Lead Spacecraft Navigation Engineer

The team at Advanced Space is leading humanity back to the Moon and pioneering innovative solutions in the space industry. Based in Westminster, Colorado, this incredible team is looking for a Sr. Spacecraft Navigation Engineer who’s eager to push the state of the art in spacecraft navigation technology.

This position is responsible for leading development efforts, supporting a technically diverse team, and conducting detailed analyses of navigation technology and missions. The ideal candidate will be an experienced professional who can drive innovation, mentor junior engineers, and support spaceflight operations.

Location:

Westminster, Colorado.

Open to U.S. Persons only (U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents) as required by applicable laws and regulations.

We do not provide visa sponsorship or work‑authorization support for this role.

• Lead spacecraft navigation for all mission phases, including formulation, tracking architecture development, estimation approach, and operations.
• Develop and validate advanced Kalman filter configurations for complex regimes (multi‑body, low‑thrust, weak observability).
• Serve as primary navigation lead for flight‑operations prep, including console support, real‑time OD, and anomaly response.
• Architect navigation solutions that account for mission design, GNC, communications, and ground‑system constraints.
• Own navigation products for major reviews, clearly communicating performance, trades, and risks.
• Mentor junior navigation engineers in OD, filter design, measurement modeling, and operations best practices.
• Drive improvements to navigation procedures, tool setups, and standard operating practices.
• Support BD and IRAD by shaping navigation concepts, contributing to proposals, and defining new mission and capability concepts.

• 8–12 years of professional experience in spacecraft navigation, orbit determination, or closely related flight dynamics roles.
• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related field.
• Demonstrated leadership of OD campaigns or major navigation tasks, including filter setup, force models, and tracking strategies.
• Proven ability to design and adapt Kalman filters for new dynamical and tracking regimes, including dynamic, bias, stochastic, and parameter considerations.
• Significant experience with navigation/astrodynamics tools (e.g., MONTE, Free Flyer, ODTK, GMAT, STK) in flight or flight‑like applications.
• Strong navigation operations experience, including nav operator training/certification or equivalent console and contingency support.
• Ability to act as primary navigation point of contact, interacting with vendors and partners, driving requirements, owning verification/validation, and conducting system‑level trades.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, with a record of leading technical presentations and navigation analysis reports.
• U.S. Person (U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident), able to work on‑site in Westminster, CO.

• Master’s or PhD with emphasis on Kalman filters, state estimation, or astrodynamics.
• Experience leading navigation support for maneuver planning and execution, including tracking schedule design and mission‑design trades.
• Expertise across multiple measurement types (radiometric, GPS, optical, angles‑only) and in designing measurement configurations.
• Experience integrating navigation into system requirements, CONOPS, and ICDs, and leading navigation verification and reporting.
• Demonstrated use of the MONTE astrodynamics toolkit.
• Leadership of navigation‑related IRAD or proposal sections, shaping IRAD concepts and navigation win themes.
• Familiarity with cislunar and deep‑space navigation challenges, including three‑body regimes, timing/clock issues, and tracking network limitations.
• Familiarity with multi‑spacecraft mission concepts.
• Active TS/SCI or prior clearance preferred.

• Base Salary Range: $141,750 – $174,900 based on role, experience, and location.
• Signing bonus.
• Quarterly performance bonuses.
• Company‑provided health insurance and 401(k) plan upon eligibility.
• Flexible time‑off policy.
• Relocation assistance.

• Immediate hiring need.
• Preferred hybrid work model: at least three days a week in person.

Equal Employment Opportunity:
Advanced Space is an equal‑opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status.