Director, ADCS & GNC Engineering

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 unparalleled understanding of the world. Our mission is centered on delivering timely and reliable Earth imagery, supporting diverse applications in defense & intelligence, disaster response, energy, environmental monitoring and more. Utilizing cutting-edge technology, Capella Space designs, manufactures and operates an advanced constellation of SAR imaging satellites. Our market-leading SAR satellites are complemented by an unmatched data infrastructure and automated ordering and delivery platform for fast, reliable insights where and when customers need it most. 

Recognized for our technological prowess, Capella Space was honored as one of the 10 most innovative companies in Space in 2023 by FASTCOMPANY. Capella Space is an internationally trusted Earth Observation data provider, working closely with the U.S. Space Systems Command, U.S. Space Force, NASA, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, U.S. National Reconnaissance Office, the Canadian Government and more to make unclassified, high-resolution SAR data more accessible.  

What Makes Capella Unique? 

Capella Space is a highly collaborative team environment, providing an opportunity to work with some of the brightest minds in the space industry, though no prior space experience is needed.  We’re looking for people excited about tackling seemingly impossible challenges, learning new skills and concepts, and helping each other achieve success. Our mission and our products are meant to understand the whole world and help everyone in it - regardless of race, creed, or any other distinction. We encourage you to bring your unique perspective to help make us stronger, including applications from those who are traditionally underrepresented in tech. 

About the Role & Team

We are looking for an experienced technical Director for our GNC/ADCS/Flight Dynamics group. In this role you will lead a small team of highly specialized engineers who collectively are responsible for all aspects related to the satellite attitude determination & control, propulsion, maneuvering & orbit control, formation flying, orbit determination, orbit prediction, collision avoidance, and de-orbit.

As a leader of this team, you will act as the technical leader in this domain at Capella. You will be mentor and people manager while providing technical expertise and contributions to various projects within the company. You will guide the team through technical challenges, help develop the team’s skills, and enable growth of the team – taking on new challenges (such as formation flying & autonomous control) as the company evolves and our opportunities diversify. You will lead the development of a technology roadmap related to this domain in collaboration with senior company leaders and in-line with company strategic objectives and projects.

As a leader in your field you will represent the company’s expertise related to GNC/ADCS/Flight Dynamics in front of customers and partners, in public settings (such as conferences) as appropriate, and in proposals.

Role Responsibilities

• Lead the growing Capella GNC/ADCS/Flight Dynamics team.
• Mentor engineers on the team.
• Provide technical expertise related to GNC/ADCS/Flight Dynamics within the team and on projects throughout the company.
• Collaborate with and support adjacent teams with operationalizing GNC & Flight Dynamics systems & CONOPS.
• Support trade studies and concept development for future missions.
• Define & implement the technology roadmap related to GNC/ADCS/Flight Dynamics in collaboration with senior leaders and in-line with the company strategic objectives.
• Manage team resources and their assignments to company projects and activities.
• Coordinate and/or manage portfolio of development projects in collaboration with company PMO.

Qualifications

• 15+ Years in the field of GNC/ADCS/Flight Dynamics on complex space programs.
• Strong working knowledge of orbital mechanics, space system control systems, and the space environment.
• Hands-on, project level experience, in at least one of the following areas: formation flying, repeat orbit acquisition, precision orbit maneuvering.
• Strong working knowledge of relevant math & physics.
• Working knowledge of common software tools and languages such as Matlab, Python, C/C++
• Proven ability to lead a diverse team through complex projects.
• Ability to wor