GNC Software Engineer

About the role

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 Software Engineer to join our Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) team. In this role, you will develop, integrate and validate flight software that enables autonomous operation of spacecraft. You’ll work closely with GNC and Flight Software 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 algorithms using model-based development processes
• Implement state machines and FDIR (Fault Detection, Isolation, and Recovery) logic for robust autonomous operations
• Develop and maintain GNC software interfaces within the flight software architecture
• Design, implement, and maintain software- and hardware-in-the-loop (SIL/HIL) test campaigns to validate GNC performance and reliability
• Develop unit tests and regression tests to ensure software reliability
• Collaborate with simulation, hardware, and Flight Software teams to support end-to-end GNC system integration and validation

Required Qualifications

• 2+ years of professional experience developing GNC software for spacecraft, UAVs, or other autonomous platforms
• Hands-on experience implementing and testing estimators, controllers, and state machines
• Experience with model-based software development and automatic code generation using MATLAB/Simulink
• Proficiency in C++, Python, and MATLAB/Simulink
• Experience developing unit tests, regression tests, and debugging software in simulation or embedded environments
• Proficiency with Git version control and Linux-based development environments

Desired Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical, or Computer Engineering
• Experience implementing FDIR strategies and autonomous mode management using state machines
• Hands-on experience with software- and hardware-in-the-loop (SIL/HIL) simulation environments
• Familiarity with continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines and automated software testing
• Understanding of spacecraft attitude determination and control systems (ADCS), including sensors, actuators, and onboard estimation and control algorithms.

Additional information

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.