Principal ADCS Engineer

Firefly Aerospace; Cedar Park (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous health, dental, and vision plans

Parental leave

Educational reimbursement

Short term disability

Flexible PTO options

Job summary

Firefly Aerospace in Cedar Park, Texas, seeks a Principal ADCS Engineer to lead technical strategies and mentor engineers. This role requires a Master’s degree or PhD with 10+ years of experience in spacecraft attitude determination and control systems. Responsibilities include developing ADCS methodologies and representing expertise in technical reviews and customer meetings. Benefits include comprehensive health plans and flexible PTO options. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or eligible to meet U.S. export regulations.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in spacecraft ADCS with demonstrated expertise.
• Experience developing technical roadmaps and strategies for ADCS teams.
• Demonstrated ability to mentor engineers and elevate technical capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a technical authority on spacecraft ADCS systems.
• Lead resolution of challenging ADCS problems across the organization.
• Mentor and develop engineers, cultivating future technical leaders.

Skills

Python

C++

Linux

Flight software development

Software engineering best practices

Communication skills

Education

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

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 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 expertise in a specialization area combined with strong understanding across ADCS domains
• Experience developing strategic vision, technical roadmaps, and capability development initiatives for ADCS teams
• Proficiency in the development of flight software and physics simulations for spaceflight applications
• Software engineering expertise with proficiency in development practices including version control, code review, testing, documentation, and CI/CD
• Proficiency with Python, C++, Linux, and specialized tools and libraries relevant to 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 around them
• 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 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 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.

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.