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Rocket Lab is seeking a Senior Spacecraft GNC (Guidance, Navigation & Control) Engineer II to lead the development of GNC and ADCS (Attitude Determination and Control Systems) for its growing fleet of diverse spacecraft. Based in Long Beach, CA, this role spans the full engineering lifecycle: spacecraft concept and algorithm development, flight software implementation, subsystem requirements, detailed GNC design, integration & test, and vehicle-level testing.
You will mentor a team responsible for GNC design, modeling, and analysis across diverse mission profiles including LEO, MEO, GEO, Lunar, Interplanetary, Reentry, and Rendezvous & Proximity Operations (RPOD). Key responsibilities include designing flight software and algorithms, developing spacecraft autonomy tools for constellation management, selecting GNC components, designing GNC subsystems, developing test processes, defining fault detection and response strategies, and executing hardware-in-the-loop and Monte Carlo simulations. You will integrate flight and simulation software with modern analysis, test, and operations tools, support design reviews, and coordinate schedules and milestones with department leads and program managers.
The role requires close collaboration with Systems, Avionics, Flight Software, Mission Operations, and Ground Software teams, as well as direct customer interaction to ensure mission success. You will coordinate with teams in Denver, Colorado and New Zealand.
Required qualifications: B.S. degree and 8+ years of industry experience in GNC/ADCS, active Secret clearance with ability to obtain TS/SCI, prior experience interfacing with aerospace customers in commercial or government sectors, and U.S. citizenship. Preferred qualifications include MS or PhD, active TS/SCI clearance, 2+ years of RPOD design and operations experience, hands-on experience with IMU, reaction wheels, star trackers, and other GNC hardware, experience developing blended attitude solutions, demonstrated flight software development and verification, on-orbit operations and anomaly resolution experience, and prior team leadership across a project lifecycle.
