Spacecraft GNC Engineer — Attitude Control & Flight Ops

Varda Space Industries; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 131,000 - 184,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible PTO

Medical/Dental/Vision insurance

Relocation support

Equity incentive

Job summary

Varda Space Industries is seeking a Spacecraft Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) Engineer to own the full GNC lifecycle from design to flight testing. You will perform system analyses, including Monte Carlo simulations, to drive architectural decisions and maintain design documentation.

The role involves end-to-end GNC execution, on-orbit support, and collaboration with a team drawn from SpaceX and Blue Origin. This is a full-time on-site position in California with strong growth potential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor-level degree in aerospace, mechanical, electrical engineering, physics, or related field.
• 1–3 years of experience or PhD with 1+ years related experience.
• Demonstrated knowledge in aerospace guidance, navigation, and control systems.

Responsibilities

• Spec, size, and select ADCS hardware components (reaction wheels, IMU, GPS, star trackers).
• Design autonomous attitude control, collision avoidance, rendezvous, burn planning, and re-entry algorithms.
• Develop 6-DOF vehicle simulation using C++, Python, MATLAB/Simulink; run Monte Carlo analyses.

Skills

C++/Python

Autonomous guidance

Monte Carlo analysis

Education

B.S. in aerospace/related

Master's degree in engineering/physics

Tools

MATLAB/Simulink

GMAT

POST2

Job description

Varda Space Industries is seeking a Spacecraft Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) Engineer to own the full GNC lifecycle from design to flight testing. You will perform system analyses, including Monte Carlo simulations, to drive architectural decisions and maintain design documentation.

The role involves end-to-end GNC execution, on-orbit support, and collaboration with a team drawn from SpaceX and Blue Origin. This is a full-time on-site position in California with strong growth potential.