Senior Guidance, Navigation, & Control (GNC) Engineer

K2 Space Corporation; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 160,000 - 235,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity in the company

Comprehensive benefits package including medical/dental/vision coverage

Paid time off

Life insurance

Paid parental leave

Job summary

K2 Space Corporation in Los Angeles is hiring a Senior GNC engineer to lead the GNC architecture for spacecraft. You will develop algorithms for navigation across various orbits and enhance simulation tools for mission design. Ideal candidates should have experience in flight software estimation algorithms and GNC system design. The position offers a salary range of $160,000 – $235,000, along with a comprehensive benefits package including equity in the company.

Qualifications

• Experience implementing estimation algorithms for flight software.
• Experience performing Monte-Carlo based analyses.
• Experience with verification and validation of GNC flight software.
• Experience with GNC sensor sizing and system design.
• Experience with Python, Julia, C/C++, Rust, or Matlab for algorithm development.

Responsibilities

• Develop novel algorithms for precise navigation in various orbits.
• Develop simulation tools for GNC trade studies and mission design.
• Recruit, hire, and mentor other engineers in the GNC organization.

Skills

Implementation of estimation algorithms (Kalman Filters, etc.)

Monte-Carlo based analyses

Verification of GNC flight software

Experience with Python, Julia, C/C++, Rust, or Matlab

Job description

K2 is building the largest and highest-power satellites ever flown, unlocking performance levels previously out of reach across every orbit. Backed by $450M from leading investors including Altimeter Capital, Redpoint Ventures, T. Rowe Price, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Alpine Space Ventures, and others – with an additional $500M in signed contracts across commercial and US government customers – we’re mass‑producing the highest‑power satellite platforms ever built for missions from LEO to deep space.

The rise of heavy‑lift launch vehicles is shifting the industry from an era of mass constraint to one of mass abundance, and we believe this new era demands a fundamentally different class of spacecraft. Engineered to survive the harshest radiation environments and to fully capitalize on today’s and tomorrow’s massive rockets, K2 satellites deliver unmatched capability at constellation scale and across multiple orbits.

With multiple launches planned through 2026 and 2027, we’re Building Bigger to develop the solar system and become a Kardashev Type II (K2) civilization. If you are a motivated individual who thrives in a fast‑paced environment and you’re excited about contributing to the success of a groundbreaking Series C space startup, we’d love for you to apply.

The Role

As a Senior GNC engineer, you will be a core driver of the overall spacecraft GNC architecture. You will execute detailed trade studies to find new and novel ways to implement the spacecraft’s orbital guidance, orbital control, and attitude and orbit estimation systems. In the first 3 months, you will support the development/improvement of the MEO navigation, taking lessons learned from the Gravitas mission and applying them to the baseline GNC stack. In the first 6 months you will support the development of new and novel navigation approaches to support future programs – specifically solving navigation for GEO, cis‑lunar, and interplanetary. In parallel you will support the development of the in‑house trajectory design scheme and associated analysis workflow. As we learn more about our system, this will lead to updates to both the GNC stack and the K2 6‑DOF simulation. The expectation is that all GNC team members commit code to the 6‑DOF sim as well as owning a portion of the GNC flight software.

In the first year, you will support launch and on‑orbit operations of the Trinity mission – the stacked launch of 3 K2 Mega spacecraft. In parallel, you will continue to support improvements, closing the loop on the design, build, test, fly lifecycle.

Responsibilities

• Work with other engineering leads to develop and validate a novel high‑level vehicle architecture.
• Develop novel algorithms for precise navigation in LEO, MEO, GEO, cis‑lunar, and interplanetary space.
• Develop simulation and modeling tools to support vehicle and GNC trade studies, including mission design, controls analysis, and 6‑DOF simulation development.
• Contribute to building the GNC organization by recruiting, hiring, and mentoring other engineers.

Qualifications

• Experience implementing estimation algorithms for flight software and ground software, specifically Kalman Filters, Extended Kalman Filters, and Unscented Kalman Filters.
• Experience performing Monte‑Carlo based analyses and covariance analysis.
• Experience with verification and validation of GNC flight software in an integrated environment, leveraging 6‑DOF simulation and HITL testing.
• Experience with GNC sensor sizing, selection, and system design.
• Experience with Python, Julia, C/C++, Rust, or Matlab for algorithm development, implementation, and simulation.

Nice to Have

• Experience with system identification, leveraging on‑orbit data.
• Experience with early‑stage spacecraft conceptual design, i.e. “clean sheet” design work.
• Breadth in control algorithm development.
• Experience with reaction wheel, control moment gyroscope, or thruster sizing and algorithm implementation.
• Experience with trajectory analysis, modeling, optimization, and mission design for GEO, cislunar, interplanetary missions.

Compensation And Benefits

• Base salary range for this role is $160,000 – $235,000 + equity in the company.
• Salary will be based on several factors including, but not limited to: knowledge and skills, education, and experience level.
• Comprehensive benefits package including paid time off, medical/dental/vision coverage, life insurance, paid parental leave, and many other perks.

If you don’t meet 100% of the preferred skills and experience, we encourage you to still apply! Building a spacecraft unlike any other requires a team unlike any other and non‑traditional career twists and turns are encouraged.

If you need a reasonable accommodation as part of your application for employment or interviews with us, please let us know.

Export Compliance

As defined in the ITAR, “U.S. Persons” include U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents (i.e., Green Card holders), and certain protected individuals (e.g., refugees/asylees, American Samoans). Please consult with a knowledgeable advisor if you are unsure whether you are a “U.S. person.” The person hired for this role will have access to information and items controlled by U.S. export control regulations, including the export control regulations outlined in the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR). The person hired for this role must therefore either be a “U.S. person” as defined by 22 C.F.R. 120.15 or otherwise eligible for a federally issued export control license.

Equal Opportunity

K2 Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with K2 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.