Sr. GNC Engineer (Dragon)

About Spacex

SpaceX was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not. Today SpaceX is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal of enabling human life on Mars.

Job Summary

As a Sr. GNC Engineer on the Dragon team, you will be responsible for performing mission design and implementing new GNC algorithms. You will be driving the full-cycle of mission trajectories, from taking requirements from customers, design reviews, simulation and analysis of the mission, to running launch day operations in mission control. You help set the industry standard in launch cadence by supporting launch, entry and landing, and fairing recovery of every Falcon mission. This includes supporting all commercial, and government Falcon 9/Falcon Heavy missions and crewed Falcon 9 launches. We are looking for engineers who enjoy solving complex problems, can work effectively in a fast-paced environment and share our passion in advancing the space industry. This is a high impact role that contributes to the SpaceX mission to get humans to Mars.

Key Responsibilities

• Perform trajectory design, optimization, and dispersion analysis for Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launch vehicle missions for all phases of flight including ascent, entry and landing, and fairing recovery
• Develop flight constants and guidance parameters, verified via analysis to meet mission requirements subject to mission and vehicle constraints
• Support launch and mission operations from preflight testing through console operation, post flight data review and anomaly resolution
• Develop software automation tools for mission design, analysis, test and reporting
• Perform trade studies to improve launch vehicle performance and reliability
• Implement new software or algorithms to support mission unique capabilities
• Support full mission lifecycle, starting with sales and concluding with mission execution
• Interact with customers to execute current missions and develop future business

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in physics or an engineering discipline
• 5+ years of experience with orbital mechanics, classical dynamics, modeling, and simulation
• 5+ years of experience with the software languages C++ and Python

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in physics or an engineering discipline
• Demonstrated project or professional experience in launch vehicle and/or spacecraft systems
• Capability to solve complex problems with little to no supervision on schedule as an individual or as a member of an integrated team
• Passion for advancing the commercial space industry and human spaceflight
• Excellent communication skills both written and verbal
• Expert in building complex software systems using C++ and Python including back infrastructure and user interfaces

Additional Requirements

• Must be available to work extended hours and weekends as needed

Compensation and Benefits

Pay Range: GNC Eng