Principal Guidance, Navigation, & Controls Engineer

Impulsespace; Redondo Beach (CA); On-site; USD 230,000 - 270,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Medical, vision & dental coverage

401(k) retirement plan

Job summary

Impulse Space in Redondo Beach seeks a Principal GNC Engineer to lead the Guidance, Navigation, and Controls of agile delta-V spacecraft. You will own all aspects of vehicle guidance and control across development and operations with a fast-paced team and must hold a TS/SCI clearance.

You will mentor engineers, shape hardware and software design reviews, and collaborate with partners to meet mission needs while delivering robust control systems for missions in LEO, GEO, and cislunar.

Qualifications

• Active Top Secret Clearance with SCI eligibility.
• Bachelor's degree in engineering, science, math or related.
• 12+ years of experience in spacecraft control design and analysis.

Responsibilities

• Architect GNC flight, test, and analysis systems for high-maneuverability space vehicles produced at scale.
• Guide development of robust control algorithms for satellites in LEO, GEO, and cislunar.
• Direct vehicle‑level hardware and software design reviews and trade studies, coordinating GNC needs with other vehicle domains.

Skills

Matlab

C++

Control analysis

Spacecraft operations

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Principal Guidance, Navigation, & Controls Engineer

Department: Autonomous Systems

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: Redondo Beach

Compensation: $230,000 - $270,000 / year

Description

Principal GNC Engineer of Responsive Spacecraft at Impulse Space, you will lead the team responsible for GNC of the most agile delta-V machines under development. You will own all aspects of and provide outstanding technical contribution to vehicle guidance and control in all phases of development and operation with a fast-paced team. Due to the nature of the programs, a TS/SCI clearance is required.

Responsibilities

• Architect GNC flight, test, and analysis systems for high-maneuverability space vehicles produced at scale.
• Guide development of robust control algorithms for satellites in LEO, GEO, and cislunar.
• Direct vehicle‑level hardware and software design reviews and trade studies, coordinating GNC needs with other vehicle domains.
• Develop GNC flight and simulation software to implement new algorithms, hardware modeling, and orbital regime changes.
• Interface with internal and external partners for vehicle design to meet mission needs
• Mentor junior engineers and define the best practices for vehicle GNC through the engineering lifecycle.
• Resolve technical issues with innovative, resourceful solutions.
• Communicate design needs, intent, and capability to the broader engineering team and customers.

Minimum Qualifications

• Active Top Secret Clearance with SCI eligibility.
• Bachelor's degree in engineering, science, math or related.
• 12+ years of experience in spacecraft control design and analysis.
• Proficiency in Matlab and C++.
• Demonstrated experience performing control analysis in time and frequency domains.
• Experience in spacecraft operations.

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Experience with vehicle‑GNC design processes, from concept, through design reviews and implementation.
• Experience with agile GEO vehicles.
• Experience with high‑thrust spacecraft.
• Experience in a startup or agile development environment.

Additional Information

Compensation bands are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual level and base pay is determined on a case‑by‑case basis and may vary based on job‑related skills, education, experience, technical capabilities and internal equity.

• long-term incentives, in the form of stock options
• access to medical, vision & dental coverage
• access to a 401(k) retirement plan

Impulse Space’s spacecraft manufacturing business is subject to U.S. export regulations including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR). This position requires applicants to be either U.S. Persons (i.e., U.S. citizen, U.S. national, lawful permanent U.S. resident (green card holder), an individual granted asylum in the U.S., or an individual admitted in U.S. refugee status) or persons eligible to obtain an export license from the U.S. Departments of State, Commerce, or other applicable U.S. government agencies. Learn more about the ITAR here.

Impulse Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Impulse Space is governed on the basis of 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.