GNC Engineer II; Hypersonics

Career Opportunities with Firefly Aerospace

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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.

As a GNC Engineer at Firefly, you will design, analyze, and operate the GNC systems for operational launch vehicles including the Alpha Launch Vehicle and emerging hypersonic programs. In this role, you will develop GNC and simulation software tailored to high-speed flight regimes, perform dynamic analyses across diverse trajectory profiles, and support mission operations while building breadth across multiple vehicle programs.

This position offers hands‑on experience with launch vehicle ascent guidance, hypersonic guidance algorithms, attitude control in high dynamic pressure environments, and real‑time flight operations in a fast‑paced environment. You will deepen your technical capabilities in flight mechanics and controls, with particular emphasis on hypersonic applications, taking ownership of system elements and software tools supporting Firefly’s expanding vehicle portfolio.

• Develop and validate GNC software to ensure successful mission execution across multiple vehicle programs
• Design and tune attitude determination and control algorithms for all phases of flight including boost, ascent, and terminal phases
• Perform 6
  
  DOF dynamic analysis of nominal and dispersed trajectories including aerodynamic heating effects, trajectory shaping, and range optimization
• Develop and maintain simulation models for aerodynamics, hypersonic thermal constraints, propulsion systems, sensors, and actuators
• Create tools to automate workflows, process flight data, and generate technical reports for vehicle performance
• Conduct stability analysis, sensitivity studies, and hardware‑in‑the‑loop testing of GNC systems under flight conditions including off‑nominal scenarios
• Interface with cross‑discipline teams (aerodynamics, propulsion, structures, thermal) to integrate GNC software with vehicle hardware
• Support trajectory optimization and targeting for mission profiles including launch vehicles and high‑speed flight regimes
• Serve as a GNC console operator for vehicle launch operations and perform post‑flight analysis to improve vehicle models and performance predictions
• Author technical documentation and analysis reports that communicate GNC concepts and results to diverse audiences
• Build proficiency across GNC competencies while contributing to continuous improvement of GNC processes and tools

• Bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, physics, mathematics, computer science, or related field
• 2-5 years of professional experience in aerospace guidance, navigation, and control, or related technical discipline
• Understanding of flight mechanics, aerodynamics, and attitude dynamics
• Familiarity with numerical simulation techniques, integration methods, and modeling of dynamic systems
• Experience with Python for scripting, data analysis, and visualization
• Familiarity with C++ for real‑time or…