Principal ADCS Engineer Verified today

About Firefly Aerospace

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. The first commercial company to launch a satellite to orbit with 24-hour notice and the first to achieve a successful Moon landing, Firefly is headquartered in north Austin, Texas.

The Role

As a Principal ADCS Engineer at Firefly, you will serve as a technical authority on spacecraft ADCS systems enabling missions spanning Earth orbit, cislunar space, and the lunar surface. This technical leadership role balances hands-on contribution with strategic leadership, offering the opportunity to influence system architectures from concept through operations and represent Firefly's technical excellence to customers and executive leadership.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a technical authority on spacecraft attitude determination and control, providing expertise across programs and domains
• Develop and validate novel ADCS methodologies, tools, and best practices for complex or unprecedented mission requirements
• Lead resolution of the most challenging ADCS problems across the organization
• Provide authoritative technical review and oversight of spacecraft ADCS designs, changes, and risks
• Establish technical standards for system design, software development, testing, and requirement verification
• Drive ADCS strategy and roadmap development, identifying capability gaps, investment priorities, and opportunities for emerging technology
• Initiate and execute continuous improvement initiatives for ADCS processes, tools, and operational efficiency
• Represent ADCS expertise in executive-level technical reviews, mission milestone reviews, customer meetings, and proposal efforts
• Participate in critical technical work including algorithm development, test campaign execution, and mission operations support
• Mentor and develop engineers at all levels, cultivating the next generation of technical leaders

Required Qualifications

• Master's degree or PhD in aerospace engineering or related field, or bachelor's degree with substantial technical accomplishments demonstrating analytical rigor equivalent to graduate research
• 10+ years of experience in spacecraft ADCS with demonstrated expertise and technical leadership across multiple programs
• Demonstrated experience supporting operational spacecraft programs through multiple missions
• Mastery of spacecraft attitude dynamics with deep expertise in a specialization area combined with strong understanding across ADCS domains
• Experience developing strategic vision, technical roadmaps, and capability development initiatives for ADCS teams
• Proficiency in the development of flight software and physics simulations for spaceflight applications
• Software engineering expertise with proficiency in development practices including version control, code review, testing, documentation, and CI/CD
• Proficiency with Python, C++, Linux, and specialized tools and libraries relevant to domain
• Comprehensive knowledge of spacecraft subsystems and their impact on ADCS design and performance
• Demonstrated ability to elevate the technical capabilities of engineers through mentorship
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with ability to convey complex technical concepts to executives, customers, and non-technical stakeholders

Desired Qualifications

• PhD with research contributions advancing a specialization area relevant to spacecraft ADCS
• Background as a technical leader on operational spacecraft programs from development through multiple successful missions
• Deep expertise in advanced techniques relevant to specialization
• Demonstrated proficiency across multiple ADCS specialization areas
• Proven ability to influence technical direction and drive consensus across multidisciplinary organizations
• Skill in communicating with program management, customers, and executives in both technical and business forums
• Experience leading or supporting anomaly investigations and resolving mission-critical ADCS issues
• History of applying technical expertise to achieve customer mission success and initiate new business opportunities
• Innovation through patents or technical contributions in specialization area
• Track record of thought leadership through publications, presentations, or contributions to industry state-of-the-art

Requirements

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.