About PLD Space 

PLD Space is an international space services company with in-house engineering and manufacturing. It is dedicated to transporting satellites and humans into space, vertically integrating engineering, testing, manufacturing and operations of its reusable and sustainable rockets. Headquartered in Elche (Spain) and founded in 2011 by Raúl Torres and Raúl Verdú, PLD Space has established itself as a global benchmark in the space launcher sector. Its MIURA family of launchers and its LINCE manned capsule position the company as a leader in European technological sovereignty in space transportation, covering the full range of space missions.  

With a team of more than 350 employees and 220 million in total funding, PLD Space also has the largest private test benches in Europe, located in Teruel (Spain), and operates a launch base in the Guiana Space Centre (CSG), in Kourou (French Guiana). In total, it has more than 188,000m2 of industrial infrastructures under management.  

Teamwork, courage, determination and ambition enable PLD Space to guarantee an autonomous, independent satellite space access capability, based on reliability at a globally competitive price. The company is able to offer best-in-class launch services to commercial satellite operators, institutions, space agencies and national and international governmental entities. 

Mission

As a GNC Engineer at PLD Space, your mission is to contribute to the design, development, and optimization of the Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) systems for our MIURA vehicles. You will play a key role in ensuring the accurate and precise control of our launch vehicles and spacecraft, enabling successful missions and operations. 

Responsibilities

• Participate in the design and development of GNC algorithms, control systems, and hardware components for launch vehicles and spacecraft. 
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including systems engineers, avionics engineers, and propulsion engineers, to define and refine GNC system requirements. 
• Conduct analysis and simulations to optimize GNC system performance, stability, and control authority, considering mission objectives and constraints. 
• Assist in the verification and validation activities of GNC systems, including system-level testing, model-based simulations, and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL), SIL and MIL testing. 
• Development of flight dynamics simulators for launchers and spacecraft. 
• Support the development of GNC-related documentation, including requirements specifications, interface control documents, and test plans. 
• Contribution to flight safety analysis, safety corridors, and IIPs according to launch site requirements. 
• Contribute to the integration and testing of GNC systems, ensuring compliance with safety standards and regulatory requirements. 
• Analyse and interpret flight data to evaluate the performance and behaviour of GNC systems, identifying areas for improvement and proposing corrective actions. 
• Collaborate with external partners and suppliers to ensure the seamless integration of GNC subsystems with the overall vehicle architecture. 
• Stay updated on the latest advancements in GNC technologies, control theory, and industry standards, applying them to enhance the performance and capabilities of our aerospace systems. 
• Contribute to technical reviews, meetings, and presentations, communicating GNC-related information effectively to stakeholders and project teams. 
• Generate documentation, including user guides, guidelines and user manuals for internal customers use. 
• Generate documentation for formal program development reviews.

Necessary Requirements

• Engineering bachelor’s degree or demonstrable relevant experience in lieu thereof. Advanced degree preferred. 
• >5 year of relevant technical experience. 
• Strong understanding of GNC principles, algorithms, and control systems for launch vehicles and spacecraft. 
• Familiarity with flight dynamics, attitude determination and control, trajectory optimization, and sensor fusion techniques. 
• Proficiency in using engineering software tools for GNC design, analysis, and simulations. 
• Knowledge of hardware components, sensors, and actuators commonly used in GNC systems. 
• Understanding of safety regulations and standards related to GNC systems.

Desired Requirements

• Experience in GNC engineering for launch vehicles or spacecraft. 
• Familiarity with control theory and advanced control algorithms, such as adaptive control and optimal control. 
• Knowledge of software development methodologies and programming languages for GNC system implementation. 
• Understanding of fault tolerance and failure detection and recovery mechanisms in GNC systems. 
• Experience with hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing and model-based development techniques. 
• Familiarity with regulatory requirements and certification processes for GNC systems.  
• Knowledge in analysis and simulations of re-entry trajectories. 
• Experience in defining sensor and actuator requirements for launchers and implementing robust control algorithms and sensor fusion.

Benefits

Health & Wellness

• Physiotherapy within our facilities
• 50% discount on your health insurance
• You can sign-up your family members with health insurance at a competitive price.
• Healthy snacks and lots of fruit

Find balance

• 23 days of paid vacation plus December 24th and 31st
• Flexible work schedule

Never stop learning

• We encourage practical learning
• We promote professional development through internal mobility and teamwork

Focus on your financial future

• Childcare flexible contributions
• Restaurant tickets
• Transport flexible contributions
• Training support

Values

We have five critical beliefs that guide the way PLD Space is shaping the future of space launch technologies.

• Teamwork.
• Hard work.
• Dynamism.
• Commitment.
• Keep it simple. 

Join us to reinvent how rockets are built!