Spacecraft Guidance, Navigation, and Controls (GNC) Engineer Verified today

About Varda

Varda is accelerating commercial space infrastructure for in-orbit pharmaceutical processing and reusable reentry capsules. Our W-Series vehicles, heat shields, processing payloads, and satellite buses are designed and operated entirely in-house. We are based in El Segundo, California with additional offices in Washington, DC and Huntsville, AL.

About This Role

As a Spacecraft Guidance, Navigation, and Controls (GNC) Engineer, you will own the full lifecycle of GNC development at Varda, from design through unit testing, hardware-in-the-loop, on-vehicle functionality, and flight testing. You will perform system analyses including simulations and Monte Carlo studies to satisfy specifications and drive system-level architectural decisions. You will contribute to a multi-degree of freedom in-house aerospace simulation and test framework, and develop and maintain design descriptions and supporting documentation. You will see end-to-end execution from initial analysis and design through vehicle integration, mission planning, flight operations, and support of on-orbit and reentry mission operations.

Responsibilities

• ADCS hardware performance specification including sizing of reaction wheels, torque rods, IMU/GPS, and star trackers
• Design and implementation of autonomous satellite attitude control, collision avoidance, orbital rendezvous, burn planning and atmospheric reentry algorithms
• Perform trajectory design, optimization, and dispersion analysis for reentry of a space capsule
• Develop 6 degree of freedom vehicle simulation using C++, Python and MATLAB/Simulink
• Run Monte Carlo analysis to characterize performance of new vehicle and mission capabilities
• Integration and testing of GNC sensors, actuators, and software in hardware-in-the-loop environment
• Design and implementation of ground tooling necessary to facilitate fully automated maneuver planning and maneuver scheduling decisions
• Monitor on-orbit system performance and troubleshoot where necessary
• Coordinate with other spacecraft operators, third-party agencies, and the US government

Basic Qualifications

• B.S. degree in aerospace, mechanical, electrical engineering, physics, or related field
• 1-3 years of proven experience, or PhD with 1+ years of relevant experience
• Demonstrated knowledge in designing, modeling, testing, and flying aerospace guidance, navigation, and control systems
• Highly adept software and model development skills, particularly in C++/Python
• Understanding of orbital mechanics, modeling and simulation, and software development
• Experience anchoring and fitting first principles models to test data or high-fidelity external simulations
• Proven system engineering and configuration management skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Master's degree in engineering or physics
• Experience with spacecraft attitude determination and control system design
• Experience with GMAT, POST2, or similar tools
• Understanding of multi-body dynamics, flexible body dynamics, gas dynamics, fluids, and thermodynamics
• Experience developing and verifying physical models for control design, component sizing, and system performance evaluation
• Experience supporting safety critical flight tests or spacecraft
• Ability to continuously manage risk and provide solutions with lean and state of the art software development techniques

Compensation and Location

• Salary range: Engineer 1: $131,494 - $168,024 per year; Engineer 2: $144,020 - $184,026 per year
• Leveling and base salary determined by job-related skills, education level, experience level, and job performance
• Long-term incentives in the form of stock options and/or long-term cash awards
• On-site position in El Segundo, CA

Benefits (Full-Time Employees)

Health and Wellness

• Flexible PTO policy plus 12 paid holidays
• 100% company-paid Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance plans for employees and dependents with FSA and employer-matched HSA options
• Voluntary accident, hospital, critical illness, and pet insurance
• $120 per month wellness reimbursement for gym and fitness expenses
• 12 weeks of parental leave with supplemental disability leave for California mothers
• Family building, pregnancy, parenting and menopause benefits via Maven Clinic
• Sponsored One Medical memberships for employees and dependents

Financial and Retirement

• Substantial incentive equity in a fully funded space start-up
• 401(k) retirement plan with 6% employer match, immediately vested
• $20 per pay period cell phone reimbursement
• Relocation support for new hires, if needed

Workplace Experience and Perks

• Fully stocked kitchen with lunch provided daily and dinner provided twice weekly
• Company and team-bonding events, happy hours and mission-success celebrations
• Complimentary EV charging

ITAR Requirements

You must be a U.S. person as defined by ITAR export control regulations. This means U.S. citizen, U.S. lawful permanent resident, or protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3) (i.e., individual admitted to the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum). Varda participates in the E-Verify program.