Principal Spacecraft GNC Engineer - Secret Clearance (GNC)

Location: Long Beach, California, United States. The role is based at hirify.global's global headquarters and coordinates with teams in Denver, Colorado, and New Zealand. U.S. citizenship is required for this position.

Base pay range: $195,000–$295,000 USD per year in California.

Company

hirify.global is an end-to-end space company developing rockets, spacecraft, flight software, payloads, and critical space systems for commercial, scientific, and national security missions.

What you will do

• Lead GNC and ADCS development across spacecraft concept, algorithm design, requirements, implementation, integration, and vehicle testing.
• Mentor engineers responsible for GNC design, modeling, and analysis across LEO, MEO, GEO, lunar, interplanetary, reentry, and RPOD missions.
• Design flight software, algorithms, simulations, and spacecraft autonomy tools for constellation management.
• Select GNC components and develop subsystem designs, fault detection, and response solutions.
• Develop and execute test processes, including hardware-in-the-loop and Monte Carlo simulations.
• Plan schedules and milestones, report technical status, support design reviews, and collaborate with Systems, Avionics, Flight Software, Mission Operations, Ground Software, customers, department leads, and program managers.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree and 12+ years of industry experience in GNC or ADCS.
• Active Secret clearance with the ability to obtain TS/SCI clearance.
• Direct experience interfacing with commercial or government aerospace customers.
• U.S. citizenship is required due to program requirements.
• Experience developing and integrating spacecraft flight and simulation software, GNC hardware, and analysis or operations tools.

Nice to have

• Master's degree or PhD.
• RPOD design and operations experience, preferably 2+ years.
• Active TS/SCI clearance.
• Experience with Jira, mentoring engineers, and leading teams across project lifecycles.
• Experience with IMUs, reaction wheels, star trackers, gyroscopes, blended attitude solutions, on-orbit operations, anomaly resolution, or GNC business development.

Culture & Benefits

• Employee stock as part of total compensation and an Employee Stock Purchase Program with a 15% discount.
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage, including HMO, PPO, and a zero-cost HDHP option with company HSA contributions.
• Paid vacation, sick time, 11 paid holidays, parental leave, disability and life insurance, and a 401(k) with company match.
• Additional benefits include subsidized EV charging, fitness and gym discounts, snacks and beverages, and employee discounts.
• Work includes prolonged periods of sitting, standing, walking, and computer use, with occasional exposure to moderate noise, dust, and fumes in production areas.