Rocket Lab · 23 hours ago
Senior GNC Engineer I
Long Beach, CA
Full-time
Onsite
Senior Level
$140K/yr - $170K/yr
5+ years expRocket Lab is an end-to-end space company delivering responsive launch services and spacecraft design. The Senior Spacecraft GNC Engineer I is responsible for leading GNC and ADCS development for diverse spacecraft, working throughout the engineering life cycle and ensuring mission success by collaborating with various teams and customers.
AerospaceManufacturingSoftwareSpace Travel
No H1B
U.S. Citizen Only
Responsibilities
Mentor a team responsible for GNC design, modeling, and analysis for a wide variety of spacecraft and space missions to include LEO, MEO, GEO, Lunar, Interplanetary, Reentry, and RPOD
Design of flight software, algorithms, and simulation product
Development of spacecraft autonomy tools for constellation management
GNC component selection and GNC subsystem design
Test process development and execution
Define fault detection and response
Hardware-in-the-loop and Monte Carlo simulation
Integration of flight and simulation software with modern analysis, test, and operations tools
Support internal and external design reviews
Work with department leads and program managers to plan and maintain team schedule and milestones and report technical status
Coordinate with teams in Denver, Colorado and New Zealand
Qualification
Required
BS and 5+ years of industry experience in GNC/ADCS
Prior experience directly interfacing with aerospace customers in the commercial or government sectors
U.S citizenship is required, due to program requirements
Preferred
MS or PhD
2+ years of RPOD design and operations experience
Experience in Jira planning and workflow
Prior experiencing mentoring a team of younger engineers
Hands-on experience with IMU, reaction wheels, star trackers, gyroscopes, and other GNC hardware
Experience developing blended attitude solutions from a variety of sensor data
Demonstrated experience developing, implementing, and verifying flight software
Demonstrated experience with spacecraft on-orbit operations and anomaly resolution
Prior experience leading a team across a project lifecycle (not necessarily a spacecraft, not necessarily a whole GNC system)
Prior experience working multiple projects simultaneously and determining priorities for a team
Experience with GNC-related Business Development or conceptual design work
Benefits
Top tier medical HMO, PPO & a 100% company-sponsored medical HSA plan option
Dental and vision coverage
3 weeks paid vacation and 5 days sick leave per year
11 paid holidays per year
Flexible spending and dependent care savings accounts
Paid parental leave
Disability insurance
Life insurance
Access to a 401(k) retirement plan with company match
Discounted employee stock purchase program
Subsidized EV charging stations
Onsite gym
Food and drinks
Other discounts
Company
Rocket Lab
Rocket Lab is an aerospace company that provides launch services, spacecraft design, and manufacturing of satellite components.
1001-5000 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Public CompanyTotal Funding
$1.98BKey Investors
Canadian Space AgencyU.S. Department of CommerceTrinity Capital
2025-12-09Grant
2025-09-15Post Ipo Equity· $750M
2024-11-25Grant· $23.9M
Leadership Team
Adam Spice
Chief Financial Officer
Frank Klein
Chief Operations Officer
Recent News
2026-01-13
2026-01-13
2026-01-11
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