Head of Guidance, Navigation, and Control

Fortastra

<h2>Company Overview</h2> <p>Fortastra designs and delivers resilient, high-performance spacecraft that safeguard critical orbital assets and ensure freedom of action in space. We integrate advanced autonomy, sensing, and control into systems engineered for reliability, speed, and scale.<br>Our culture values simplicity, accountability, and disciplined execution. We expect leaders to think systemically, act decisively, and take ownership of mission outcomes.  Aggressive innovation. Disciplined execution. Strength among the stars.</p> <h3>Team / Department</h3> <p>You will lead Fortastra’s Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GN&C) function within the Engineering Division, owning the architecture, performance, and delivery of flight-critical control systems across our autonomous spacecraft portfolio.</p> <h3>The Role</h3> <p>Fortastra is seeking a <strong>Head of Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GN&C)</strong> to define and lead the development of flight-critical algorithms enabling autonomous rendezvous, proximity operations (RPO), and precision maneuvering in contested environments. This is a technical leadership role, not a pure management position. You will set the technical direction for GN&C across the company, own system-level performance, and build and lead a team capable of delivering mission-critical autonomy from concept through flight. The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in control theory, estimation, and orbital mechanics, combined with a track record of delivering flight-proven systems and leading high-performing engineering teams.</p> <h3><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Key Responsibilities</span></h3> <ul> <li>Own the end-to-end GN&C architecture across all spacecraft programs, ensuring performance, robustness, and mission alignment</li> <li>Define and drive technical strategy and roadmap for autonomy-enabled control systems in dynamic and contested environments</li> <li>Lead the design, implementation, and validation of GNC algorithms for RPO, formation flying, and precision maneuvering</li> <li>Oversee development of ADCS, orbit determination, and state estimation systems with flight-level reliability</li> <li>Establish and enforce engineering standards, modeling practices, and verification methodologies across the GN&C domain</li> <li>Drive integration of GN&C with flight software, autonomy, avionics, and mission systems</li> <li>Own simulation, Monte Carlo analysis, and performance validation under uncertainty, off-nominal conditions, and failure scenarios</li> <li>Lead hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) and flight test campaigns, ensuring readiness for operational deployment</li> <li>Recruit, mentor, and develop a high-caliber GN&C team, setting a high bar for technical excellence and accountability</li> <li>Act as the technical authority for GN&C, supporting executive decisions, customer engagements, and program reviews</li> </ul> <h3><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Qualifications and Skills</span></h3> <ul> <li>B.S., M.S., or Ph.D. in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical Engineering, or related field</li> <li>10+ years of experience in spacecraft, launch vehicle, or autonomous system GN&C</li> <li>Demonstrated ownership of flight-critical GN&C systems from concept through on-orbit operations</li> <li>Deep expertise in control systems, nonlinear dynamics, and state estimation (e.g., Kalman filtering)</li> <li>Strong experience with relative motion, orbital mechanics, and RPO or formation flying missions</li> <li>Proven ability to lead technical teams an

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