GNC Engineer II (Hypersonics)

Firefly Aerospace, Inc.; Austin, Northern (TX, KY); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental and vision plans

Parental leave

Educational reimbursement

Short term disability

Flexible PTO

Job summary

Firefly Aerospace, Inc. in Austin, TX is seeking a GNC Engineer to design, analyze, and operate GNC systems for the Alpha Launch Vehicle and future programs.

You will develop guidance, navigation, and control software and run simulations to validate performance. The role emphasizes flight mechanics, hypersonic concepts, and real-time flight operations, with opportunities to own models, tools, and analyses that directly impact vehicle performance and mission success.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in aerospace, mechanical, electrical, physics, math, or CS.
• 2–5 years in aerospace guidance, navigation, or control.
• Strong knowledge of flight mechanics and dynamics.
• Experience with Python for data analysis and visualization.
• C++ programming for embedded/flight-critical apps.
• Familiarity with version control, testing, and documentation.

Responsibilities

• Develop and validate GNC software to ensure mission success.
• Design and tune attitude determination and control algorithms for all flight phases.
• Perform 6DOF dynamic analysis of trajectories including heating effects.
• Develop and maintain simulation models for aerodynamics, propulsion, sensors, and actuators.
• Create tools to automate workflows and generate technical reports.
• Interface with cross-discipline teams to integrate GNC with hardware.
• Support trajectory optimization and targeting for mission profiles.
• Serve as GNC console operator for launch operations and post‑flight analysis.

Skills

Python

C++

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Advanced degree (MS/PhD)

Tools

Git

Linux

RTOS

Job description

At Firefly, we’re focused on making space attainable for everyone – including you! Each team member’s passion, dedication, and innovative ideas have a direct impact on fueling our successful trajectory into space. And there’s no shortage of meaningful projects to work on at Firefly. With launch, lunar, and orbital vehicles, Firefly has a diverse line of business with opportunities to get hands‑on experience launching rockets, operating in space, and landing on the Moon.

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Twenty‑five years later, we remember the lives ...

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Our Values

Headquartered in the Lone Star State, Firefly’s hardworking team reflects Texas’ GO BIG culture in everything we do. We build big, achieve big, and dream big. We’re building launch vehicles and spacecraft to provide rapid, reliable space access. We’ve achieved some incredible wins, including the first successful commercial Moon landing. And we’re dreaming bigger than this planet with ambitions to Mars, Venus, and beyond. Our core values are what drive us along the way.

Passion

Fireflies believe in perseverance, responsiveness, and mentoring others with a focus on inspiring a better future.

Accountability

Fireflies act with integrity and take ownership of our actions, commitments, decisions, and outcomes.

Fireflies work in alignment across teams and communicate clearly with mutual respect for one another.

Fireflies deliver high‑quality work through technical rigor and timely disciplined execution for our customers.

We take care of our Fireflies with some of the best benefits in the industry. Our mission to make space for everyone starts with our employees and allowing them to make space for their family, their career, and their future.

Space for You

• Unlimited PTO for exempt employees
• 3‑month sabbatical for every 5 years of service
• Medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance
• Mental health services
• Paid military leave

Space for Your Family

• 12 weeks paid maternity leave
• 4 weeks paid spouse leave
• $20k towards family planning: fertility, surrogacy, adoption
• Dog friendly workplace

Space for Your Career

• $10k/year towards trade school or college
• Ongoing coaching to advance leadership skills
  • Employee-ownership with stock bonuses
  • 4% Safe Harbor 401(k) matching
  • $10k bonus for home purchase in Cedar Park, Texas

Job Openings

From launch technicians to propulsion engineers, Firefly has open roles across the company. We’re looking for passionate, bright innovators to join our team and help make space an achievable dream for everyone.

Firefly Aerospace is a space and defense technology company on a mission to reliably and repeatedly launch, land, and operate space systems from Earth to the Moon and beyond. As the partner of choice for critical space missions, Firefly is the first commercial company to launch a satellite to orbit with 24‑hour notice and the first company to achieve a successful Moon landing. Headquartered in north Austin, Texas, Firefly is looking for passionate, hardworking innovators to join our team and help fuel our successful trajectory into space.

