GNC Engineer II — Hypersonics & Spaceflight Guidance

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

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.