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Senior GNC Engineer

K2 Space , Los Angeles, CA +1

Posted pay

$160K–$235K

a year

Location: Los Angeles, CA +1
Work type: Not given
Level: Senior
Skills in the job text: Python
C++
Rust
C
Julia
MATLAB
Posted: Today
Last check: 7 h ago
Job type: Software engineering

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KS

K2 Space

About K2 Space : funding, hiring and pay

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The role

As a Senior GNC engineer, you will be a core driver of the overall spacecraft GNC architecture. You will execute detailed trade studies to find new and novel ways to implement the spacecraft’s orbital guidance, orbital control, and attitude and orbit estimation systems. In the first 3 months, you will support the development/improvement of the MEO navigation, taking lessons learned from the Gravitas mission and applying them to the baseline GNC stack.

In the first 6 months you will support the development of new and novel navigation approaches to support future programs – specifically solving navigation for GEO, cis lunar, and interplanetary. In parallel you will support the development of the in-house trajectory design scheme and associated analysis workflow. As we learn more about our system, this will lead to updates to both the GNC stack and the K2 6-DOF simulation. The expectation is that all GNC team members commit code to the 6-DOF sim as well as owning a portion of the GNC flight software.

In the first year, you will support launch and on orbit operations of the Trinity mission – the stacked launch of 3 K2 Mega spacecraft. In parallel, you will continue to support improvements, closing the loop on the design, build, test, fly lifecycle.

What you will do

Work with other engineering leads to develop and validate a novel high level vehicle architecture
Develop novel algorithms for precise navigation in LEO, MEO, GEO, cis lunar, and interplanetary space.
Develop simulation and modeling tools to support vehicle and GNC trade studies. This includes mission design, controls analysis, and 6-DOF simulation development.
Contribute to building the GNC organization by recruiting, hiring, and mentoring other engineers

What you need

Experience with implementing estimation algorithms on for flight software and ground software, specifically Kalman Filters, Extended Kalman Filters, and Unscented Kalman Filters
Experience performing Monte Carlo based analyses and covariance analysis
Experience with verification and validation of GNC flight software in an integrated environment, leveraging 6-DOF simulation and HITL testing.
Experience with GNC sensor sizing, selection, and system design
Experience with Python, Julia, C/C++, Rust, or Matlab for algorithm development, implementation, and simulation

Nice to have

Experience with system identification, leveraging on-orbit data
Experience with early-stage spacecraft conceptual design, i.e. “clean sheet” design work
Breadth in control algorithm development
Experience with reaction wheel, control moment gyroscope, or thruster sizing and algorithm implementation
Experience with trajectory analysis, modeling, optimization, and mission design for GEO, cislunar, interplanetary missions

Pay and benefits

Base salary range for this role is $160,000 - $235,000 + equity in the company
Salary will be based on several factors including, but not limited to: knowledge and skills, education, and experience level
Comprehensive benefits package including paid time off, medical/dental/vision coverage, life insurance, paid parental leave, and many other perks

If you don’t meet 100% of the preferred skills and experience, we encourage you to still apply! Building a spacecraft unlike any other requires a team unlike any other and non-traditional career twists and turns are encouraged!

Export Compliance

As defined in the ITAR, “U.S. Persons” include U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents (i.e., Green Card holders), and certain protected individuals (e.g., refugees/asylees, American Samoans). Please consult with a knowledgeable advisor if you are unsure whether you are a “U.S. Person.”

About K2 Space

K2 is building the largest and highest-power satellites ever flown, unlocking performance levels previously out of reach across every orbit. Backed by over $1 billion in total funding from leading investors including Altimeter Capital, ICONIQ, Kleiner Perkins, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Redpoint Ventures, and T. Rowe Price — and with over $1 billion in signed contracts across commercial and US government customers, we're mass-producing the highest-power satellite platforms ever built for missions from LEO to deep space.

The rise of heavy-lift launch vehicles is shifting the industry from an era of mass constraint to one of mass abundance, and we believe this new era demands a fundamentally different class of spacecraft. Engineered to survive the harshest radiation environments and to fully capitalize on today's and tomorrow's massive rockets, K2 satellites deliver unmatched capability at constellation scale and across multiple orbits.

With multiple launches in 2027 and plans to scale to 100 satellites a year, we're Building Bigger — helping develop the solar system and build toward a Kardashev Type II (K2) civilization. If you are a motivated individual who thrives in a fast-paced environment and you're excited about contributing to the success of a high-growth Series D-funded company, we'd love for you to apply.

Legal notes

K2 Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with K2 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.

If you need a reasonable accommodation as part of your application for employment or interviews with us, please let us know.

The person hired for this role will have access to information and items controlled by U.S. export control regulations, including the export control regulations outlined in the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR). The person hired for this role must therefore either be a “U.S. person” as defined by 22 C.F.R. § 120.15 or otherwise eligible for a federally issued export control license.

Read the job posting on the K2 Space site

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Source: the K2 Space Greenhouse job board. We last checked this job 7 h ago. We first saw it 16 h ago. A job on a job board does not always mean that the team interviews people now. We found this job board in a public list. We did not yet compare it with the careers page of the company.

KS

K2 Space

Open tech jobs: 106
With posted pay: 95%
Median posted base: $140K–$200K

About K2 Space : funding, hiring and pay

Compared with similar jobs

This base pay is near the median for senior software engineering jobs in other US places.

Median: $190K a year
Other jobs in the group: 1,798

We compare the middle of each posted range. This is base pay as posted. The group does not include this job.