GNC Engineer II: Launch Vehicle Guidance & Control

Firefly Aerospace; Cedar Park (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Dental benefits

Vision benefits

Parental leave

Educational reimbursement

Flexible PTO

Job summary

Firefly Aerospace in Austin, Texas, seeks a GNC Engineer to design, analyze, and operate the GNC systems for launch vehicles. You will develop GNC and simulation software, perform dynamic analyses, and support mission operations in a fast-paced environment.

You will gain hands-on experience with ascent guidance, attitude control, real-time flight operations, and collaborate across disciplines to improve models and tools.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in aerospace, mechanical, electrical, physics, math, CS or related field.
• 2-5 years in aerospace guidance, navigation, and control or related discipline.
• Understanding of launch vehicle flight mechanics and attitude dynamics.
• Familiarity with numerical simulation, integration methods, and dynamic modeling.
• Experience with Python for scripting, data analysis, and visualization.
• Familiarity with C++ for real-time or flight-critical applications.
• Knowledge of Git, CI/CD, and testing practices.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Advanced degree (MS/PhD) in aerospace or related field with GNC/flight mechanics focus.
• Experience supporting launch vehicle GNC across development, integration, and flight.
• Proficiency in embedded C++ for real-time applications.
• Knowledge of Kalman filtering, sensor fusion, covariance analysis.
• Familiarity with trajectory targeting methods and numerical optimization.
• Experience with modern flight software frameworks and RTOS.
• Exposure to spaceflight mission operations or launch campaigns.

Responsibilities

• Develop and validate GNC software to ensure launch vehicle mission success.
• Tune attitude determination and control algorithms for all flight phases.
• Perform 6DOF dynamic analysis of nominal and dispersed ascent trajectories.
• Develop and maintain simulation models for sensors, actuators, and environment.
• Create tools to automate workflows, process flight data, and generate reports.
• Conduct stability analyses, sensitivity studies, and hardware-in-the-loop testing.
• Interface with cross-discipline teams to integrate GNC with hardware.
• Serve as GNC console operator for launch operations and post-flight analysis.
• Author technical documentation and analyses for diverse audiences.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of GNC processes and tools.

Skills

Python scripting

C++ programming

Git version control

Linux development

CI/CD workflows

Kalman filtering

State estimation

Trajectory design

Real-time systems

Flight software

Education

Bachelor's degree in aerospace eng

Advanced degree (MS/PhD)

Tools

Git

Linux

Real-time OS

Job description

Firefly Aerospace in Austin, Texas, seeks a GNC Engineer to design, analyze, and operate the GNC systems for launch vehicles. You will develop GNC and simulation software, perform dynamic analyses, and support mission operations in a fast-paced environment.

You will gain hands-on experience with ascent guidance, attitude control, real-time flight operations, and collaborate across disciplines to improve models and tools.