GNC Lead Engineer

About the role

Muon seeks a Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) Lead to join our spacecraft engineering team in Mountain View, CA. The ideal candidate is an experienced and organized leader who has led the technical development of GNC and attitude determination and control (ADCS) systems from concept through to delivery and operation. In this role, you will lead a team to derive pointing/agility/stability budgets and requirements, spec and select ADCS hardware for current and future missions, perform first principles “hand calcs” for rapid judgements alongside execution of detailed simulations, review and develop flight algorithms, and design and execute validation plans at both the system and component levels. You will work closely with simulation teams to perform software-in-the-loop and hardware-in-the-loop tests, flight software teams to implement drivers and algorithms, and spacecraft operators to resolve anomalies. Where applicable, you will also coordinate and lead internal efforts to develop ground test equipment and custom flight hardware. This role may be remote or located at our headquarters in Mountain View, California.

Responsibilities

• Oversee and manage the team responsible for the GNC design for multiple complete spacecraft mission lifecycles
• Serve as the primary point of contact for the GNC subsystem both internally and with external partners
• Design foundational GNC architectures and roadmaps for multi-mission buses that are also adaptable to mission-specific needs
• Define requirements and acceptance approaches for GNC components working beside Systems Engineers and other subsystem engineers. Create pointing, agility, and positioning budgets to meet mission targeting, geolocation and stability requirements
• Size, assess, and select GNC sensors, actuators and propulsion systems, performing make-vs-buy trades as needed. Work with Technical Program Managers to guide procurement and internal development projects.
• Execute 6-DOF simulations to evaluate expected on-orbit performance
• Develop control algorithms, flight attitude and position determination algorithms, and environmental models, and additionally, ground-processing algorithms that enable higher accuracy determination than available on-orbit
• Develop calibration approaches and associated ground support equipment
• Design the GNC verification and validation approach for the spacecraft and acceptance tests for components 
• Drive software-in-the-loop and hardware-in-the-loop testing for GNC algorithms and hardware verification
• Proactively identify and manage risks within the subsystem and to the spacecraft, creating mitigation strategies
• Stay informed of the latest industry trends in GNC and ADCS

Requirements

• M.S. or higher degree in an engineering field, preferably with exposure to spacecraft dynamics and orbital mechanics
• Knowledge of estimation and control theory

• Expertise in common numerical programming environments (Python - preferred, Matlab)
• Extensive experience running dynamics simulations for spacecraft
• Experience designing and executing GNC component or system-level tests 

• Excellent communication, presentation, and coordination skills
• Dedication to finding resolutions based on the most important factors and data
• Excited to work in a fast-paced environment with new opportunities each week

Nice-to-have Skills

• Software skills in C, C++
• Experience leading lean, agile teams
• Experience as a systems engineer for spacecraft
• Experience with spacecraft or related flight operations
• Familiarity with software engineering tools and processes (version control, code review)
• Working knowledge of propulsion and impacts to the GNC system
• Hands-on experience building test setups

About Muon Space

Muon Space is working at the forefront of satellites, advanced sensors, business intelligence, and climate science to allow humanity to close the loop on climate change.  From satellite missions to modeling to data analytics and actionable insights, we believe measuring, understanding and predicting Earth’s complex, coupled systems is both a great business opportunity and key to leaving future generations a livable, productive and healthy planet.

We are a geographically diverse company with teams in the San Francisco bay area, Los Angeles, and Boulder, Colorado.  We seek great talent wherever it may be.

Equal Opportunity

At Muon, our mission embraces the entire planet and we believe our team should too.  Muon is dedicated to creating a diverse and dynamic company and workforce. We believe in equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, age, national origin, citizenship, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, or gender identity. We value diversity in the workplace, and that starts with our applicants. We encourage you to apply, even if you don't check all the boxes, and we look forward to reviewing your application! In addition, if you need a reasonable accommodation as part of your application for employment or interviews with us, please let us know.

At Muon Space salary is only part of our total compensation package. In addition to salary, Muon Space provides equity compensation as well as benefits including medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401k retirement plan, life insurance, and an employee development program. We also offer three weeks paid vacation for new employees, along with 12 paid holidays and unlimited sick time, along with paid parental leave to name a few of our benefits. 

ITAR/EAR Requirements:

This position requires access to export controlled information. To conform to U.S. Government export regulations applicable to that information, applicant must either be (A) a U.S. person, defined as a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (green card holder), (iii) refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, (B) eligible to access the export controlled information without a required export authorization, or (C) eligible and reasonably likely to obtain the required export authorization from the applicable U.S. government agency. The Company may, for legitimate business reasons, decline to pursue any export licensing process.

Salary Range: 

The salary range for this role is $165k and $190k and will depend on a candidate's skills, qualifications, and experience as defined during the interview process.