Senior GNC & Mission Design Engineer

Stanford Climate Ventures; El Segundo, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/vision/dental

PTO

401k

Stock options

Job summary

General Galactic Technologies Corporation is seeking a Senior GNC + Mission Design Engineer in the Los Angeles area to own GNC solutions and mission design for multiple spacecraft missions. You will work with founders and a focused tech team, covering ADCS, maneuver planning, and flight algorithm integration.

The role involves fast-paced startup dynamics, high ownership, and collaboration with business development to translate missions into technical concepts and customer requirements.

Qualifications

• BS in aerospace engineering or related technical field.
• 4+ years in GNC, mission design, flight dynamics, astrodynamics, or controls.
• Experience with Python, MATLAB, Simulink, STK/ODTK/GMAT, FreeFlyer, Basilisk.
• Startup environment experience with high ownership.
• First-principles problem solving with partial information.
• Strong fundamentals in orbital mechanics and mission analysis.

Responsibilities

• Build analytical tools, simulations, spreadsheets, and Python/MATLAB models to evaluate mission feasibility.
• Own GNC analyses, algorithms, simulations, and operating modes for spacecraft and missions.
• Support business development by assessing customer missions and proposing architectures.
• Collaborate with flight software engineers to integrate GNC algorithms.
• Conduct Monte Carlo and robustness analyses for mission plans and GNC algorithms.
• Review flight/test data to validate models and improve performance.
• Own attitude determination and control (ADCS) development and trades.
• Own mission/trajectory design, including ΔV budgeting and conops.

Skills

GNC

Mission design

Flight dynamics

Astrodynamics

Controls engineering

Python

MATLAB

Simulink

Monte Carlo

Education

BS in aerospace engineering or related field

Tools

STK

ODTK

GMAT

FreeFlyer

Basilisk

Job description

About General Galactic

General Galactic designs, builds, and flies advanced spacecraft that redefine what's possible beyond Earth. Led by former SpaceX, Varda, Impulse, and Relativity engineers, our vision is to dominate cislunar space and build the railway to Mars – expanding access to high-energy orbits and enabling the next generation of missions along the way. Based in Los Angeles, California, we’re leveraging our paradigm-shifting water-based technology to reshape the space domain for good.

Job Description

Ever wondered what it’s like to design and control a mission with the most performant multi-mode propulsion system ever built onboard? As Senior GNC + Mission Design Engineer, you will answer and execute on this question. Working closely with the founders and a focused technical team, you will own GNC solutions and mission design assessments for our vehicle and mission suite, including Seldon and Dreadnought spacecraft vehicles. You’ll have extreme ownership over your work, move quickly, and operate with high agency. As we grow, there will be opportunities to expand your role with the company.

This is a senior technical role for someone who can operate across both spacecraft GNC and orbital mission architecture. The ideal candidate will contribute across ADCS, maneuver planning, mission design, flight algorithm integration, and mission operations planning. You will also work closely with the business development team to assess customer missions and translate opportunities into technical concepts and requirements.

Responsibilities may include:

• Build practical analytical tools, simulations, spreadsheets, and Python/MATLAB models to evaluate mission feasibility, requirements, timelines, etc
• Own GNC analyses, algorithms, simulations, and operating modes for General Galactic spacecraft and missions
• Support business development by rapidly assessing customer mission concepts, producing credible mission architectures, evaluating technical feasibility, and generating proposal-ready performance estimates
• Collaborate with flight software engineers to integrate GNC algorithms
• Conduct Monte Carlo analysis and robustness analysis for mission plans and GNC algorithms
• Review flight data, test data, and simulation results to identify anomalies, validate models, and improve vehicle and mission performance
• Own attitude determination and control (ADCS) development and make vs buy trades
• Own mission/trajectory design and maneuver planning, including ΔV budgeting and mission conops

Requirements

Successful applicants should have most of the following:

• BS in aerospace engineering, controls engineering, or a related technical field
• 4+ years of experience in GNC, mission design, flight dynamics, astrodynamics, controls, etc
• Experience with Python, MATLAB, Simulink, STK/ODTK/GMAT, FreeFlyer, Basilisk, Monte Carlo frameworks, or similar environments
• Experience in a fast-paced startup environment or similar. High agency, strong ownership, and willingness to work hands‑on across disciplines
• First-principles approach to problem solving even with incomplete or partial information
• Strong fundamentals in orbital mechanics, dynamics, state estimation, controls, propulsion-enabled maneuvering, and mission analysis

Your salary and incentives will be determined individually on the basis of the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience.

• Benefits include medical/vision/dental/PTO/401k/stock options, and more!

This position requires access to information protected under US export control laws, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations and/or the Export Administration Regulations. As such, US person status (including US citizens, U.S. permanent residents, individuals granted U.S. asylum status, or individuals admitted in U.S. refugee status) is a required qualification for this position.

General Galactic Technologies Corporation provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.