Senior Spacecraft Autonomy Engineer – Faults & Safe Ops

Impulsespace; Louisville (CO); On-site; USD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Medical, vision & dental coverage

401(k) retirement plan

Job summary

Impulse Space in Boulder County is seeking a Senior Autonomy Engineer to own spacecraft-level autonomous behavior across mission phases. You will define fault detection, decisions, mode transitions, and safe execution with minimal ground intervention.

You will work across flight software, GNC, avionics, and ground systems to define architecture, verify with SIL/HIL, and support mission operations. This role offers competitive compensation and stock options, plus medical, vision, dental coverage

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience with requirements and system-level behavior definition
• Hands-on involvement with verification, simulation, or test
• Demonstrated spacecraft autonomy or fault management experience

Responsibilities

• Define the spacecraft autonomy architecture, including modes, states, authority, and decision boundaries
• Own fault management, safing, and recovery logic at the system level
• Coordinate autonomous behavior across flight software, GNC, avionics, and ground systems
• Define and maintain autonomy interfaces and assumptions
• Drive system-level verification using SIL, HIL, and mission simulations
• Configure vehicle automations tied to mission risk and operational needs
• Support integration, test campaigns, and mission operations

Skills

Autonomy systems

Systems engineering

Fault management

State machines

Safety-critical reasoning

Education

Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering / Robotics / CS

Tools

Flight software

GNC

Mission operations

SIL/HIL testing

Job description

Impulse Space in Boulder County is seeking a Senior Autonomy Engineer to own spacecraft-level autonomous behavior across mission phases. You will define fault detection, decisions, mode transitions, and safe execution with minimal ground intervention.

You will work across flight software, GNC, avionics, and ground systems to define architecture, verify with SIL/HIL, and support mission operations. This role offers competitive compensation and stock options, plus medical, vision, dental coverage