GNC Engineer

Xona is the navigational intelligence company bringing real-time, centimeter-level certainty to any device, anywhere on Earth.

With Pulsar – the world’s most advanced PNT satellite infrastructure in Low Earth Orbit – Xona will offer a future-proof, backwards-compatible global positioning system optimized for absolute precision, superior power, and robust protection.

We are seeking a GNC Engineer to join our Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) team. In this role, you will lead the development and integration of flight software that enables autonomous operation of spacecraft. You’ll work closely with GNC engineers to deploy estimators, controllers, and state machines in real-time flight environments, supporting missions from simulation through on-orbit or in-flight operation.

What You’ll Do

• Develop and integrate GNC flight software that enables autonomous spacecraft operations

• Implement estimators, controllers, and state machines in real-time flight environments

• Design and implement Fault Detection, Isolation, and Recovery (FDIR) logic for flight-critical systems

• Build and maintain GNC software interfaces within the broader flight software architecture

• Design, execute, and maintain Software-in-the-Loop (SIL) and Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) test campaigns to validate performance and robustness

• Develop unit tests and regression tests to ensure reliability across mission phases

• Collaborate closely with simulation, embedded software, hardware, and systems teams to support end-to-end GNC validation from simulation through on-orbit operations

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical, Computer Engineering, or a related field

• Experience deploying estimators and/or controllers on spacecraft, UAVs, or autonomous systems

• Strong understanding of flight software design and integration for GNC applications

• Experience implementing state machines and fault-management logic in flight-critical systems

• Proficiency working in Git-based, Linux development environments

• Strong attention to detail in testing, validation, and system reliability

• Clear communicator who works effectively across multidisciplinary engineering teams

Desired Qualifications

• Master’s or PhD in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical, or Computer Engineering

• Proficiency in Python, C++, and MATLAB

• Hands-on experience with SIL and HIL test environments

• Familiarity with model-based development and autocoding workflows (e.g., Simulink + Embedded Coder)

• Experience building or maintaining test infrastructure for mission-critical or safety-critical systems

For U.S. Roles: To comply with U.S. Government space technology export regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the United States (i.e. Green Card holder), or other protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3).

For U.K. Roles: To comply with U.K. regulations, this role requires Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks, and successful candidates must be eligible to obtain UK Security Clearance (SC).

For Canada Roles: Successful candidates must obtain and hold a security clearance at the reliability status level, and pass security assessment for the Canadian Controlled Goods Program (CGP) and ITAR.

We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.