NightDragon Acquisition Corp.
Senior Manager, Guidance, Navigation & Control (GNC)
NightDragon Acquisition Corp., San Francisco, California, United States, 94199
Overview
All the relevant skills, qualifications and experience that a successful applicant will need are listed in the following description. Capella Space stands at the forefront of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite technology and signal intelligence. We provide customers in governments, academia, and commercial sectors with reliable information that enables understanding of the world. Our mission is to deliver timely and reliable Earth imagery for defense & intelligence, disaster response, energy, environmental monitoring, and more. Capella Space designs, manufactures and operates an advanced constellation of SAR imaging satellites, complemented by an automated data infrastructure for fast, reliable insights where and when customers need them.
Capella Space was honored as one of the 10 most innovative companies in Space in 2023 by FASTCOMPANY. We work with the U.S. government and international partners to make unclassified, high-resolution SAR data more accessible.
About the Role & Team We seek an experienced technical Senior Manager for the Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) team, including Flight Dynamics, Attitude Determination and Control Systems (ADCS), and Propulsion Systems. You will lead a small team responsible for pointing knowledge and control algorithms, ADCS and propulsion hardware sizing and selection, maneuvering and orbit control, formation flying, orbit determination, orbit propagation, collision avoidance, lifetime analysis, and de-orbit of a constellation of satellites.
As the Senior Manager of GNC, you will act as the technical leader in this domain at Capella. You will mentor and manage people while providing technical contributions to projects, guide the team through challenges, and help develop the team’s skills. You will lead the development of a technology roadmap related to this domain in collaboration with senior leaders and in line with company objectives. You will represent Capella’s GNC expertise to customers and partners and contribute technical input to proposals.
Responsibilities
Lead the Capella GNC team
Manage and mentor engineers on the team
Provide technical expertise related to GNC within projects
Perform resource allocation across company programs
Define and pursue short-term and long-term team goals aligned with company objectives
Collaborate with adjacent teams to operationalize GNC, Flight Dynamics systems, and CONOPS
Design and implement orbit determination, orbit propagation, and automated thrust maneuvering in an operational system
Design and implement state estimators and control algorithms for radar-imaging spacecraft localization and pointing
Support trade studies and concept development for future missions, including constellation design and system performance requirements
Define and implement the technology roadmap related to GNC in collaboration with senior leaders
Coordinate and/or manage a portfolio of development projects with the Program Management Office (PMO)
Qualifications
10+ years in GNC/ADCS/Flight Dynamics on complex space programs
Strong working knowledge of orbital mechanics, space system control, and the space environment
Hands-on experience in at least one area: formation flying, repeat orbit acquisition, or precision orbit maneuvering
Experience delivering Python or C/C++ development projects to production
Proven ability to lead a diverse team through complex projects
Ability to work in a dynamic environment with uncertainty
Excellent communication skills
Ability to manage conflicting priorities and requirements
Willingness to travel to Capella SF and other locations up to 25%
U.S. ITAR compliance: U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, refugee, or asylee, or eligible for required authorizations
Compensation The annual salary range for this role is $156,000 - $206,500. Final level and salary are based on education, qualifications, knowledge, skills, and location, and calibrated against market data and internal equity. Benefits listed may vary by employment type.
Benefits
Medical coverage with vision and dental plans, FSAs, and supplemental options
Stock option grants for new hires
401K Plan
Parental leave
Paid flexible time off
Lifestyle spending account
Commuter and parking benefits
Mental health resources
Monthly phone stipend
Daily lunches and stocked kitchens
Dog-friendly work environment and pet insurance options
Equal Opportunity Capella Space is an equal opportunity employer, committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace and equitable hiring practices. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic under applicable law. If you need an accommodation during the application process, please notify recruiting@capellaspace.com.
To learn more, visit https://www.capellaspace.com/
#J-18808-Ljbffr
All the relevant skills, qualifications and experience that a successful applicant will need are listed in the following description. Capella Space stands at the forefront of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite technology and signal intelligence. We provide customers in governments, academia, and commercial sectors with reliable information that enables understanding of the world. Our mission is to deliver timely and reliable Earth imagery for defense & intelligence, disaster response, energy, environmental monitoring, and more. Capella Space designs, manufactures and operates an advanced constellation of SAR imaging satellites, complemented by an automated data infrastructure for fast, reliable insights where and when customers need them.
Capella Space was honored as one of the 10 most innovative companies in Space in 2023 by FASTCOMPANY. We work with the U.S. government and international partners to make unclassified, high-resolution SAR data more accessible.
About the Role & Team We seek an experienced technical Senior Manager for the Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) team, including Flight Dynamics, Attitude Determination and Control Systems (ADCS), and Propulsion Systems. You will lead a small team responsible for pointing knowledge and control algorithms, ADCS and propulsion hardware sizing and selection, maneuvering and orbit control, formation flying, orbit determination, orbit propagation, collision avoidance, lifetime analysis, and de-orbit of a constellation of satellites.
As the Senior Manager of GNC, you will act as the technical leader in this domain at Capella. You will mentor and manage people while providing technical contributions to projects, guide the team through challenges, and help develop the team’s skills. You will lead the development of a technology roadmap related to this domain in collaboration with senior leaders and in line with company objectives. You will represent Capella’s GNC expertise to customers and partners and contribute technical input to proposals.
Responsibilities
Lead the Capella GNC team
Manage and mentor engineers on the team
Provide technical expertise related to GNC within projects
Perform resource allocation across company programs
Define and pursue short-term and long-term team goals aligned with company objectives
Collaborate with adjacent teams to operationalize GNC, Flight Dynamics systems, and CONOPS
Design and implement orbit determination, orbit propagation, and automated thrust maneuvering in an operational system
Design and implement state estimators and control algorithms for radar-imaging spacecraft localization and pointing
Support trade studies and concept development for future missions, including constellation design and system performance requirements
Define and implement the technology roadmap related to GNC in collaboration with senior leaders
Coordinate and/or manage a portfolio of development projects with the Program Management Office (PMO)
Qualifications
10+ years in GNC/ADCS/Flight Dynamics on complex space programs
Strong working knowledge of orbital mechanics, space system control, and the space environment
Hands-on experience in at least one area: formation flying, repeat orbit acquisition, or precision orbit maneuvering
Experience delivering Python or C/C++ development projects to production
Proven ability to lead a diverse team through complex projects
Ability to work in a dynamic environment with uncertainty
Excellent communication skills
Ability to manage conflicting priorities and requirements
Willingness to travel to Capella SF and other locations up to 25%
U.S. ITAR compliance: U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, refugee, or asylee, or eligible for required authorizations
Compensation The annual salary range for this role is $156,000 - $206,500. Final level and salary are based on education, qualifications, knowledge, skills, and location, and calibrated against market data and internal equity. Benefits listed may vary by employment type.
Benefits
Medical coverage with vision and dental plans, FSAs, and supplemental options
Stock option grants for new hires
401K Plan
Parental leave
Paid flexible time off
Lifestyle spending account
Commuter and parking benefits
Mental health resources
Monthly phone stipend
Daily lunches and stocked kitchens
Dog-friendly work environment and pet insurance options
Equal Opportunity Capella Space is an equal opportunity employer, committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace and equitable hiring practices. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic under applicable law. If you need an accommodation during the application process, please notify recruiting@capellaspace.com.
To learn more, visit https://www.capellaspace.com/
#J-18808-Ljbffr