Principal Guidance, Navigation, and Controls Engineer

About Varda Low Earth orbit is open for business. Varda is accelerating the development of commercial space infrastructure, from in-orbit pharmaceutical processing to reliable and economical reentry capsules.  Varda’s W-Series vehicles are built, designed, and operated by Varda in-house, including the pharmaceutical processing payloads, the capsules, the C-PICA heat shields, and the satellite buses. From life-saving pharmaceuticals to more powerful fiber optics, there is a world of products used on Earth today that can only be manufactured in space. Varda is accelerating innovation in the orbital economy by creating both the products and infrastructure needed so space can directly benefit life on Earth. Our mission is to expand the economic bounds of humankind.   Our team is uniquely suited to accomplishing this goal, with leadership and staff comprised of veterans from SpaceX, Blue Origin, major pharmaceutical companies and Silicon Valley. Varda was founded in January 2021 by Will Bruey and Delian Asparouhov with significant backing from world class investors including Khosla Ventures, Lux Capital, Founders Fund, Caffeinated Capital, General Catalyst, and Also Capital.   Varda is headquartered in El Segundo, California, where we have offices and a production facility where our vehicles, equipment, and materials are built, integrated, and tested. Varda also has offices in Washington, DC and Huntsville, AL.  Join Varda, and work to create a bustling in-space ecosystem. About this Role As a  Principal Guidance, Navigation, and Control s  Engineer ,  you will own the full life cycle of GNC development at Varda, from design through to unit, hardware-in-the-loop, on-vehicle functionality, and flight testing. You will perform system analyses, including simulations and Monte Carlo, to satisfy specifications and requirements and to drive system-level architectural and business decisions. You will contribute to a sophisticated multi-degree of freedom in-house aerospace simulation and test framework and develop and   maintain  design descriptions and supporting documentation.  You'll  see end to end execution of the GNC subsystem from  initial  analysis/design through vehicle integration, mission planning and flight through support of on-orbit and reentry mission operations.    Responsibilities ADCS hardware performance specification including sizing of reaction wheels, torque rods, IMU/GPS, and star trackers Design and implementation of autonomous satellite attitude control, collision avoidance, orbital rendezvous, burn planning and atmospheric re-entry algorithms Perform trajectory design, optimization, and dispersion analysis for the reentry of a space capsule Develop 6 degree of freedom vehicle simulation using C++ and Python. Running Monte Carlo analysis to characterize performance of new vehicle and mission capabilities Integration and testing of GNC sensors, actuators, and software in hardware-in-the-loop environment Design and implementation of ground tooling necessary to facilitate fully automated maneuver responsibility and maneuver scheduling decisions Monitoring on-orbit system performance; troubleshooting where necessary Coordination with other spacecraft operators, 3rd party agencies, and the US government Basic Qualifications B.S. degree in aerospace, mechanical, electrical engineering, physics, or related field 10+ proven years of experience, or PhD with 7+ years of relevant experience Demonstrated knowledge in designing, modeling, testing, and flying aerospace guidance, navigation, and control systems Highly adept software and model development skills, particularly in C++/Python Understanding of orbital mechanics, modeling and simulation, and software development  Experience anchoring/fitting first principles models to test data or high-fidelity external simulations Proven system engineering and configuration management skills Excellent written and verbal communication skills Preferred Skills and Experience Master's degree in engineering or physics Experience with spacecraft attitude determination and control system design Experience with GMAT, POST2, or similar tools Experience with Matlab/Simulink Understanding of multi-body dynamics, flexible body dynamics, gas dynamics, fluids, and thermodynamics Experience developing and verifying physical models for the purpose of control design, component sizing, and system performance evaluation Experience supporting safety critical flight tests or spacecraft Ability to continuously manage risk and provide solutions with lean and state of the art software development techniques Pay Range Salary range: $200,000 - $230,000/per year This role is on-site   in El Segundo, CA Leveling and base salary is determined by job-related skills, education level, experience level, and job performance You will be eligible for incentives in the form of stock options and/or long-term cash awards Benefits Varda offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to support health, financial well‑being, and a high‑quality workplace experience. Below is an overview of what full‑time employees receive (at this time, interns receive a subset of benefits):   Health & Wellness   Flexible PTO policy + 12 paid holidays   100% company-paid Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance plans for employees and dependents with FSA and employer-matched HSA options Voluntary accident, hospital, critical illness, and pet insurance   $120/month wellness reimbursement for gym and fitness expenses   12 weeks of parental leave (with supplemental disability leave for CA mothers)   Family building, pregnancy, parenting and menopause benefits via Maven Clinic   Sponsored One Medical memberships for employees and their dependents   Financial & Retirement   Substantial incentive equity in a fully funded space start-up   401(k) retirement plan with 6% employer match (immedia