Principal GNC Engineer

Outpost; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 190,000 - 225,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Health insurance

Vision & dental coverage

Disability & life insurance

401(k) with company match

Paid time off + holidays

Lunch stipend & snacks

Pet friendly office

Job summary

Outpost is hiring a Principal GNC Engineer to own the end-to-end ADCS chain, from architecture design to flight data feedback. You will write flight code, run hardware-in-the-loop tests, and participate in drop tests and flight campaigns to iterate the design.

The role demands hands-on development of guidance, navigation and control for orbital return vehicles, with a focus on accuracy, reliability and mission success in a fast-paced, space-tech environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required with 5+ years in GN&C or controls; advanced degree with 3+ years acceptable.
• Proficiency in C++ and Python; experience with Git, Jira, and CI pipelines.
• Strong experience with algorithms on real hardware (EKF, LQR); solid dynamics, modeling and simulation knowledge.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, autonomous environment; passion for space and control in this domain.

Responsibilities

• Modeling, design, analysis, implementation and test of satellite attitude and control algorithms (ADCS).
• Define hardware performance specs including sensors and actuators; redundancy and fault management.
• Own ADCS requirements with electrical and mechanical engineers; implement closed-loop pointing and orbital maneuvers.
• Develop high-fidelity 6-DOF satellite simulations in Python, Matlab or C++.
• Develop entry guidance, deorbit targeting, and reachability analyses for flight campaigns.

Skills

C++

Python

Kalman Filters

Control theory

GN&C experience

Education

Bachelor's degree in a related technical discipline

Advanced degree in GN&C or controls

Tools

Git

Jira

CI Pipeline

Job description

About Outpost

The return lane isn’t going to build itself. Come build it with us. Outpost is an orbital logistics company rewriting the rules of global logistics by building reusable Earth-return vehicles that unlock in-space manufacturing, on-orbit warehousing, and 60-minute global delivery through space.Our CarryAll vehicle family returns payloads ranging from 200 kilograms to 10 metric tons, lands within 10 meters of its target, and can then be refurbished and launched again. One vehicle, many missions: responsive logistics and precision delivery for national security; commercial cargo moved with real cadence; R&D payloads flown, tested, and refined across repeatable cycles; and critical aid delivered where roads and runways can’t reach.The demand is already here, validated through defense and civil agreements and supported by a growing pipeline of government and commercial customers.We have the customers, the team, and a clear technical path ahead of us. We’re building the return lane. Come build it with us.

The Role

Outpost is building vehicles that bring things back from space. Getting mass from orbit to a precise point on the ground is a GNC problem end to end: a deorbit burn that has to hit an entry corridor, a hypersonic entry that has to bleed energy inside structural and thermal limits, and a guided descent that has to land on a target,repeatably, and cheaply enough to do it often.

We'rehiring a Principal GNC Engineer to own that chain. This is not a role where you hand algorithms over a wall.You'lldesign the guidance and estimation architecture, write the flight code, put it on hardware, sit through the HIL runs, go out to the drop tests and flight campaigns, and come back with data that changes the design. If you want to see your controller fly within months rather than years, this is that job.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in a related technical discipline with5+ yearsas a GNCor Controlsprofessional or Advanced degree with3+ yearsas a GNCor Controlsprofessional
• Software development experience in C++ and Python .
• Experience in software tools such as Git, Jira, and CI Pipeline
• Algorithms on real hardware (e.g. Extended Kalman Filters, LQR)
• Strong understanding of classical dynamics, modeling and simulation, classical and modern control.
• Ability to work in a fast paced, autonomously driven atmosphere.
• Passion for space and the application of advanced estimation and control techniques in this domain

Additional Qualifications:

• Experience with implementingoptimalcontrol for burn planning
• Experience with satellite maneuvering and thruster systems
• Demonstrated project or professional experience in satellite attitude determination and control
• Experience in end-to-end development of three axis stabilized spacecraft incorporating momentum, magnetic, and/or propulsive control.
• Experience with flexible body control, orbital maneuvering, filtering, fault management, software development, and navigation filtering.

Responsibilities:

• Modeling, design, analysis, implementation and test of satellite attitude determination and control (ADCS) algorithms.
• Hardware performance specification including reaction wheel and torque rod sizing, sensor noise and performance, characteristics, redundancy and fault management.
• Define and own ADCS requirements definition with electrical and mechanical engineers
• Implement closed loop pointing, orbit raising, and station keeping algorithms for flight.
• Analyze platform stability to ensure low jitter of line-of-sight instruments.
• Develop high fidelity 6 degree of freedom satellite simulations using Python, Matlab or C++.
• Develop entry guidance, entry corridor and reachability analysis, deorbit burn targeting, aerothermal and load-constrained trajectory shaping.
• Develop EKF and UKF with GNSS, IMU, air data, radar or laser altimetry, magnetometers, and optical or terrain-relative sensors; sensor error modeling and calibration; GNSS-denied or degraded navigation, including through plasma blackout.
• Implement control of aerodynamically unstable or marginally stable vehicles, gain scheduling and robust control across wide Mach and dynamic pressure ranges, actuator and effector allocation, autonomous mode sequencing and abort logic.
• Support flight test campaigns at test sites — test planning, instrumentation requirements, real-time support, and flight data reconstruction.
• Salary: Principal: $190,000– $225,00, based on experience
• Additional Compensation:Annual performance-based bonuses that reward your impact.
• Shared upside: Meaningful equity in Outpost so you share directly in the value you help create.
• Comprehensive healthcare: Medical, dental, and vision coverage to keep you and your loved ones covered. We cover the base tier of medical insurance and all premiums of vision and dental.
• Protection when it matters: Company-provided short- and long-term disability coverage for peace of mind, plus life insurance for even more security.
• PTO: Recharge on your own terms with paid time off, plus 9 days of paid holidays.
• Invest in your future: 401(k) with company match to help you build long-term wealth.
• Fueled for the mission: Daily DoorDash lunch stipend, plus unlimited snacks, coffee, and tea to keep you energized.
• Mission that matters: Work shoulder-to-shoulder with leaders from aerospace, new space, and deep-tech industries building the future of orbital infrastructure.
• Pet Friendly Office: Bring your furry friend into the office so that they can be a part of our mission too.
• Monthly Company Happy Hours and Events: Drinks at the local bar, hibachi nights, mini golfing and more!

You must be a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 22 C.F.R. § 120.15 , or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in Outpost ’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305 Page 1 of 1 OMB Control Number 1250-0005 Expires 04/30/2026

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp .

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

• Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
• Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
• Blind or low vision
• Cancer (past or present)
• Cardiovascular or heart disease
• Celiac disease
• Cerebral palsy
• Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
• Diabetes
• Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
• Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
• Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
• Intellectual or developmental disability
• Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
• Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
• Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
• Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
• Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
• Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
• Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
• Short stature (dwarfism)
• Traumatic brain injury

Disability Status Select...

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.