Manager, Guidance, Navigation & Control Engineering

sierraspace; Louisville (CO); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Sierra Space is seeking a Manager of Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) Engineering to lead technical direction and people management for spacecraft, aircraft, and autonomous systems programs. You will drive GNC design, analysis, and verification activities, while guiding schedules, budgets, and risk across multiple projects.

You will personally contribute on key analyses and develop control/estimation models, leveraging MATLAB/Simulink and HIL testing.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace/Mechanical/Electrical Eng or related field (or equivalent work experience).
• Demonstrated leadership or managerial experience in GNC engineering.
• Strong knowledge of GNC principles including control theory, state estimation, sensor fusion, and trajectory optimization.
• Experience with GNC simulation tools (e.g., MATLAB/Simulink) and hardware-in-the-loop testing.

Responsibilities

• Lead technical direction and management of GNC activities for spacecraft, aircraft, and autonomous systems programs.
• Translate GNC plans into actionable operational plans, procedures, and schedules; manage risk, budget, and schedule commitments.
• Oversee GNC modeling and verification using simulations and HIL testing to ensure flight control system integrity.
• Supervise engineering teams across GNC design, analysis, and testing; mentor staff and manage project delivery.
• Communicate complex GNC concepts to diverse stakeholders and drive continuous improvement.

Skills

Leadership

GNC knowledge

Communication

Project management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Aerospace/Mechanical/Electrical Engineering or related field

Tools

MATLAB/Simulink

Jira

Job description

Sierra Space Careers:

At Sierra Space, we build the missions and systems that keep our world secure in the domain above Earth.

Sierra Space team members share a spirit of innovation and collaboration and a belief that we can deliver on the boldest missions in space today. Together with our customers, we aim to safeguard our nation, sustain human presence in space, and secure the freedom of operations in low Earth orbit and beyond.

Our success is measured by the trust of those who rely on what we build and deliver, and our technologies keep the United States and its allies mission-ready throughout space.

We are mission-driven, and together, we are an extraordinary team.

About the Role

The Manager, Guidance, Navigation, & Control (GNC) Engineering leads the technical direction and management of GNC engineering activities supporting spacecraft, aircraft, and/or autonomous systems programs. This role balances individual technical contribution with people leadership, serving as the primary GNC lead on assigned programs while supervising engineers across design, analysis, and testing disciplines. The Manager translates functional GNC plans into actionable operational plans, procedures, and schedules; ensures technical rigor and quality across deliverables; and manages risk, budget, and schedule commitments. This individual upholds company values and standards, communicates complex GNC concepts to technical and non-technical stakeholders, and drives continuous improvement of GNC methodologies, tools, and processes across the organization.

The Manager, GNC Engineering serves as the primary GNC lead for assigned programs, holding accountability for technical rigor, product quality, and on-time delivery across all GNC deliverables. This individual makes a high level of individual technical contribution, personally leading key analyses, developing control and estimation models, and generating critical program deliverables using GNC simulation and modeling tools such as MATLAB/Simulink, as well as directing hardware-in-the-loop testing to develop and verify flight control systems. Applying comprehensive knowledge of control theory, state estimation, sensor fusion, and trajectory optimization, this person defines procedures and methodologies for GNC design, analysis, and verification, translating functional GNC plans into operational plans, task-level breakdowns (using tools such as Jira), Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) tasks, long-term plans, and Gantt charts that support program execution as well as internal and external proposals and Statements of Work (SOWs).

In addition to technical execution, this role carries managerial responsibility for supervising engineering teams across GNC design, analysis, and testing activities, balancing hands-on technical leadership with day-to-day people management. The Manager identifies, assesses, and mitigates technical, schedule, and cost risks across GNC efforts, manages program budgets, and leads organizational change by implementing new methodologies, tools, and processes to improve team effectiveness. This individual communicates complex GNC concepts clearly to diverse stakeholders including engineering teams, program management, and customers, and models and upholds company values, holding GNC teams accountable to established standards and expectations.

About You

Our mission is driven by an unyielding commitment to advancing space-based technology in service of our customers and safeguarding national security. We seek individuals who are passionate about innovating beyond boundaries and relentlessly pursuing solutions that protect, preserve and empower - to join us in this critical mission.

We're looking for team members who align with our values, mission and goals - while also meeting the minimum qualifications below. The preferred qualifications are a bonus, not a requirement.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering , Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field (or equivalent work experience).


• Minimum of two years of relevant guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) engineering management experience through a technical leadership or managerial role.


• Comprehensive knowledge of GNC principles, including control theory, state estimation, sensor fusion, and trajectory optimization for spacecraft, aircraft , or autonomous systems.


• Experience with GNC simulation tools and modeling environments (e.g., MATLAB/Simulink) and hardware-in-the-loop testing for flight control systems development and verification.


• Demonstrated ability to translate GNC functional plans into operational plans, defining procedures and methodologies for control system design, analysis, and verification across multiple projects.


• Ability to balance technical execution with managerial responsibilities.


• Experience supervising engineering teams across GNC design, analysis, and testing activities.


• Strong communication skills for conveying co