Guidance, Navigation, & Control (GNC) Engineer II

CesiumAstro; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 113,000 - 136,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Health, dental, vision insurance

HSA/FSA accounts

Retirement plans

Job summary

CesiumAstro is seeking a GNC Engineer II to design and analyze Guidance, Navigation, and Control for its satellite systems. You will work on a small team, perform trade studies, develop models, run simulations, and help integrate and fly hardware.

The role emphasizes hands-on, startup-style collaboration, opportunity to contribute across spacecraft, and a path to influence flight architectures.

Qualifications

• MS or PhD in Aerospace Engineering from an accredited university.
• 2 years of internship, research, or industry experience in satellite attitude and orbit systems.
• Expertise in attitude estimation, guidance, and control; coordinate frame transformations; linear algebra; and non-linear systems.
• Experience with multiple spaceflight missions from concept to operations.
• Experience with low earth orbit satellites.
• Experience with post-CDR test failures and on-orbit failures that guide your design and test philosophies.
• Familiarity with space mission simulation tools such as STK, Basilisk, GMAT, or FreeFlyer.
• Fluency with Python and C++, or other modeling languages.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Design and analyze GNC systems for CesiumAstro satellites and payloads.
• Perform trade studies, participate in design reviews, create models, and complete simulations and system testing.
• Build, test, and fly hardware.
• Work in a small team with startup dynamics and contribute to company-critical projects.

Skills

Attitude estimation

Guidance and control

Python

C++

Spacecraft operations

Coordinate frame transformations

Linear algebra

Problem solving

Communication skills

Education

MS or PhD in Aerospace Engineering

Tools

STK

Basilisk

GMAT

FreeFlyer

Job description

Please Note: To conform with the United States Government Space Technology Export Regulations, the applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., conditional resident, asylee or refugee (protected individuals as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

At CesiumAstro, we are developers and pioneers of out-of-the-box communication systems for satellites, UAVs, launch vehicles, and other space and airborne platforms. We take pride in our dynamic and cross-functional work environment, which allows us to learn, develop, and engage across our organization. If you are looking for hands-on, interactive, and autonomous work, CesiumAstro is the place for you. We are actively seeking passionate, collaborative, energetic, and forward-thinking individuals to join our team.

We are looking to add a GNC Engineer II to our team. If you enjoy working in a startup environment and are passionate about developing systems for leading-edge spacecraft, and aerospace communication systems, we would like to hear from you.

In this position, you will work on a small team in the design and analysis of GNC systems for CesiumAstro satellites and payloads. You will be responsible for Guidance, Navigation, and Control through all stages of design, integration, test, and operations. As such, you will perform trade studies, participate in design reviews, create models, and complete simulations and system testing. You will build, test, and fly hardware.

As a CesiumAstro spacecraft team member, you will work on a small team to develop satellites and put them in orbit. Being in a startup, you can expect significant portions of your time to be spent contributing to company-critical projects outside your area of expertise.

Key Requirements

• Master of Science (MS), or Doctorate (Ph.D.) degree in Aerospace Engineering from an accredited university or institution
• 2 years of internship, research, or industry experience in satellite attitude and orbit systems
• Expertise in attitude estimation, guidance, and control; coordinate frame transformations; linear algebra; and non-linear systems
• Experience with multiple spaceflight missions from concept to operations
• Experience in low earth orbit satellites
• Experience with post-CDR test failures and on-orbit failures that guide your design and test philosophies
• Experience with successful and unsuccessful recovery from on-orbit failures
• Experience in conceptualization, architecture design, requirements specification, design, test, and operations of various GNC architectures and components
• Familiarity with space mission simulation tools such as STK, Basilisk, GMAT, or FreeFlyer
• Experience defining spacecraft trajectories and orbital requirements
• Fluency with Python and C++, or other modeling languages
• Familiarity with spacecraft mission design including events, pointing modes, maneuver planning, and operations
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Preferred Experience

• CubeSat and SmallSat experience
• Hands-on experience with spacecraft instrumentation, subsystems, and test labs
• Experience with multiple mission simulation and flight architectures which drives your vision for the next generation of space software
• Experience in LEO, MEO, GEO, and deep space satellites
• Experience with communications satellites

$113,000 - $136,400 a year

CesiumAstro considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the role and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, education/training, and key skills. Full-time employment offers include company stock options and a generous benefits package including health, dental, vision, HSA, FSA, life, disability and retirement plans.

CesiumAstro is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected Veteran Status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Please note: CesiumAstro does not accept unsolicited resumes from contract agencies or search firms. Any unsolicited resumes submitted to our website or to CesiumAstro team members will be considered property of CesiumAstro, and we will not be obligated to pay any referral fees.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.