GNC Engineer, ADCS (Starshield) jobs in United States
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SpaceX · 4 hours ago

GNC Engineer, ADCS (Starshield)

SpaceX is a company focused on developing technologies to enable human life on Mars. They are seeking a GNC Engineer for the Starshield program, where the engineer will work on spacecraft attitude dynamics, control systems, and software development to ensure mission success.

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Responsibilities

Design and implementation of satellite GNC software that can facilitate all mission concepts of operations across all phases of flight, including off-nominal/contingency scenarios
Design of concepts of operations (CONOPs) that intelligently balance thermal constraints, power budgets, momentum management, satellite-to-ground and satellite-to-satellite contact, and payload-pointing needs
Design, development, and flight software implementation of onboard GNC algorithms to achieve a high level of vehicle autonomy and fault tolerance while providing adequate navigation and control performance
Update and maintain GNC software configurations for a variety of minor satellite design revisions and mission sets
High fidelity time domain 6DOF modeling and simulation of satellite dynamics, sensors, actuators, algorithms, and all of their interactions
Monte Carlo simulation analysis to validate safe and reliable flight and quantify navigation and control performance
Heavy involvement in integrated hardware-in-the-loop (HITL) testing efforts, including but not limited to test case design, data review automation, and modeling fidelity improvements
Navigation filtering and control systems design and optimization
Spacecraft design activities related to ADCS sensor and actuator hardware sizing and layout
Develop, validate, and improve upon complex sensor, actuator, and dynamics models for use in 6DOF simulation analysis
Maintain a robust and tight interface with other disciplines and subsystems (e.g. thermal, power, communications) to ensure a good and consistent system-level design

Qualification

Spacecraft attitude dynamicsNavigation filteringControl systems designSoftware development in C++Software development in PythonMATLAB/SimulinkMonte Carlo simulationGitLinuxContinuous improvementTeam collaborationProblem-solvingAdaptability

Required

Bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering, computer science/software engineering, or an engineering discipline
Software development experience in C++, Python, and/or MATLAB/Simulink

Preferred

Master's or PhD in aerospace engineering, computer science/software engineering, or an engineering discipline
Basic familiarity with the GNC discipline and associated technical fundamentals
Extremely strong technical fundamentals in the areas of spacecraft attitude and orbit dynamics, navigation filtering and/or control systems design
Capable of identifying and solving complex problems with a high degree of autonomy
Willingness to take on a large scope of ownership over complex problems and solve them in a multi-disciplinary fashion, striving for system and mission-level optimality
Ability to work in a fast-paced, dynamic engineering environment, with a steadfast commitment to continuous improvement
Demonstrated experience owning, designing, testing, and flying real-world GNC engineering solutions, preferably on space vehicles
Experience with on-orbit space vehicle operations, commanding, debugging, and use of flight telemetry to track performance metrics and validate simulation models
Familiarity with orbit navigation filtering using GNSS measurements and attitude navigation using star trackers/rate gyros
Strong understanding of unit testing, regression testing, and CI/CD within a complex software development environment
Familiarity with GNC algorithm unit testing and implementation in flight software
Experience with Git, Linux, Confluence, and Jira
Active Top Secret, Top Secret SCI, or DOE Level Q clearance, or the ability to obtain and maintain one

Benefits

Long-term incentives, in the form of company stock, stock options, or long-term cash awards
Potential discretionary bonuses
Ability to purchase additional stock at a discount through an Employee Stock Purchase Plan
Comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage
Access to a 401(k) retirement plan
Short and long-term disability insurance
Life insurance
Paid parental leave
Various other discounts and perks
3 weeks of paid vacation
10 or more paid holidays per year
Paid sick leave pursuant to Company policy

Company

SpaceX is an aviation and aerospace company that designs, manufactures, and launches rockets and spacecraft.

Funding

Current Stage
Late Stage
Total Funding
$11.78B
Key Investors
Korea Investment PartnersIntesa SanpaoloAndreessen Horowitz
2025-12-12Secondary Market
2025-09-10Secondary Market
2025-08-13Secondary Market· $10M

Leadership Team

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Bret Johnsen
CFO
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Charles Kuehmann
VP Materials Engineering
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Company data provided by crunchbase