Lead Spacecraft GNC & Mission Architect

Stanford Climate Ventures; El Segundo, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/vision/dental

PTO

401k

Stock options

Job summary

General Galactic Technologies Corporation is seeking a Senior GNC + Mission Design Engineer in the Los Angeles area to own GNC solutions and mission design for multiple spacecraft missions. You will work with founders and a focused tech team, covering ADCS, maneuver planning, and flight algorithm integration.

The role involves fast-paced startup dynamics, high ownership, and collaboration with business development to translate missions into technical concepts and customer requirements.

Qualifications

• BS in aerospace engineering or related technical field.
• 4+ years in GNC, mission design, flight dynamics, astrodynamics, or controls.
• Experience with Python, MATLAB, Simulink, STK/ODTK/GMAT, FreeFlyer, Basilisk.
• Startup environment experience with high ownership.
• First-principles problem solving with partial information.
• Strong fundamentals in orbital mechanics and mission analysis.

Responsibilities

• Build analytical tools, simulations, spreadsheets, and Python/MATLAB models to evaluate mission feasibility.
• Own GNC analyses, algorithms, simulations, and operating modes for spacecraft and missions.
• Support business development by assessing customer missions and proposing architectures.
• Collaborate with flight software engineers to integrate GNC algorithms.
• Conduct Monte Carlo and robustness analyses for mission plans and GNC algorithms.
• Review flight/test data to validate models and improve performance.
• Own attitude determination and control (ADCS) development and trades.
• Own mission/trajectory design, including ΔV budgeting and conops.

Skills

GNC

Mission design

Flight dynamics

Astrodynamics

Controls engineering

Python

MATLAB

Simulink

Monte Carlo

Education

BS in aerospace engineering or related field

Tools

STK

ODTK

GMAT

FreeFlyer

Basilisk

Job description

General Galactic Technologies Corporation is seeking a Senior GNC + Mission Design Engineer in the Los Angeles area to own GNC solutions and mission design for multiple spacecraft missions. You will work with founders and a focused tech team, covering ADCS, maneuver planning, and flight algorithm integration.

The role involves fast-paced startup dynamics, high ownership, and collaboration with business development to translate missions into technical concepts and customer requirements.