Senior Spacecraft GNC Engineer II

About the role

The Senior Spacecraft GNC Engineer II is responsible for leading GNC and ADCS development for Rocket Lab's growing fleet of diverse spacecraft. You will mentor a team responsible for GNC design, modeling, and analysis for a wide variety of spacecraft and space missions to include LEO, MEO, GEO, Lunar, Interplanetary, Reentry, and RPOD. You will design flight software, algorithms, and simulation products, develop spacecraft autonomy tools for constellation management, and GNC component selection and subsystem design.

Responsibilities

• Mentor a team responsible for GNC design, modeling, and analysis for a wide variety of spacecraft and space missions to include LEO, MEO, GEO, Lunar, Interplanetary, Reentry, and RPOD
• Design of flight software, algorithms, and simulation products
• Development of spacecraft autonomy tools for constellation management
• GNC component selection and GNC subsystem design
• Test process development and execution
• Define fault detection and response
• Hardware-in-the-loop and Monte Carlo simulation
• Integration of flight and simulation software with modern analysis, test, and operations tools
• Support internal and external design reviews
• Work with department leads and program managers to plan and maintain team schedule and milestones and report technical status
• Career development and mentoring of junior engineers

Qualifications

• BS and 8+ years of industry experience in GNC/ADCS
• Prior experience directly interfacing with aerospace customers in the commercial or government sectors
• U.S. citizenship is required, due to program requirements

Desired Qualifications

• MS or PhD
• Active Secret or TS Security Clearance
• 2+ years of RPOD design and operations experience
• Experience in Jira planning and workflow
• Hands-on experience with IMU, reaction wheels, star trackers, gyroscopes, and other GNC hardware
• Demonstrated experience developing, implementing, and verifying flight software
• Demonstrated experience with spacecraft on-orbit operations and anomaly resolution
• Experience leading a team across a project lifecycle (not necessarily a spacecraft, not necessarily a whole GNC system)
• Experience working multiple projects simultaneously and determining priorities for a team
• Experience with GNC-related Business Development or conceptual design work

Benefits

• Top tier medical HMO, PPO & a 100% company-sponsored medical HSA plan option
• Dental and vision coverage
• 3 weeks paid vacation and 5 days sick leave per year
• 11 paid holidays per year
• Flexible spending and dependent care savings accounts
• Paid parental leave
• Disability insurance
• Life insurance
• Access to a 401(k) retirement plan with company match
• Discounted employee stock purchase program
• Sitesubsidized EV charging stations
• Onsite gym
• Food and drinks
• Other discounts

Pay

$162,000 USD - $243,000 USD

Schedule

Full-time