Flight Dynamics Engineer III (Orbit Determination), Elytra (Aerospace)

Location: United States; eligibility under U.S. Government ITAR export regulations is required.

Company

hirify.global is a space and defense technology company developing and operating launch vehicles, lunar landers, and other space systems.

What you will do

• Develop algorithms that process spacecraft tracking measurements and determine operational spacecraft position and velocity.
• Perform orbit determination error budgeting, covariance analysis, and measurement-weighting optimization across mission design and operations.
• Create tracking schedules and provide ephemerides, navigation solutions, and covariance data for LEO and cislunar missions.
• Develop, maintain, verify, and validate high-fidelity force and flight dynamics models using analytical solutions, benchmarks, flight data, and unit tests.
• Serve as a flight dynamics operator, reconstruct maneuvers, and improve spacecraft models during mission operations.
• Collaborate with cross-discipline teams and communicate technical analyses through documentation and reports.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering, physics, mathematics, or a related field.
• 5–8 years of spacecraft flight dynamics experience with significant depth in orbit determination or navigation.
• Advanced knowledge of orbital mechanics, estimation theory, least-squares methods, Kalman filtering, uncertainty modeling, and covariance analysis.
• Experience with spacecraft force models, measurement models, tracking data sources, targeting, optimization, and operational mission phases.
• Working knowledge of Python and Linux, software development and modeling/simulation for spaceflight applications, and a commercial orbit determination tool such as ODTK, FreeFlyer, or GMAT.
• Must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual, or eligible to obtain the required U.S. Department of State authorizations under ITAR.

Nice to have

• Advanced degree in aerospace engineering, physics, mathematics, or a related field.
• Custom orbit determination algorithm development and expert-level experience with JPL's MONTE software suite.
• Software engineering experience with Git, code review, automated testing, documentation, and CI/CD workflows.
• Knowledge of spacecraft subsystems and their impact on trajectory estimation accuracy.
• Experience mentoring junior engineers while managing technical responsibilities.

Culture & Benefits

• Mission-critical work spanning Earth, lunar, and cislunar space systems.
• Health, dental, and vision plans with low plan deductibles.
• Parental leave, educational reimbursement, and short-term disability coverage.
• Flexible PTO options.