GNC Engineer

Guidance, Navigation & Controls (GNC) Engineer

Houston, TX - Onsite

Position Overview

We are seeking a Guidance, Navigation & Controls (GNC) Engineer to support the development, integration, and verification of advanced spacecraft GNC systems. This role will focus on flight software development, navigation algorithm implementation, sensor integration, simulation, and system-level testing. The ideal candidate will work closely with multidisciplinary engineering teams to develop robust guidance, navigation, and control solutions from concept through hardware integration and flight readiness.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and verify Guidance, Navigation & Control (GNC) algorithms for spacecraft applications.
• Develop, test, and review real-time GNC flight software using C and C++.
• Support the integration, characterization, and testing of navigation sensors and control effectors.
• Perform 6-DOF simulations and Monte Carlo analyses to evaluate system performance, stability, and mission success.
• Participate in Software-in-the-Loop (SWIL) and Hardware-in-the-Loop (HILL) testing activities to validate GNC functionality.
• Support flight software integration, debugging, and verification throughout the development lifecycle.
• Analyze navigation performance, troubleshoot system issues, and recommend design improvements.
• Collaborate with systems, software, avionics, and hardware engineering teams to ensure successful subsystem integration.
• Develop technical documentation, test procedures, and performance reports.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• 3–7 years of professional experience in Guidance, Navigation & Control, flight dynamics, or spacecraft systems engineering.
• Experience designing and implementing Kalman Filters or other state estimation algorithms.
• Experience developing real-time embedded or flight software.
• Familiarity with navigation hardware including IMUs, Star Trackers, GPS, LiDAR, Optical Navigation (OpNav), or similar sensor technologies.
• Experience performing SWIL and/or HILL testing and system integration.
• Knowledge of spacecraft dynamics, orbital mechanics, and vehicle control systems.
• Experience performing flight performance analysis, stability analysis, and simulation validation.
• Proficiency in C, C++, and/or Python.
• Experience using Git, JIRA, and Agile software development methodologies.
• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, communication, and technical documentation skills.
• Ability to work effectively within multidisciplinary engineering teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience developing GNC systems for spacecraft, satellites, launch vehicles, or other autonomous aerospace platforms.
• Hands-on experience integrating navigation sensors with flight hardware.
• Experience performing Monte Carlo simulations and statistical performance analysis.
• Familiarity with image processing, feature detection, relative navigation, or vision-based navigation techniques.
• Experience working with VxWorks or other real-time operating systems.
• Knowledge of spacecraft integration, verification, validation, and environmental testing.
• Experience supporting mission operations, system checkout, or flight testing.