Principal Guidance, Navigation, & Controls Engineer
Confirmed on the employer's own hiring board on Oct 30, 2026. First seen by Alion on Oct 15, 2026. Impulse Space scores A on the Alion truth index.
As a Principal GNC Engineer of Responsive Spacecraft at Impulse Space, you will lead the team responsible for GNC of the most agile delta-V machines under development. You will own all aspects of and provide outstanding technical contribution to vehicle guidance and control in all phases of development and operation with a fast-paced team. Due to the nature of the programs, a TS/SCI clearance is required.
Responsibilities
- Architect GNC flight, test, and analysis systems for high-maneuverability space vehicles produced at scale.
- Guide development of robust control algorithms for satellites in LEO, GEO, and cislunar.
- Direct vehicle-level hardware and software design reviews and trade studies, coordinating GNC needs with other vehicle domains.
- Develop GNC flight and simulation software to implement new algorithms, hardware modeling, and orbital regime changes.
- Interface with internal and external partners for vehicle design to meet mission needs
- Mentor junior engineers and define the best practices for vehicle GNC through the engineering lifecycle.
- Resolve technical issues with innovative, resourceful solutions.
- Communicate design needs, intent, and capability to the broader engineering team and customers.
Minimum Qualifications
- Active Top Secret Clearance with SCI eligibility.
- Bachelor's degree in engineering, science, math or related.
- 12+ years of experience in spacecraft control design and analysis.
- Proficiency in Matlab and C++.
- Demonstrated experience performing control analysis in time and frequency domains.
- Experience in spacecraft operations.
Preferred Skills and Experience
- Experience with vehicle-GNC design processes, from concept, through design reviews and implementation.
- Experience with agile GEO vehicles.
- Experience with high-thrust spacecraft.
- Experience in a startup or agile development environment.
Additional Information:
Compensation bands are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual level and base pay is determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on job-related skills, education, experience, technical capabilities and internal equity. In addition to base salary, for full-time hires, you may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of stock options, and access to medical, vision & dental coverage as well as access to a 401(k) retirement plan.
Impulse Space’s spacecraft manufacturing business is subject to U.S. export regulations including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR). This position requires applicants to be either U.S. Persons (i.e., U.S. citizen, U.S. national, lawful permanent U.S. resident (green card holder), an individual granted asylum in the U.S., or an individual admitted in U.S. refugee status) or persons eligible to obtain an export license from the U.S. Departments of State, Commerce, or other applicable U.S. government agencies. Learn more about the ITAR here.
Impulse Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Impulse Space is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.