SUMMARY

As a GNC Engineer at Firefly, you will design, analyze, and operate the GNC systems for operational launch vehicles including the Alpha Launch Vehicle and emerging hypersonic programs. In this role, you will develop GNC and simulation software tailored to high‑speed flight regimes, perform dynamic analyses across diverse trajectory profiles, and support mission operations while building breadth across multiple vehicle programs.

This position offers hands‑on experience with launch vehicle ascent guidance, hypersonic guidance algorithms, attitude control in high dynamic pressure environments, and real‑time flight operations in a fast‑paced environment. You will deepen your technical capabilities in flight mechanics and controls, with particular emphasis on hypersonic applications, taking ownership of system elements and software tools supporting Firefly’s expanding vehicle portfolio.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develop and validate GNC software to ensure successful mission execution across multiple vehicle programs
• Design and tune attitude determination and control algorithms for all phases of flight including boost, ascent, and terminal phases
• Perform 6DOF dynamic analysis of nominal and dispersed trajectories including aerodynamic heating effects, trajectory shaping, and range optimization
• Develop and maintain simulation models for aerodynamics, hypersonic thermal constraints, propulsion systems, sensors, and actuators
• Create tools to automate workflows, process flight data, and generate technical reports for vehicle performance
• Conduct stability analysis, sensitivity studies, and hardware‑in‑the‑loop testing of GNC systems under flight conditions including off‑nominal scenarios
• Interface with cross‑discipline teams (aerodynamics, propulsion, structures, thermal) to integrate GNC software with vehicle hardware
• Support trajectory optimization and targeting for mission profiles including launch vehicles and high‑speed flight regimes
• Serve as a GNC console operator for vehicle launch operations and perform post‑flight analysis to improve vehicle models and performance predictions
• Author technical documentation and analysis reports that communicate GNC concepts and results to diverse audiences
• Build proficiency across GNC competencies while contributing to continuous improvement of GNC processes and tools

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, physics, mathematics, computer science, or related field
• 2‑5 years of professional experience in aerospace guidance, navigation, and control, or related technical discipline
• Understanding of flight mechanics, aerodynamics, and attitude dynamics
• Familiarity with numerical simulation techniques, integration methods, and modeling of dynamic systems
• Experience with Python for scripting, data analysis, and visualization
• Familiarity with C++ for real‑time or flight‑critical applications
• Understanding of software development best practices including version control (Git), code documentation, and testing
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Advanced degree (master’s or PhD) in aerospace engineering or related field with focus on GNC, flight mechanics, hypersonics, or controls
• Experience supporting launch vehicle or hypersonic vehicle GNC across development, integration, and flight
• Experience with high‑speed or hypersonic flight test, wind tunnel testing, or flight dynamics analysis
• Knowledge of aerodynamic and aerothermal effects on vehicle performance and control, particularly in high‑speed flight regimes
• Understanding of trajectory optimization techniques for hypersonic mission profiles including skip trajectories, boost‑glide profiles, and multi‑phase mission design
• Proficiency in C++ for embedded systems or real‑time applications
• Knowledge of state estimation techniques including Kalman filtering, sensor fusion, and covariance analysis
• Experience with control allocation and adaptive control techniques for vehicles with varying control authority
• Familiarity with modern flight software frameworks and real‑time operating systems
• Familiarity with CI/CD workflows and automated testing practices
• Experience with Linux development environments and command‑line tools
• Exposure to flight test campaigns, launch operations, or mission operations
• Understanding of multi‑phase trajectory design for vehicles transitioning between propulsion modes or flight regimes

Firefly offers outstanding benefits for our employees, including generous health, dental and vision plans with low plan deductibles, parental leave, educational reimbursement, short term disability, and flexible PTO options.
To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.
Firefly Aerospace, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Firefly is governed based on merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, 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