Senior Flight Dynamics Engineer

EVONA; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

RSUs offered

Job summary

EVONA is expanding its advanced aerospace team in the United States. We are seeking a Senior Flight Dynamics Engineer to own flight dynamics, astrodynamics and mission operations across full mission lifecycles, from design to on-orbit operations.

The role involves developing dynamic capabilities, performing orbit propagation and maneuver planning, and building Python tools to automate planning and analysis. You will work closely with GNC and Flight Software teams in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of experience across flight dynamics, astrodynamics, mission analysis or spacecraft operations.
• Strong understanding of orbital mechanics and spacecraft trajectories.
• Hands-on spacecraft maneuver planning and trajectory analysis experience.
• Strong Python development skills, beyond basic scripting.
• Experience developing flight dynamics, mission analysis or spacecraft operations tools.
• Experience with orbit propagation and trajectory prediction.
• Exposure to orbit determination.
• Experience supporting spacecraft through mission design and/or operational phases.
• Comfortable working closely with GNC and Flight Software teams.
• Ability to take ownership in a fast-moving engineering environment.

Responsibilities

• Developing flight dynamics capabilities across the full spacecraft mission lifecycle.
• Performing orbit propagation, trajectory prediction and maneuver planning.
• Supporting orbit determination and spacecraft navigation activities.
• Building Python applications and engineering tools for flight dynamics and mission operations.
• Automating mission planning, analysis and operational workflows.
• Developing and validating algorithms used to plan and operate spacecraft.
• Supporting launch, commissioning and on-orbit spacecraft operations.
• Working closely with GNC and Flight Software engineers to integrate flight dynamics capabilities into the wider spacecraft system.
• Analysing mission performance and supporting anomaly investigation.
• Helping shape the flight dynamics architecture, tools and processes for future spacecraft missions.

Skills

Flight dynamics

Astrodynamics

Orbit mechanics

Python development

Trajectory analysis

Missions operations

GNC collaboration

Tools

GMAT

STK

MONTE

Job description

Designing a spacecraft mission is one thing. Building the flight dynamics capability that actually gets it where it needs to go is another.

We are working with a high growth American aerospace and defence communications company that designs, manufactures and tests advanced communication systems and satellites entirely in US facilities. The business is scaling rapidly, driven by significant demand across government, defence and commercial aerospace.

Their flagship spacecraft programme launches its first mission in October this year, with 8 launches secured through 2029. They are now expanding the team responsible for planning, analysing and supporting these missions from early design through to on-orbit operations.

They are looking for a Senior Flight Dynamics Engineer to take significant ownership across flight dynamics, astrodynamics and mission operations. This is a hands-on engineering role sitting closely between Flight Dynamics, GNC and Flight Software, with a strong emphasis on both orbital mechanics and building the software used to plan and operate spacecraft.

What you'll be doing:

• Developing flight dynamics capabilities across the full spacecraft mission lifecycle
• Performing orbit propagation, trajectory prediction and maneuver planning
• Supporting orbit determination and spacecraft navigation activities
• Building Python applications and engineering tools for flight dynamics and mission operations
• Automating mission planning, analysis and operational workflows
• Developing and validating algorithms used to plan and operate spacecraft
• Supporting launch, commissioning and on-orbit spacecraft operations
• Working closely with GNC and Flight Software engineers to integrate flight dynamics capabilities into the wider spacecraft system
• Analysing mission performance and supporting anomaly investigation
• Helping shape the flight dynamics architecture, tools and processes for future spacecraft missions

What we're looking for:

• 4+ years of relevant experience across flight dynamics, astrodynamics, mission analysis or spacecraft operations
• Strong understanding of orbital mechanics and spacecraft trajectories
• Hands-on spacecraft maneuver planning and trajectory analysis experience
• Strong Python development skills, beyond basic scripting
• Experience developing flight dynamics, mission analysis or spacecraft operations tools
• Experience with orbit propagation and trajectory prediction
• Exposure to orbit determination
• Experience supporting spacecraft through mission design and/or operational phases
• Comfortable working closely with GNC and Flight Software teams
• Ability to take ownership in a fast-moving engineering environment

Nice to have:

• Experience with GMAT, STK or MONTE
• Direct launch, LEOP or on-orbit mission operations experience
• Experience with conjunction assessment and collision avoidance
• Experience developing automated flight dynamics or mission planning systems
• Knowledge of estimation techniques, including Kalman filtering
• C++ or broader spacecraft software development experience
• Experience taking flight dynamics tools from development through to operational use
• Work on a confirmed spacecraft programme with its first launch this year and multiple additional missions already secured
• Own flight dynamics work across the full mission lifecycle, rather than focusing solely on early-stage mission analysis
• Work directly alongside GNC, Flight Software and spacecraft operations engineers
• Join a growing Colorado engineering hub with significant technical ownership
• Strongly funded business with a recent $470M Series C
• RSUs offered as part of the compensation package

Please note: due to US Government Space Technology Export Regulations, applicants must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, conditional resident, asylee or refugee, or otherwise eligible to obtain the required authorisations from the U.S. Department of State.