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Rocket Lab is seeking a Spacecraft GNC (Guidance, Navigation, and Control) Engineer II to lead GNC and ADCS (Attitude Determination and Control System) development 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 and test, and vehicle-level testing.
You will design flight software, algorithms, and simulation products; develop spacecraft autonomy tools for constellation management; select GNC components and design subsystems; develop and execute test processes; define fault detection and response mechanisms; conduct hardware-in-the-loop and Monte Carlo simulations; and integrate flight and simulation software with modern analysis and operations tools. You'll support internal and external design reviews, coordinate with department leads and program managers on scheduling and milestones, and work across teams in Denver and New Zealand.
Rocket Lab's Space Systems team has enabled over 1,700 missions, including interplanetary exploration, in-space manufacturing, and national security initiatives. The team has built spacecraft and components for missions to the Moon and Mars, partnering with NASA, the Space Development Agency, and the U.S. Space Force.
Required qualifications: B.S. degree and 2+ years of industry experience in GNC/ADCS; prior experience interfacing directly with aerospace customers in commercial or government sectors; ability to obtain and maintain security clearance; U.S. citizenship (program requirement). Nice-to-have qualifications include MS/PhD, active Secret or TS/SCI clearance, RPOD design and operations experience, hands-on GNC hardware experience (IMU, reaction wheels, star trackers), flight software development and verification, on-orbit operations and anomaly resolution, team leadership experience, and multi-project management.
