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Job Description
Founding GNC Engineer Pillar Space Los Angeles, CA Job Details Full-time $115,000 - $200,000 a year 2 hours ago Benefits Health insurance Unlimited paid time off Dental insurance 401(k) Paid time off 401(k) 4% Match Vision insurance 401(k) matching Qualifications Monte Carlo methods MATLAB Software engineering Monte Carlo simulation Control system design System dynamics System testing Simulink Algorithm design research Robot simulation
Full Job Description Job Title:
Founding GNC Engineer (equity 0.3% - 1% depending on experience)
About Us:
We're a stealth team building space hardware at the edge of what's currently possible — high-stakes, flight-grade systems where the engineering bar is unforgiving and the upside is enormous. While we can't share full details yet, our founding and early engineering team includes talent from SpaceX, Northrop Grumman, and Starpath, the group includes people who've pulled off feats almost no one else on Earth has.
Role Overview:
We're seeking a Founding GNC Engineer to own guidance, navigation, and control from first principles, with rendezvous, proximity operations, and docking at the center of the job. You'll take algorithms from architecture through simulation, qualification, and flight, and you'll define how our vehicles find each other, close the gap, and mate safely in orbit. In this role you'll have a direct and significant impact on our technology and the team we build together.
Key Responsibilities:
Own the end-to-end GNC stack for autonomous rendezvous, proximity operations, and docking, from concept and architecture through algorithm design, simulation, qualification, integration, and flight operations. Design relative navigation and pose estimation: sensor fusion across vision, LiDAR, time-of-flight cameras, star trackers, IMUs, and GNSS, with robust state estimation (EKF/UKF/MHE) from far-field acquisition through near-field capture. Develop guidance and trajectory design for safe approach: glideslope, V-bar and R-bar approaches, safety ellipses and passive-abort geometry, collision-avoidance maneuvers, and fuel-optimal transfer and stationkeeping. Design 6-DOF attitude and translation control, including thruster/RCS control allocation, reaction wheel control, soft-capture and latching control loops, and contact and capture dynamics. Build and own high-fidelity 6-DOF simulation environments and run Monte Carlo campaigns to verify performance, robustness, and abort coverage across dispersions and off-nominal cases. Define requirements, error budgets, sensor and actuator interfaces, loads, and verification plans at the algorithm, subsystem, and system levels. Develop and test flight GNC software, run hardware-in-the-loop and processor-in-the-loop campaigns, analyze failures, and drive root-cause resolution and design iteration. Design fault detection, isolation, and recovery (FDIR) and autonomous safing logic for proximity operations. Work cross-functionally with mechanical, autonomy, software, avionics, and propulsion to deliver an integrated flight system. Collaborate closely with founders and founding engineers, shaping engineering culture, processes, and the long-term technical roadmap.
Basic Qualifications:
Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Robotics, Controls, or a related discipline. 2+ years designing, simulating, and flight-qualifying GNC algorithms for spacecraft, launch vehicles, or comparable high-reliability autonomous systems. Strong fundamentals in orbital mechanics, control theory, and state estimation (Kalman filtering, sensor fusion). Proficiency in MATLAB/Simulink and a production language (C/C++ or Python), including embedded or autocoded flight software. Experience building 6-DOF dynamics simulations and validating performance with Monte Carlo analysis. Hands-on experience taking algorithms through testing on real hardware or representative testbeds.
Bonus:
Direct experience with rendezvous, proximity operations, and docking GNC, including approach corridor design, relative navigation, and capture. Experience with optical or LiDAR relative navigation and pose estimation against cooperative or non-cooperative targets. Experience with formal requirements verification, hardware-in-the-loop testing, and V&V for flight GNC. Familiarity with STK, GMAT, or comparable mission analysis tooling. Experience transitioning GNC from prototype through flight operations and post-flight reconstruction. Familiarity with early-stage startups or founding teams.
Who You Are:
An exceptional GNC engineer with experience in demanding, high-reliability autonomous systems (e.g. spacecraft, launch, robotics). Adept at taking full ownership of GNC algorithms and architecture from blank sheet to flight. Comfortable working with high ambiguity, rapidly changing requirements, and limited resources. A collaborative builder who elevates those around you and drives technical excellence. Benefits Health Insurance — We cover the full base premium for Blue Shield's Bronze plan. If you'd like more coverage, you can upgrade to the Gold plan and just cover the difference in premium. You're also welcome to add dependents and a spouse to your plan. Dental & Vision — We cover the base premiums for both, through Guardian. Coverage for dependents and a spouse is available too. 401(k) — We offer a 401(k) with a 4% company match to help you save for the future. Equity — You'll receive meaningful equity in the company, so you share in what we build together. PTO & Sick Time — We offer unlimited PTO and sick time, and we trust you to take the time you need to rest and recharge. Why Join Us? Build incredibly ambitious, world-first hardware alongside world-class talent. Define the product, culture, and trajectory of a breakthrough company from the start. Own significant technical challenges and create outsized impact. ITAR / Citizenship Requirements To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.
