GNC Engineer - Control

At Dark, we passionately believe that space represents not only a cornerstone of the modern world but also a catalyst for shaping our future. Our mission is clear: pioneering spacecraft and mission designs for the protection of vital orbits and assets.

That is why we are gathering a team of bright minds to tackle crucial challenges through advanced engineering. Our focus? Velocity. We are kicking in technologies that will enable faster-than-ever orbital missions, ushering in a new era defined by unprecedented agility and boundless opportunity.

Your mission will be to develop and implement attitude and orbit control schemes during the in-space mission phases: determining performance requirements, implementing and configuring appropriately. You will take the mission design and make it possible. You will need to anticipate and understand how the component behaviours affect mission performances and validate in testing. You will contribute directly to Dark’s mission from the first demonstration, and beyond.

First Missions

• Modeling of engine control layout and working closely with propulsion engineers to select equipment
• Target acquisition strategy: specification of equipment and requirements definition

Responsibilities

• Development, implementation and test of attitude and orbit control algorithms
• Work closely with navigation and propulsion engineers to ensure combined GNC performances
• Participation in verification & validation of GNC subsystems, both new and existing
• Component model development and validation for integration in functional flight model

Requirements

• 7+ years of experience in model-centric projects, preferably related to flight vehicle control
• Ideal background from the Defense / Aerospace industry (e.g. MBDA, Thales, Dassault, Safran, etc.)
• Excellent understanding of control theories - classical & non-linear design, optimal & robust methodologies.
• Good understanding of dynamics: in particular attitude dynamics, and beneficially orbital mechanics
• Proficiency with MATLAB / Simulink
• Strong mathematical foundation, with an interest in physics relevant to space missions
• As we have an international team, knowledge of technical English is required. Fluency in French is a plus

Culture

We recognize that extraordinary work ethics turn mere achievements into triumphs. Hence, we hold each team member accountable for enhancing collaborative performance within Dark by embodying the following skillset:

• Methodology – Your ability to clearly define and articulate the steps required to achieve a desired outcome
• Relevancy – Your capacity to discern and select the most appropriate course of action based on the prevailing context and circumstances
• Results – Consistently obtaining and updating the necessary resources and information to drive towards the intended outcome effectively
• Join - our core team, poised to expand into a company with hundreds.
• Engage - in a deeply technical project with high level systems trade-off and long term industrial vision.
• Learn - every day in an environment driven by continuous improvement.
• Enjoy - a team rewarding autonomy and uphold high standard at work.

Total salary package begins at €62,000, along with additional performance-based and project-related bonuses.