GNC Orbit Controls Engineer (Aerospace)

TL;DR

GNC Orbit Controls Engineer (Aerospace): Designing and implementing algorithms and onboard software for orbit determination, guidance, and maneuver execution with an accent on station-keeping and disposal. Focus on developing controllers for altitude management, building EKF-based orbit determination pipelines, and optimizing trajectories under operational constraints.

Location: On-site in Burlingame, California. Must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident (Green Card holder), or other protected individual to comply with U.S. Government space technology export regulations.

Salary: $130,000 – $175,000 + Equity

Company

hirify.global is a navigational intelligence company bringing real-time, centimeter-level certainty to any device via its advanced PNT satellite infrastructure, Pulsar.

What you will do

• Develop open-loop and closed-loop controllers for altitude management, station-keeping, and end-of-life disposal.
• Implement and maintain onboard orbit propagators and validate integrators to ensure numerical consistency with ground truth.
• Build orbit determination pipelines utilizing EKF with GNSS.
• Design burns and long-arc trajectories, optimizing delta V and timelines under power, thermal, and operations constraints.
• Coordinate burn pointing and wheel momentum strategy with ADCS.
• Maintain MATLAB and C++ simulators, execute Monte Carlo campaigns, and perform SIL/HIL testing and post-maneuver reconstruction.

Requirements

• B.S. or M.S. in Aerospace Engineering, Control Systems, Applied Physics, or a related field.
• Proficiency in GNC software development using C++ and MATLAB for analysis and modeling.
• Strong knowledge of orbital mechanics, simulation, and onboard propagators with perturbation models.
• Experience supporting real maneuvers and reconciling plans with post-burn estimation.
• Familiarity with electric propulsion, including thrust modeling, calibration, and long-burn guidance.
• U.S. citizenship or Green Card holder status is required for legal compliance with export regulations.