Principal ADCS Engineer

Firefly Aerospace Inc.; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Unlimited paid time off for exempt employees

Employee-ownership with stock bonuses

$20,000 bonus for home purchase in Cedar Park, Texas

Job summary

Firefly Aerospace Inc. is seeking a Principal ADCS Engineer to act as a technical authority on spacecraft ADCS systems. In this role, you will lead strategies and capability development while mentoring engineers. You will address complex ADCS challenges and represent the company in high-level technical discussions. The position involves significant hands-on contributions and offers influence over system architectures and development. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in ADCS and a relevant advanced degree.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in spacecraft ADCS with demonstrated expertise.
• Mastery of spacecraft attitude dynamics with a broad understanding of ADCS domains.
• Demonstrated ability to elevate the technical capabilities of engineers through mentorship.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a technical authority on spacecraft attitude determination and control.
• Lead resolution of challenging ADCS problems across the organization.
• Represent ADCS expertise in executive-level technical reviews.

Skills

Spacecraft ADCS expertise

Technical leadership

Proficiency in Python

Proficiency in C++

Excellent communication skills

Education

Master's degree or PhD in aerospace engineering or related field

Tools

Linux

Job description

SUMMARY

As a Principal ADCS Engineer at Firefly, you will serve as a technical authority on spacecraft ADCS systems enabling missions spanning Earth orbit, cislunar space, and the lunar surface. This technical leadership role requires an authoritative knowledge base in spacecraft ADCS disciplines, with a proven track record of solving the most complex ADCS challenges on operational missions. In this role, you will drive technical strategies and capability development, provide authoritative technical review and guidance, and mentor engineers at all levels. This position balances hands‑on technical contribution with strategic leadership, offering the opportunity to influence system architectures from concept through operations, represent Firefly's technical excellence to customers and executive leadership, and solve unique problems that push the boundaries of spaceflight.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Serve as a technical authority on the attitude determination and control of spacecraft, providing expertise across programs and domains
• Develop and validate novel ADCS methodologies, tools, and best practices for complex or unprecedented mission requirements
• Lead resolution of the most challenging ADCS problems across the organization
• Provide authoritative technical review and oversight of spacecraft ADCS designs, changes, and risks
• Establish technical standards for system design, software development, testing, and requirement verification
• Drive ADCS strategy and roadmap development, identifying capability gaps, investment priorities, and opportunities for adopting emerging technology
• Initiate and execute continuous improvement initiatives for ADCS processes, tools, and operational efficiency
• Represent ADCS expertise in executive‑level technical reviews, mission milestone reviews, customer meetings, and proposal efforts
• Participate in critical technical work including algorithm development, test campaign execution, and mission operations support
• Mentor and develop engineers at all levels, cultivating the next generation of technical leaders

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• Master's degree or PhD in aerospace engineering or related field, or a bachelor's degree with substantial technical accomplishments demonstrating analytical rigor equivalent to graduate research
• 10+ years of experience in spacecraft ADCS with demonstrated expertise and technical leadership across multiple programs
• Demonstrated experience supporting operational spacecraft programs through multiple missions
• Mastery of spacecraft attitude dynamics with deep specialization combined with a broad understanding across ADCS domains
• Experience developing strategic vision, technical roadmaps, and capability development initiatives for ADCS teams
• Proficiency in developing flight software and physics simulations for spaceflight applications
• Software engineering expertise with proficiency in version control, code review, testing, documentation, and CI/CD
• Proficiency with Python, C++, Linux, and specialized tools and libraries relevant to the domain
• Comprehensive knowledge of spacecraft subsystems and their impact on ADCS design and performance
• Demonstrated ability to elevate the technical capabilities of engineers through mentorship, developing high performers who strengthen the organization
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with an ability to convey complex technical concepts to executives, customers, and non‑technical stakeholders
• PhD with research contributions advancing a specialization area relevant to spacecraft ADCS
• Background as a technical leader on operational spacecraft programs from development through multiple successful missions
• Deep expertise in advanced techniques relevant to the specialization
• Demonstrated proficiency across multiple ADCS specialization areas
• Proven ability to influence technical direction and drive consensus across multidisciplinary organizations
• Skill in communicating with program management, customers, and executives in both technical and business forums
• Experience leading or supporting anomaly investigations and resolving mission‑critical ADCS issues
• History of applying technical expertise to achieve customer mission success and initiate new business opportunities
• Innovation through patents or technical contributions in the specialization area
• Track record of thought leadership through publications, presentations, or contributions to industry state‑of‑the‑art

Benefits

Firefly offers outstanding benefits for our employees, including generous health, dental and vision plans with low plan deductibles, parental leave, educational reimbursement, short‑term disability, and flexible PTO options.

• Unlimited paid time off for exempt employees
• 3‑month sabbatical for every 5 years of service
• Medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance
• Mental health services
• Paid military leave
• 12 weeks paid maternity leave
• 4 weeks paid spouse leave
• $20,000 towards family planning: fertility, surrogacy, adoption
• Dog friendly workplace
• $10,000 per year towards trade school or college
• Ongoing coaching to advance leadership skills
• Employee‑ownership with stock bonuses
• 4% Safe Harbor 401(k) matching
• $10,000 bonus for home purchase in Cedar Park, Texas

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

Firefly Aerospace, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Firefly is governed based on merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.