GNC Lead Engineer - Mountain View, CA, United States - Muon Space inc

Description

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.

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.
• Execute 6-DOF simulations to evaluate expected on-orbit performance
• Develop environmental models as well as control, attitude and position determination, and schedule algorithms
• Develop calibration approaches and associated ground support equipment
• 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

Requirements

• M.S. or higher degree in an engineering field, preferably with exposure to spacecraft dynamics and orbital mechanics
• Deep knowledge of estimation and control theory
• Expertise in common numerical programming environments (Python - preferred, Matlab, Julia)
• 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.

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.

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.

About Muon Space

Founded in 2021, Muon Space is an end-to-end Space Systems Provider that designs, builds, and operates LEO satellite constellations delivering mission-critical data. Our revolutionary, integrated technology stack enables customers to optimize every dimension of their missions for faster time-to-orbit and superior constellation remote sensing performance. Our state-of-the-art facility in the heart of Silicon Valley is optimized for manufacturing spacecraft and rapid, flexible payload integration at scale. From climate monitoring to national security, Muon Space is dedicated to delivering Earth Intelligence for a safer and more resilient world.

Taking Care of Our Team

At Muon salary is only part of our total compensation package. In addition to salary, we provide 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, unlimited sick time and paid parental leave.

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.

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in Muon Space's Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

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Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in Muon Space's Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order

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