Flight Dynamics Engineer

Role Description

We are seeking a Flight Dynamics Engineer to join our flight program team. This is a full-time,
in-office role for a professional with hands-on flight dynamics experience. This role focuses on
attitude control, guidance, navigation, simulation, hardware integration, troubleshooting, and live
flight operations. In this role, you will lead the integration, simulation, testing, and real-time
operations of flight dynamics systems for our satellite builds to ensure seamless performance on
orbit.

Key Responsibilities

* Lead the technical integration, vendor management, interface and performance requirements
for ADCS, propulsion systems, and hardware GNC components.
* Develop high-fidelity flight dynamics models to run trajectory analysis, momentum
management, and propellant budgeting using tools like STK or custom Python simulations.
* Develop and tune control laws for pointing requirements, detumbling, and station-keeping.
* Work with the AI&T and Avionics teams to ensure flight dynamics hardware is integrated and
calibrated correctly within the spacecraft bus.
* Transition from the design and simulation phase into “on-console” operations, handling flight
dynamics-related anomalies and maneuvers.
* Ensure compliance with industry standards and regulatory requirements.
* Document design processes, test results, and system performance.

Minimum Qualifications

* Bachelor’s or advanced degree in aerospace engineering, electrical engineering, or a related
field.
* 5+ years of experience in spacecraft flight dynamics, including experience with attitude control
and propulsion systems.
* Proficiency in mission design software and flight dynamics simulation tools.
* Proficiency in programming (Python, C++, or MATLAB) for modeling flight dynamics and flight
software integration.
* Experience working in clean room environments and adhering to ESD protocols.
* Demonstrated leadership skills, including mentoring junior engineers and driving innovation in
engineering processes.
* Strong ability to collaborate effectively in a flexible environment while maintaining a positive and
professional attitude.
* Excellent problem-solving skills and attention to detail.

Company Description

We are a Los Angeles-based spacecraft technology company established to capitalize on a rapidly
evolving space landscape and the urgent need to deliver resilient orbital capabilities to maintain
and increase our national science and security interests. We combine serious space flight
experience with an open minded, first-principles approach, leveraging advanced computational
design and Industry 4.0 practices to deliver custom spacecraft and mission solutions with
exceptional speed, precision, and reliability. We seek to enable every payload and mission with a
fully custom, purpose-built spacecraft bus, designed and delivered using our patent-pending,
automated computational design platform, with high reliability.

Equal Opportunity

We are committed to providing equal employment opportunity regardless of an applicant’s age,
disability, sex, race, religion, gender, national origin, veteran status or any other legally protected
characteristic. We will provide reasonable accommodation to an applicant with a disability or
religious belief to enable the applicant to apply for the position.

Darwin Recruitment is acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy.

Sibusisiwe Mlaba