Guidance, Navigation & Control (GNC) Engineer
$75,000–$110,000 year
On-siteOttawa, Ontario, Canada
Job Summary
Design and implement guidance, navigation, and control algorithms for spacecraft attitude determination, orbit determination, and maneuver planning. Develop state estimation and sensor fusion techniques using IMU, star tracker, and GPS data to fuse sensor inputs. Model spacecraft dynamics and orbital mechanics to design controllers for pointing, station-keeping, and trajectory tracking. Build high-fidelity simulation environments to validate performance across nominal and off-nominal conditions, then implement and test algorithms in flight software with hardware-in-the-loop verification. Run Monte Carlo analyses to characterize stability and margins while collaborating with software, systems, and avionics engineers to integrate GNC into the full vehicle. Support on-orbit operations, commissioning, and anomaly resolution. This role requires a physical presence at the Ottawa facility, extended hours, and weekend work to support critical mission milestones.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical Engineering, Robotics, Applied Mathematics, or a related field
- Strong foundation in control theory, linear algebra, and dynamics
- Programming experience in Python and/or C/C++
- Experience with simulation and analysis tools such as MATLAB/Simulink or equivalent Python stacks
- Experience with version control systems such as Git
- Extended hours and weekend work
- Physical presence at the Ottawa facility
Desired Qualifications
- Creative problem solver with strong first-principles thinking, capable of assessing risk and making decisions with limited data
- Experience in a nimble, technical engineering role, with a scrappy, entrepreneurial approach to meeting tight time or budget constraints
- Hands-on experience with spacecraft ADCS, orbital mechanics, or trajectory design
- Experience implementing estimators or controllers in embedded / flight software
- Familiarity with sensor calibration, sensor fusion, and hardware-in-the-loop testing
- Experience with real built hardware — student design teams (rocketry, CubeSat, autonomous vehicles), research, or industry
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, collaborative team player, and detail-oriented with a focus on quality
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