Hypersonics GNC Engineer II — Real‑Time Flight & Simulation

Firefly Aerospace; Cedar Park (TX); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental and vision plans

Parental leave

Educational reimbursement

Flexible PTO options

Job summary

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

This role offers hands-on experience with ascent guidance, attitude control, and real-time flight operations, helping you broaden core GNC competencies and grow toward a senior position.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in aerospace, mechanical, electrical engineering, 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.
• Experience with Python for scripting, data analysis, and visualization.
• C++ for embedded or real‑time applications; familiarity with Git, CI/CD, and testing.
• Strong communication skills; Advanced degree and experience with GNC across development, integration, and flight are a plus.

Responsibilities

• Develop and validate GNC software to ensure launch vehicle mission execution.
• Tune attitude determination and control algorithms for all flight phases.
• Perform 6DOF dynamic analysis of ascent trajectories.
• Develop and maintain simulation models for sensors, actuators, and environmental effects.
• Create tools to automate workflows, process flight data, and generate reports.
• Interface with cross-disciplinary teams to integrate GNC with vehicle hardware.
• Serve as GNC console operator for launch operations and perform post-flight analysis.

Skills

GNC software

Python

C++

Trajectory design

Systems engineering

Education

Bachelor's degree in aerospace/related field

Master's or PhD in related field

Tools

Git

Linux

CI/CD

Real-time OS

Job description

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

This role offers hands-on experience with ascent guidance, attitude control, and real-time flight operations, helping you broaden core GNC competencies and grow toward a senior position.