Senior GNC Engineer - Navigation & State Estimation

Firefly Aerospace Inc.; Austin, Northern (TX, KY); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Unlimited PTO

3-month sabbatical

Medical/Dental/Vision insurance

Mental health services

Paid military leave

Dog friendly workplace

Stock bonuses

4% Safe Harbor 401(k) matching

Home purchase bonus

Educational reimbursement

Job summary

Firefly Aerospace, Inc. in Austin, Texas, seeks a Senior GNC Engineer specializing in navigation and estimation to design and implement navigation systems for launch vehicles. You will develop and tune navigation filters, support hardware-in-the-loop testing, and mentor junior engineers in a fast-paced environment.

The role combines estimation theory, embedded systems, and hands-on flight operations, with opportunities to lead technical work and collaborate across disciplines.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer science, or related field.
• 5–10 years of experience in launch vehicle GNC systems with depth in navigation system design or flight software development.
• Advanced knowledge of state estimation techniques including Kalman filtering, sensor fusion, and covariance analysis.
• Strong understanding of inertial navigation systems, GNSS processing, and navigation sensor error modeling.
• Expertise in real-time software development using C++ for flight-critical applications.
• Experience with hardware-in-the-loop testing and requirement verification for flight-critical systems.
• Proficiency in software development best practices (Git, documentation, testing) and CI/CD.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Master’s degree or PhD in related field.
• Experience developing custom navigation/state estimation algorithms for launch vehicles.
• Advanced filtering techniques (unscented Kalman, particle, adaptive).
• Hands-on experience with launch vehicle sensor systems (FOGs, RLGs, MEMS IMUs, GNSS).
• Knowledge of flight mechanics, gravity, aerodynamics, propulsion; attitude dynamics and control theory.

Responsibilities

• Design, analyze, and tune launch vehicle navigation software for accurate state estimation.
• Implement advanced filtering techniques using inertial and GNSS measurements.
• Develop navigation systems robust to sensor errors and degradations.
• Establish standards and validation methodologies for navigation design and hardware-in-the-loop testing.
• Conduct covariance analysis, sensitivity studies, and performance optimization.
• Support hardware-in-the-loop test campaigns for integrated GNC systems.
• Provide technical direction on system architecture and mentoring for junior engineers.
• Author technical documents and analyses communicating GNC concepts.

Skills

State estimation

Kalman filtering

Sensor fusion

C++ flight software

Python scripting

Git version control

CI/CD

Real-time software development

Communication skills

Leadership of juniors

Education

Master’s degree or PhD in aerospace engineering / electrical engineering / applied mathematics

Bachelor’s degree in aerospace/related field

Tools

Git

RTOS

Flight software frameworks

GNSS receivers

Sensor models & testbeds

Job description

Firefly Aerospace, Inc. in Austin, Texas, seeks a Senior GNC Engineer specializing in navigation and estimation to design and implement navigation systems for launch vehicles. You will develop and tune navigation filters, support hardware-in-the-loop testing, and mentor junior engineers in a fast-paced environment.

The role combines estimation theory, embedded systems, and hands-on flight operations, with opportunities to lead technical work and collaborate across disciplines.