Senior Avionics & GNC Engineer (Reentry)

Metheion Technology & Engineering Consulting; United States; Remote; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Metheion Technology & Engineering Consulting seeks an avionics lead to own the avionics system for a free-flying reentry vehicle. You will translate requirements into a flight-capable architecture covering the flight computer, redundant navigation, GNC, and RCS control.

You will drive implementation, hardware-in-the-loop testing, and flight testing, collaborating with systems, propulsion, and simulation engineers while leading a small avionics team in a startup environment.

Qualifications

• Hands-on aviation flight systems experience delivering flight hardware or software.
• Experience taking avionics from requirements through test and integration.
• Experience with embedded/flight software for a flight computer or GNC.
• Experience across avionics hardware and software interfaces.
• Fluent English.

Responsibilities

• Own the avionics system from vehicle-level requirements through flight testing.
• Define avionics interfaces, communication buses, redundancy, fault handling, and data flows.
• Architect and deliver the flight computer, redundant navigation, GNC, and active RCS control.
• Design the navigation and control architecture for GNSS-denied operation.
• Develop and integrate embedded/flight software for the flight computer and GNC stack.
• Lead a small avionics team working on board-level hardware, integration, and testing.
• Troubleshoot hardware and software issues during integration and testing.

Skills

Flight computers

GNC

GNSS-denied navigation

Autonomous control

Aerospace avionics

Embedded software

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical/Electronics/Aerospace Engineering

Job description

About the role

You will own the avionics system for a free-flying reentry vehicle with propulsion, active control, and recovery. You will turn vehicle-level requirements into a flight-capable avionics architecture covering the flight computer, redundant navigation, GNC, and RCS control. You will define avionics requirements, interfaces, redundancy, and the embedded software architecture for GNSS-denied navigation and autonomous control throughout free flight, reentry, and recovery.

You will take the avionics system from architecture through implementation, integration, hardware-in-the-loop testing, and flight testing. You will work across flight hardware, embedded software, GNC, and system integration, while working closely with systems, propulsion, structures, thermal protection, payload, and simulation engineers on vehicle-level technical decisions. You will also lead a small avionics team working on board-level hardware and flight electronics.

This position is in a startup environment. You should be comfortable with ambiguity, tight schedules, shifting priorities, rapid iteration, and taking ownership of technical decisions that directly affect the final product.

Responsibilities

• Own the avionics system from vehicle-level requirements through flight testing.
• Define avionics requirements, interfaces, and system architecture.
• Architect and deliver the flight computer, redundant navigation systems, GNC, and active RCS control.
• Design the navigation and control architecture for GNSS-denied operation through free flight, reentry, and recovery.
• Define avionics interfaces, communication buses, redundancy, fault handling, and system-level data flows.
• Develop and integrate embedded / flight software for the flight computer and GNC stack.
• Take avionics through implementation, hardware integration, hardware-in-the-loop testing, system testing, and flight readiness.
• Work with simulation engineers to develop and validate navigation and control solutions against vehicle models and mission scenarios.
• Work with systems, propulsion, structures, thermal protection, payload, and simulation engineers on vehicle-level technical trades and interfaces.
• Lead a small avionics team working on board-level hardware, integration, and testing.
• Troubleshoot hardware and software issues during integration and testing and drive them through to resolution.

Requirements

• Professional avionics experience on aerospace flight systems, with hands-on experience delivering flight hardware or software for launch vehicles, satellites, sounding rockets, aircraft, UAVs, CubeSats, or similar systems.
• Strong experience with flight computers, GNC, navigation, and active vehicle control.
• Experience taking an avionics system from requirements and architecture through implementation, integration, and test.
• Experience developing and delivering embedded or flight software for a flight computer, GNC system, or comparable aerospace platform.
• Experience working across avionics hardware and software interfaces.
• Degree in Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Computer Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field.
• Practical knowledge of avionics interfaces, communication buses, and embedded systems.
• Experience with system integration, debugging, and testing of flight hardware.
• Fluent English.

Nice to have

• Avionics experience with launch vehicles or satellites.
• Experience with GNSS-denied, inertial, or multi-sensor navigation.
• Experience with redundant, fault-tolerant, or fail-safe avionics architectures.
• Experience with flight computers, autopilots, or real-time control systems.
• Experience with hardware-in-the-loop or closed-loop simulation.
• Experience with reentry vehicles, hypersonic systems, or high-dynamic flight environments.
• Experience with flight qualification, environmental testing, or flight campaigns.
• Experience working in an early-stage aerospace or deep-tech startup.
• EU work authorization preferred.