Director, Flight Dynamics, Guidance & Control

Join a team where your impact reaches beyond the stars! At Terran Orbital, you’re not just part of the system – you’re a vital force propelling our mission forward. As trailblazers in satellite manufacturing and aerospace innovation, we shatter boundaries daily to deliver groundbreaking solutions that power our nation’s defense and commercial missions. We are a unique, fast growing, and trusted team dedicated to swiftly and efficiently designing, building, launching, and operating state of the art satellites for advanced mission constellations. If you’re driven by purpose, inspired by challenges, and ready to leave your mark on the universe, you’ll find a home and endless opportunities for growth here. Together, let’s redefine what is possible in orbit and beyond!

Terran Orbital is seeking an experienced Director, Flight Dynamics, Guidance Control to join our dynamic team. Reporting to the VP, Space Mission Systems, the Director, Flight Dynamics, Guidance Control will be join a collaborative team developing innovative small satellite vehicle solutions for multiple projects.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

Lead and mentor a team of GNC engineers, ensuring they have clear objectives, adequate resources, and support to meet project milestones

Lead the design, development, and integration of GNC systems, ensuring they meet the required specifications and standards

Plan and manage GNC projects, including supporting schedule, budget, and resource allocation in partnership with peer organizations and project management

Lead troubleshooting of efforts related to GNC systems, applying advanced problem-solving and technical expertise

Coordinate with other departments, stakeholders, and external partners to ensure alignment on GNC projects and initiatives

Lead continuous improvement efforts, driving efficiencies and innovation in GNC development and maintenance

Provide technical inputs and support for proposal efforts

Support mission operations and anomaly resolution

Prepare and present formal and informal reports and status to upper management on a weekly basis

Provide inputs and evaluation of documentation for program milestone reviews Provide technical mentorship and peer review for coworkers

Qualifications and Skills

Master’s Degree in an engineering field with a concentration in dynamics and control

Minimum of 15 years of Guidance, Navigation Control technical experience, primarily within the space industry

Minimum of 3 years of experience leading and/or managing engineers

Demonstrated GNC engineering and software development using MATLAB and Simulink

Strong fundamental understanding of orbital dynamics and classical mechanics

Highly motivated, self-starting, and able to perform duties autonomously without supervision

Strong writing, presentation, and oral communication skills

Passion for the new space industry

U.S. Citizenship with ability to obtain and maintain DoD security clearance

Additional Differentiators

Ph.D. in Dynamics and controls is highly desired

Experience with the design of spacecraft flexible body control, Kalman Filtering, jitter analysis, rendezvous, proximity operations, and docking (RPOD), fault detection, isolation, recovery protocols.

Flight dynamics, Monte, navigation, orbit determination and mission operations for GEO and deep space

Experience with autonomy for satellite, constellation management, orbit insertion, station-keeping, and collision avoidance

Low and high thrust trajectory design and optimization

Hands-on experience with small satellites, robotic systems, or similar

Optical Communication Terminals (OCT)

Assured Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (APNT)

C++ and Python experience

Your actual level and base salary will be determined case-by-case and may vary based on the job-related qualification, knowledge, skills, education, and experience. In addition to base salary, we offer 100% covered medical, dental, and vision coverage, a 401(k) match, Flexible Time Off (FTO), covered life insurance, maternity and paternity leave, tuition reimbursement, employee referrals, and lots of swag!

Salary Range

$220,000 $270,000 USD

Full-time positions only:

Benefits

100% Company-paid comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage for you and your dependents

401(k) Match

Flexible Time Off (FTO)

Education Reimbursement

Competitive Paid Parental Leave

About Terran Orbital

Terran Orbital is a leading manufacturer of satellite products primarily serving the aerospace and defense industries. Terran Orbital provides end-to-end satellite solutions by combining satellite design, production, launch planning, mission operations, and on-orbit support to meet the needs of the most demanding military, civil, and commercial customers. Learn more at www.terranorbital.com

Physical Demands

An employee must meet the physical demands described to perform the essential functions of this job successfully. In performing the duties of this job, the employee is routine…