GNC Engineer, Attitude Control Systems (Spacecraft)

Location: On-site in Burlingame, California, United States

Salary: $170,000–$200,000 annually, plus equity

Company

Develops navigational intelligence and low-Earth-orbit satellite infrastructure for precise, reliable global positioning.

What you will do

• Develop and maintain 6DOF attitude simulations for attitude control system design and verification.
• Design, tune, and validate PID, LQR, and optimal control algorithms.
• Develop actuator allocation, momentum management, and desaturation algorithms for spacecraft effectors.
• Support model-based development, software integration, and test workflows.
• Run software-in-the-loop and hardware-in-the-loop test campaigns across nominal and off-nominal cases.
• Develop unit, regression, and simulation-based tests and analyze system performance.

Requirements

• Experience with 6DOF attitude dynamics simulations.
• Hands-on experience with PID, LQR, or optimal control design, plus actuator allocation, momentum management, or desaturation logic.
• Experience with model-based software development and SIL/HIL simulation environments.
• Strong programming skills in Python, C++, and MATLAB.
• Proficiency with Git and Linux environments.
• For the U.S. role, applicants must be U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, or other protected individuals under applicable U.S. export-control regulations.

Nice to have

• BS or MS in Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Control Systems, Applied Physics, or a related technical field.
• Experience developing attitude control algorithms for spacecraft, satellites, UAVs, or autonomous systems.
• Familiarity with reaction wheels, magnetic torque rods, thrusters, star trackers, IMUs, magnetometers, or sun sensors.
• Experience with flight software integration, embedded deployment, real-time systems, Monte Carlo analysis, robustness testing, or fault-case validation.
• Familiarity with MATLAB/Simulink autocoding workflows or similar tools.

Culture & Benefits

• Full-time employment with equity participation.
• Hands-on work at the intersection of control theory, spacecraft dynamics, flight software, and test infrastructure.
• Inclusive workplace committed to equal employment opportunity and diversity.