## What you will own
- Serve as the responsible engineer and technical lead for all GNC matters.
- Establish the GNC architecture, technical roadmap, development processes and verification strategy.
- Develop six-degree-of-freedom vehicle simulations and dynamics models.
- Develop flight trajectories, guidance algorithms, state-estimation systems and control laws.
- Model vehicle dynamics, aerodynamics, propulsion, actuators, sensors and environmental disturbances.
- Define GNC requirements for sensors, flight computers, actuators and propulsion systems.
- Develop Monte Carlo analysis and vehicle-robustness processes.
- Lead software-in-the-loop and hardware-in-the-loop testing.
- Integrate GNC algorithms with flight software and avionics.
- Support flight-test planning, execution and anomaly resolution.
- Lead post-flight reconstruction and model correlation.
- Own GNC risks through design reviews and flight-readiness reviews.
- Help recruit, mentor and lead future members of the GNC team.
## Requirements
- Demonstrated ability to lead and execute in a similar role.
- 5–10 years of relevant experience developing GNC for rockets, spacecraft, aircraft, missiles, drones or other autonomous vehicles.
- Flight sciences experience, including building aero databases, analyzing aerodynamic performance, and validating models through simulation and flight-test data.
- Strong understanding of rigid-body dynamics, state estimation, control theory and numerical simulation.
- Experience owning GNC architecture and making technical decisions across an integrated vehicle program.
- Experience implementing GNC algorithms in flight software.
- Experience with Monte Carlo analysis, software-in-the-loop and hardware-in-the-loop testing.
- Demonstrated experience testing or flying an autonomous vehicle.
- Ability to lead technical work across avionics, propulsion, aerodynamics, systems and test teams.
- Willingness to be highly hands-on in a small, fast-moving hardware organization.
## Nice-to-have
- Experience building or leading a small GNC team.
- Experience with vertical-takeoff and vertical-landing vehicles.
- Experience with thrust-vector control, powered descent or engine relight.
- Experience with hypersonic, ballistic or atmospheric-entry trajectories.
- Experience with multi-engine vehicles.
- Experience with flight-safety systems and range operations.
- Prior work at a fast-moving startup.
**Hop Aero will only consider U.S. persons as defined by ITAR for this role. Hop Aero will not sponsor visas for this role.**
Visa sponsorship is not available for this role.
