GNC Engineer II - Hypersonics & Flight Dynamics

Firefly Aerospace; Cedar Park (TX); On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; 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 is seeking a GNC Engineer to design, analyze, and operate the GNC systems for the Alpha Launch Vehicle and emerging hypersonic programs. You will develop GNC software and simulations for high‑speed flight regimes, perform dynamic analyses, and support mission operations while expanding capabilities across multiple vehicle programs.

You will gain hands‑on experience with ascent guidance, hypersonic guidance algorithms, and real‑time flight operations in a fast‑paced environment,

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering, mechanical, electrical, physics, math, CS or related field.
• 2-5 years of experience in aerospace guidance, navigation, and control or related discipline.
• Strong understanding of flight mechanics and aerodynamics.
• Experience with Python for scripting, data analysis, and visualization.
• C++ experience for real‑time or flight‑critical applications.
• Familiarity with Git, code documentation, and testing.

Responsibilities

• Develop and validate GNC software for multiple vehicle programs.
• Design and tune attitude control algorithms for all flight phases.
• Perform 6DOF dynamic analysis of trajectories and heating effects.
• Develop simulation models for aerodynamics, propulsion, and sensors.
• Create tools to automate workflows and generate technical reports.
• Conduct stability analyses and hardware‑in‑the‑loop testing.
• Interface with cross‑discipline teams to integrate GNC software.
• Support trajectory optimization for mission profiles including hypersonics.
• Serve as GNC console operator and perform post‑flight analysis.
• Author technical documentation communicating GNC concepts and results.
• Build proficiency across GNC competencies and improve processes.

Skills

GNC

Flight dynamics

Trajectory optimization

State estimation

Embedded systems

Python scripting

C++

Linux

Real-time software

Kalman filtering

Education

Bachelor’s in aerospace/related field

Master’s or PhD in aerospace/controls (preferred)

Tools

Git

CI/CD

Job description

Firefly Aerospace is seeking a GNC Engineer to design, analyze, and operate the GNC systems for the Alpha Launch Vehicle and emerging hypersonic programs. You will develop GNC software and simulations for high‑speed flight regimes, perform dynamic analyses, and support mission operations while expanding capabilities across multiple vehicle programs.

You will gain hands‑on experience with ascent guidance, hypersonic guidance algorithms, and real‑time flight operations in a fast‑paced environment,