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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 strategies; conduct hardware-in-the-loop and Monte Carlo simulations; and integrate flight and simulation software with modern analysis and operations tools. You will support internal and external design reviews, coordinate with department leads and program managers on scheduling and milestones, and work across distributed teams in Denver and New Zealand.
The role requires direct customer interaction with aerospace clients in commercial and government sectors, ensuring mission success. You will report technical status and maintain development schedules to support leading-edge space programs.
Required: BS degree with 2+ years of GNC/ADCS experience; prior aerospace customer interface experience; U.S. citizenship (program requirement). Preferred qualifications include MS/PhD, active DoD Secret clearance or ability to obtain one, 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 capability.
