct stability analysis, sensitivity studies, and hardware-in-the-loop testing of GNC under nominal and off-nominal conditions.
Interface with cross-discipline teams to integrate GNC software with spacecraft hardware.
Serve as a GNC console operator for spacecraft operations and perform post-mission analysis to improve spacecraft models.
Author technical documentation and analysis reports that communicate GNC concepts and results to diverse audiences.
Build proficiency across core GNC competencies while contributing to continuous improvement of GNC processes and tools.