Senior Spacecraft GN&C Engineer

About the Role

We are seeking a Senior Spacecraft GN&C Engineer to own the implementation, maintenance, and validation of the mission’s end-to-end pointing control simulation for advanced space observatory missions. This is a hands-on modeling, simulation, and verification role. The engineer will implement the integrated pointing simulation, incorporate vendor models and assumptions, develop scripts for pointing verification, process simulation and test outputs, and generate evidence for subsystem and system-level requirement verification. The role will directly support the spacecraft pointing lead and will work closely with systems engineering, spacecraft bus, telescope, WCC, FSM, instrument, jitter, structural, science, AI&T, software, and mission operations teams.

Key Responsibilities

• End-to-End Pointing Control Simulation, Modeling, and Vendor Model Integration
• Own the implementation, maintenance, and validation of the mission’s integrated pointing control simulation. The simulation will be used to assess spacecraft attitude control, fine pointing, WCC-guided Fine Steering Mirror control, jitter sensitivity, line-of-sight stability, target tracking, control mode transitions, disturbance rejection, control stability margins, and pointing requirement compliance.
• Perform hands-on GN&C modeling and analysis using MATLAB, Simulink, Python, or similar tools, including control-loop analysis, frequency-domain analysis, time-domain simulations, Monte Carlo cases, sensitivity studies, model correlation, and performance trades.
• Incorporate GN&C, AOCS, WCC/guider, FSM, jitter, structural, and pointing models from internal teams and vendors.
• Document key assumptions and limitations.
• Ensure model inputs are technically consistent, traceable, and suitable for design trades, verification planning, AI&T, commissioning, operations support, and formal system-level pointing verification.
• Develop and maintain scripts, tools, and automated workflows for pointing verification at subsystem and system level. These tools will process simulation outputs, vendor analysis products, jitter data, test data, and telemetry-like data to evaluate pointing accuracy, pointing knowledge, line-of-sight stability, jitter, target tracking, mode transitions, and AOCS/FSM performance.
• Generate repeatable verification outputs, margin assessments, plots, reports, and evidence needed for formal V&V closure.
• Support subsystem- and system-level tests involving pointing modes, target acquisition, tracking, slew behavior, control mode transitions, FSM operation, WCC-guided FSM control, and operational pointing scenarios.
• Jitter and Line-of-Sight Stability Support
• Help interpret jitter PSDs, disturbance transfer functions, control-loop interactions, and pointing stability results for use in engineering budgets, science simulations, and verification products. Help close interface gaps, TBDs, TBCs, and open actions related to WCC–Bus AOCS, WCC–FSM, and other payload-control interfaces.
• WCC, FSM, and AOCS Interfaces Support
• Support the analysis and verification of control interfaces between the spacecraft bus, WCC, telescope, FSM, payload, and instruments. This includes WCC-guided pointing, FSM behavior, control-loop timing, data latency, coordinate frames, transformations, pointing telemetry, control authority, and mode transitions.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Controls Engineering, Robotics, Applied Mathematics, Physics, or a related technical discipline.
• 7+ years of experience in spacecraft GN&C, AOCS/ADCS, control systems, dynamic modeling, pointing analysis, precision pointing systems, or related aerospace control applications.
• Hands-on experience implementing, maintaining, or using control-system simulations for spacecraft attitude control, pointing, or precision control systems.
• Experience developing analysis scripts, verification tools, automated workflows, or simulation post-processing tools using MATLAB, Simulink, Python, or similar environments.
• Strong understanding of control-system fundamentals, including stability, bandwidth, disturbance rejection, sensor/actuator dynamics, frequency-domain analysis, time-domain response, and closed-loop performance.
• Experience with spacecraft attitude control, pointing budgets, jitter analysis, line-of-sight stability, or precision pointing verification.
• Experience developing, reviewing, or verifying requirements, ICDs, analyses, test plans, or verification evidence.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and ability to work effectively across internal teams, vendors, and technical disciplines.

Preferred Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in spacecraft GN&C, AOCS/ADCS, precision pointing, control systems, simulation development, or high-stability aerospace systems.
• Experience owning or significantly contributing to an end-to-end spacecraft pointing, GN&C, AOCS/ADCS, or precision-control simulation.
• Experience with high-precision pointing missions, space telescopes, optical payloads, astronomy missions, Earth-observation missions, laser communication systems, or other pointing-sensitive spacecraft.
• Experience with fine guidance sensors, fast steering mirrors, reaction wheel disturbance modeling, isolators, structural dynamics, jitter PSDs, line-of-sight stability analysis, or optical performance coupling.
• Experience integrating vendor-provided models into system-level simulations.
• Experience developing formal verification scripts, automated analysis workflows, or test-data processing tools for requirement verification.
• Experience with hardware-in-the-loop testing, software-in-the-loop testing, flatsats, simulators, EGSE, AOCS testbeds, or integrated spacecraft test campaigns.
• Familiarity with FDIR, safe modes, attitude recovery, target acquisition, tracking modes, slew planning, operational pointing constraints, requirements management, configuration control, and verification planning.

Pay

$250,000 - $300,000 a year

Schedule

This is an exempt position.

Benefits

This role requires access to U.S. export controlled information. Candidates must be a U.S. person (i.e. a citizen of the United States, a permanent resident, or a legal asylee or refugee) OR receive approval from the U.S. Government to work with U.S. export controlled information.