GNC Engineer I

Description

The company is an end-to-end space company that designs and builds rockets, spacecraft and critical subsystems. The team is small in its own way but works across the whole company.

This GNC Engineer I role sits on the Mission Formulation team within Global Launch Services, based at the company's headquarters in Littleton, CO. You will handle guidance, navigation and control design, modeling, analysis and testing for launches and missions, working closely with other engineering groups and production to turn new launch and mission concepts into reality.

The team is mainly responsible for launching classified missions on HASTE and Electron vehicles.

You will be judged on the launch vehicle design and mission experience you bring, how well you work on projects without close supervision, how well you collaborate across the company, and how you set priorities across competing engineering projects.

Responsibilities

• Support business development with GNC input on proposals and mission definition.
• Develop launch and mission operational concepts.
• Design and analyze orbital and suborbital trajectories.
• Carry out trade studies, preliminary and final mission analyses, and detailed designs for launch programs.
• Engage external stakeholders and customers on mission-specific requirements.
• Write up proposed GNC solutions and take part in design reviews with customers.
• Support hardware-in-the-loop testing to verify trajectories, GNC and flight code performance.
• Run Monte Carlo analyses to define and verify launch and mission operations.
• Develop flight code and support its release for pre-launch ground testing, launch and mission operations.
• Build tools and processes that automate routine GNC modeling and analysis work.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in engineering.
• Working knowledge of orbital mechanics and/or closed-loop control, preferably for launch vehicles.
• Experience with trajectory optimization.
• Proven experience developing real-time control and/or estimation algorithms for autonomous vehicles, preferably launch vehicles.
• An active Secret security clearance, or the ability to obtain and maintain one.
• Nice to have: an active TS/SCI clearance.
• Nice to have: experience with requirements assessments and generating interface control documents.
• Nice to have: experience with git version control.
• Nice to have: at least 1 year of experience modeling, simulating or controlling dynamic systems, especially rigid bodies.
• Nice to have: at least 1 year of Python development.
• Nice to have: at least 1 year of data analysis using MATLAB and/or SciPy.
• Nice to have: experience developing in C or C++.
• Nice to have: experience with POST, ASTOS, TAOS or similar mission analysis, trajectory optimization, vehicle design and simulation tools.
• Nice to have: strong communication skills and the ability to build good working relationships.
• Nice to have: a creative, analytical approach and good problem-solving skills.
• Nice to have: the ability to work on your own initiative and plan your daily workflow around higher-level tasks.

Conditions

Based at the Littleton, CO headquarters.

The role may require long periods of sitting, standing, walking and computer work, plus occasional exposure to moderate noise, dust and fumes in production areas.

The base pay range for Colorado is $81,000 to $102,000 USD. Final pay depends on individual qualifications and experience.

US office roles require you to be a US citizen, a lawful permanent resident (current Green Card holder), a lawfully admitted refugee or asylee, or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the US Department of State and/or Department of Commerce, as applicable, to comply with ITAR.

New Zealand office roles: background checks, including nationality checks, are completed before any offer. You must be eligible to access ITAR-regulated equipment and data. You may be ineligible if you are not a citizen of Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland, the European Union or a NATO member country, or if you hold ineligible dual citizenship or nationality.

Benefits

• Base salary is one part of the package. You may be eligible for company stock or cash incentives.
• You can buy discounted company stock through the Employee Stock Purchase Program.
• Medical, dental and vision insurance.
• 401(k) retirement plan options.
• Paid vacation, holidays and sick leave.
• Paid parental leave.
• Other discounts and perks.