Principal Guidance, Navigation, and Controls Engineer

About the role

Varda is seeking a Principal Guidance, Navigation, and Controls Engineer to join our dynamic team. This role involves owning the full life cycle of GNC development, from design through to flight testing. Key responsibilities include designing and implementing autonomous satellite attitude control, collision avoidance, orbital rendezvous, burn planning, and atmospheric re-entry algorithms. You will also develop and maintain design descriptions and supporting documentation, and coordinate with other spacecraft operators and third-party agencies.

Responsibilities

• ADCs hardware performance specification including sizing of reaction wheels, torque rods, IMU/GPS, and star trackers
• Design and implementation of autonomous satellite attitude control, collision avoidance, orbital rendezvous, burn planning and atmospheric re-entry algorithms
• Develop and implement 6 degree of freedom vehicle simulation using C++ and Python
• Perform trajectory design, optimization, and dispersion analysis for the reentry of a space capsule
• Design and implementation of ground tooling necessary to facilitate fully automated maneuver responsibility and maneuver scheduling decisions
• Monitor on-orbit system performance; troubleshoot where necessary
• Coordinate with other spacecraft operators, 3rd party agencies, and the US government

Requirements

• B.S. degree in aerospace, mechanical, electrical engineering, physics, or related field
• 10+ proven years of experience, or PhD with 7+ years of relevant experience
• Demonstrated knowledge in designing, modeling, testing, and flying aerospace guidance, navigation, and control systems
• Highly adept software and model development skills, particularly in C++/Python
• Understanding of orbital mechanics, modeling and simulation, and software development
• Experience anchoring/fitting first principles models to test data or high-fidelity external simulations
• Proven system engineering and configuration management skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Qualifications

• B.S. degree in aerospace, mechanical, electrical engineering, physics, or related field
• 10+ proven years of experience, or PhD with 7+ years of relevant experience
• Demonstrated knowledge in designing, modeling, testing, and flying aerospace guidance, navigation, and control systems
• Highly adept software and model development skills, particularly in C++/Python
• Understanding of orbital mechanics, modeling and simulation, and software development
• Experience anchoring/fitting first principles models to test data or high-fidelity external simulations
• Proven system engineering and configuration management skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Master's degree in engineering or physics
• Experience with spacecraft attitude determination and control system design
• Experience with GMAT, POST2, or similar tools
• Understanding of multi-body dynamics, flexible body dynamics, gas dynamics, fluids, and thermodynamics
• Experience developing and verifying physical models for the purpose of control design, component sizing, and system performance evaluation
• Experience supporting safety critical flight tests or spacecraft
• Ability to continuously manage risk and provide solutions with lean and state of the art software development techniques

Pay

Salary range: $200,000 - $230,000/per year

Benefits

• Health & Wellness
• Flexible PTO policy + 12 paid holidays
• 100% company-paid Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance plans for employees and dependents with FSA and employer-matched HSA options
• Voluntary accident, hospital, critical illness, and pet insurance
• $120/month wellness reimbursement for gym and fitness expenses
• 12 weeks of parental leave (with supplemental disability leave for CA mothers)
• Family building, pregnancy, parenting and menopause benefits via Maven Clinic
• Sponsored One Medical memberships for employees and their dependents
• Financial & Retirement
• Substantial incentive equity in a fully funded space start-up
• 401(k) retirement plan with 6% employer match (immediately vested)
• $20/pay period cell phone reimbursement
• Relocation support for new hires, if needed
• Workplace Experience & Perks
• Company and team-bonding events, happy hours and mission-success celebrations
• Complimentary EV charging
• ITAR Requirements
• Varda, like all employers, must ensure that its employees working in the United States are lawfully authorized to work in the U.S. Additionally, our employees are exposed to and have access to certain export-controlled items. Because our employees are provided access to export-controlled items, our policy is to only hire “U.S. persons” who are permitted to have access to our technology without an export license.
• E-Verify Statement
• Varda Space Industries, Inc. participates in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security E-Verify program. The E-Verify program is an Internet-based employment eligibility verification system operated by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Learn more about the E-Verify program.
• E-Verify Notice
• Right To Work Notice
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Equal Opportunity Employer

Varda Space Industries is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Candidates and employees are always evaluated based on merit, qualifications, and performance. We will never discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, national origin, ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability, or any other legally protected status.