Lead GNC Engineer

Mission Overview

At AlgoForge Aerospace , brute force propulsion is useless without absolute control. As the Lead Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) Engineer, you will architect the brain of the AF-Series launch vehicle.

Your algorithms will pilot a monolithic structure autonomously through the chaotic atmosphere, managing the highly transient dynamics of Rotating Detonation Engines (RDE). You are responsible for ensuring we thread the needle to orbit with pinpoint accuracy, and execute the supersonic retro-propulsion required to stick the landing.

Operational Objectives

Architect robust 6-DOF control laws (TVC & RCS) spanning pad-liftoff, Max-Q, hypersonic reentry, and propulsive booster recovery.

Design and tune advanced state estimators (Extended/Unscented Kalman Filters) to fuse IMU, GPS, and Star Tracker telemetry in hard-real-time.

Build aggressive, high-fidelity Monte Carlo simulations to validate vehicle survivability and controller stability under extreme aerodynamic dispersions.

Implement highly optimized guidance algorithms (e.g., convex optimization) for trajectory shaping and precision energy management.

Own the post-flight data review, interrogating flight telemetry to refine aerodynamic coefficients and anchor your models to reality.

Mission Prerequisites

MS/PhD in Aerospace, Electrical, or Mechanical Engineering with a relentless focus on Control Theory and Rigid Body Dynamics.

Deep, intuitive mastery of classical (PID, Root Locus) and modern control architectures (LQR, H-infinity, MPC).

Uncompromising proficiency in modern C++ for writing deterministic flight code, and Python/MATLAB for rapid mathematical modeling.

Extensive experience handling orbital mechanics, quaternion math, and highly non-linear aerospace systems.

A builder's mindset—you must be comfortable running your algorithms on physical Hardware-in-the-Loop (HITL) test rigs, not just simulations.

— Deployment Benefits —

Absolute Autonomy

Write the logic that commands millions of pounds of thrust.

Flight Hardware

Watch your math fly to orbit and return to the landing pad.

Direct Ownership

No silos. You write the math, you write the C++, you own the result.

The Hard Problems

Solve the unprecedented GNC challenges of RDE-powered ascent.