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Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Principal Guidance, Navigation & Control Engineer - **Company:** Sierra Space - **Location:** United States - **Experience:** Expert - **Salary:** $184,628.0 - $253,885.0 - **Contract:** Permanent contract - **Skills:** Algorithm Design, Confluence, JIRA, Computer Programming, Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), Microsoft Project, Simulink, Subsystems, Systems Architecture, Systems Integration - **Published:** September 4, 2026 - **Apply:** https://startup.jobs/principal-engineer-rendezvous-proximity-operations-rpo-guidance-navigation-control-lead-sierra-space-8554814 ## About the Role * Bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, or a related technical field (or equivalent work experience in lieu of degree). Master's degree is preferred for candidates with 10+ years of related experience. * 12+ years of experience in GNC algorithm design, subsystem integration, and spacecraft development. * Experience with leading design reviews for programs and customers. * Possess in-depth knowledge of adaptive and robust control systems, LOS and jitter mitigation design and analysis, and particle filtering techniques. * Demonstrate subject matter expertise in at least two areas of GNC algorithmic design and have experience with end-to-end GNC design on at least one program. * Experience with planning and scheduling GNC tasks for multiple teams and programs; develop advanced proposals and SOWs for customers. * Advanced user of STK; expertise in SIMULINK programming and auto coding, JIRA, Confluence, and MS Project; familiarity with FPGA programming. * The ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Security Clearance is required., * Experience with developing conceptual interfacing frameworks for sensors and actuators with avionics. * Lead end-to-end efforts in Rendezvous, Proximity Operations (RPO), and docking activities, including mission planning, trajectory optimization, system integration, and operational execution to ensure precise and reliable spacecraft interactions. * Ability to explain complex design concepts, sub-system relationships, and internal GNC interactions to the team; train and guide GNC engineers for career development; develop high-level roadmap program documentation. * Experience with developing advanced optimization-based simulation techniques using adaptive and predictive control algorithms. * Establish and understand complex relationships between different sub-system requirements and GNC, leading to critical design decisions. * Perform formal tasking and delegation to track progress; share in-depth subject matter knowledge with the team. ## Description Sierra Space is seeking Principal Guidance, Navigation & Control Engineer to lead the development, integration, and innovation of advanced GNC systems for spacecraft applications. This senior role requires extensive expertise across all aspects of GNC algorithmic design, autonomy, and system architecture. The successful candidate will drive technical excellence across programs and ensure scalable and reusable designs for multiple platforms. This role offers the opportunity to drive innovation and technical excellence in aerospace technology. In this role, you will drive program execution towards achieving key GNC milestones while sharing your GNC design and development expertise, serving as both a lead and an individual contributor across multiple programs. You will own the end-to-end design aspects of Guidance, Navigation, and Control on various programs and formulate GNC design, development, and testing architecture and processes for new programs, focusing on flexibility, adaptability, and reliability to meet long-term program goals. Additionally, you will architect GNC sensor, avionics, and actuator frameworks in conjunction with FSW C&DH, provide input to Assembly, Integration, and Test (AI&T) planning as a GNC expert on test configurations, and assist with HITL troubleshooting. You will also perform sensor and actuator selection and sizing based on program requirements, using and developing relevant design tools, and assist in AI&T by conducting HITL unit and integrated testing to verify GNC subsystem performance. ## Related Videos - [Improving quality with Agentic AI with Rovo Dev and Xray](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/2005-improving-quality-with-agentic-ai-with-rovo-dev-and-xray) - [Building a hypercar from scratch](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/607-building-a-hypercar-from-scratch) - [42 x 2 Canvases Later: Two Years, Two Minds, Many Lessons](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1458-42-x-2-canvases-later-two-years-two-minds-many-lessons) - [Remote Driving on Plant Grounds with State-of-the-Art Cloud Technologies](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/251-remote-driving-on-plant-grounds-with-state-of-the-art-cloud-technologies) - [Designing UX for SRE Agents in High-Stakes Incidents](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100003-designing-ux-for-sre-agents-in-high-stakes-incidents) - [A Founder's Journey : From Startup Chaos to Purposeful Growth](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1926-a-founder-s-journey-from-startup-chaos-to-purposeful-growth) ## Related Articles - [How We Built a Worry-Free System That Runs for 10+ Years – And What We’d Do Again](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/751-how-we-built-a-worry-free-system-that-runs-for-10-years-and-what-we-d-do-again) - [How software is steering vehicle technology](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/515-how-software-is-steering-vehicle-technology) - [Best US AI Conferences for CTOs in 2026: Build vs. Buy, Vendor Evaluation, and Peer Intelligence](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/736-best-us-ai-conferences-for-ctos-in-2026-build-vs-buy-vendor-evaluation-and-peer-intelligence) - [The Prompt Engineer ✍️](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/216-the-prompt-engineer) - [Everything a Developer Needs to Know About MCP with Neo4j](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/604-everything-a-developer-needs-to-know-about-mcp-with-neo4j) - [What is Software Engineering?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/289-what-is-software-engineering)