Senior Spacecraft GNC Engineer — Guidance & Control

Portalsystems; Bothell (WA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Portal Space Systems, based in Bothell, WA, seeks a Senior GNC Engineer to lead the full lifecycle development of the GNC subsystem for flight software as part of the Software, GNC, and Autonomy team.

You will oversee architecture, design, and development, guiding other GNC engineers and ensuring rigorous validation through modeling, simulation, and HIL/SIL activities. ITAR eligibility is required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in Aerospace Engineering or related field.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in spacecraft and satellite GNC development.
• Experience designing, implementing, and testing autonomous navigation, guidance and control from simulation through field deployment.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and validate GNC algorithms with a focus on precise pointing and stability control.
• Perform high-fidelity simulations, modeling, and analysis of guidance, navigation, and control systems.
• Lead GNC avionics integration, including sensor calibration and hardware-in-the-loop testing.
• Support mission planning, trajectory design, and optimization of spacecraft pointing performance.
• Collaborate with software, avionics, propulsion, and mission planning teams.
• Conduct system performance assessments and develop risk mitigation strategies.
• Develop and document technical specifications and interface control documents.
• Provide hands-on support for integration and testing of GNC flight hardware and software.
• Collaborate with partner organizations on satellite development.

Skills

GNC leadership

High-fidelity analysis

Kinematics & dynamics

Control theory

System integration

Education

Aerospace Engineering degree

Tools

MATLAB/Simulink

Python/C/C++

Job description

Portal Space Systems, based in Bothell, WA, seeks a Senior GNC Engineer to lead the full lifecycle development of the GNC subsystem for flight software as part of the Software, GNC, and Autonomy team.

You will oversee architecture, design, and development, guiding other GNC engineers and ensuring rigorous validation through modeling, simulation, and HIL/SIL activities. ITAR eligibility is required.