GNC Engineer III (Navigation), Eclipse

Senior GnC Engineer

Firefly Aerospace is a space and defense technology company on a mission to reliably and repeatedly launch, land, and operate space systems from Earth to the Moon and beyond. As the partner of choice for critical space missions, Firefly is the first commercial company to launch a satellite to orbit with 24-hour notice and the first company to achieve a successful Moon landing.

Headquartered in north Austin, Texas, Firefly is looking for passionate, hardworking innovators to join our team and help fuel our successful trajectory into space.

• Design, analyze, and tune launch vehicle navigation software to ensure accurate state estimation from launch to orbit
• Implement advanced filtering techniques using inertial sensor and GNSS measurements
• Develop navigation systems robust to error sources including inertial sensor bias, GNSS signal degradation, noise, and sensor misalignments
• Establish technical standards and validation methodologies for navigation system design, software development, and hardware-in-the-loop testing
• Conduct covariance analysis, sensitivity studies, and performance optimization for navigation systems under nominal and off-nominal flight conditions
• Support hardware-in-the-loop test campaigns for integrated GNC systems including navigation algorithm validation, flight software verification, and system-level performance testing
• Drive resolution of complex GNC challenges requiring deep technical expertise and rapid problem-solving
• Provide technical direction on system architecture and serve as subject matter expert for launch vehicle state estimation
• Mentor junior engineers in estimation theory and flight software development
• Author technical documentation and analysis reports that communicate GNC concepts and results to diverse audiences
• Interface with cross-discipline teams to integrate navigation software with vehicle hardware
• Serve as a GNC console operator for launch operations and perform post-flight analysis to improve vehicle models
• Champion continuous improvement initiatives for GNC processes, tools, and operational efficiency

• Bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer science, or related field
• 5-10 years of experience in launch vehicle GNC systems with significant depth in navigation system design or flight software development
• Advanced knowledge of state estimation techniques including Kalman filtering, sensor fusion, and covariance analysis
• Strong understanding of inertial navigation systems, GNSS processing, and navigation sensor error modeling
• Expertise in real-time software development using C++ for flight-critical applications
• Experience developing high-fidelity sensor models and navigation system testbeds
• Proficiency in hardware-in-the-loop testing and requirement verification for flight-critical systems
• Understanding of software development best practices including version control (Git), code documentation, and testing
• Excellent communication and presentation skills

• Master's degree or PhD in aerospace engineering, electrical engineering, applied mathematics, or related field
• Experience developing custom navigation or state estimation algorithms for launch vehicle applications
• Expertise in advanced filtering techniques such as unscented Kalman filters, particle filters, or adaptive estimation methods
• Hands-on experience with launch vehicle sensor systems including fiber optic gyros, ring laser gyros, MEMS IMUs, and GNSS receivers
• Advanced knowledge of launch vehicle flight mechanics and high-fidelity modeling of gravity, aerodynamics, and propulsion
• Advanced knowledge of attitude dynamics and control theory, including rotational dynamics, attitude representations, control moment generation, and stability analysis
• Experience with modern flight software frameworks and real-time operating systems
• Software engineering expertise with proficiency in development practices including version control, code review, testing, documentation, and CI/CD workflows
• Proficiency in Python for scripting, data analysis, and automation
• Working knowledge of launch vehicle systems…