Lead GNC Controls Engineer
Albedo
Denver, CO, USA
Posted on Jul 1, 2025
Be one of the Bedo 100
Albedo is revolutionizing the space industry by building technology to commercialize Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO). Our first satellite, Clarity-1, is built upon our Precision bus, our VLEO-optimized platform designed specifically to thrive where other satellites cannot. With the successful launch of Clarity-1, we've proven our ability to deliver the highest resolution visible (10cm) and thermal (2m) imagery available commercially from space—a resolution previously possible only with aircraft and drones, but now available globally and on-demand.
Through the next couple of years, our focuses will be scaling production of our Precision bus to support the growing Clarity constellation and serving our customers the highest-resolution data. As part of the first 100 employees at Albedo, you will have a direct impact on on the above goals, whether that’s working directly on hardware to enhance our performance in VLEO, optimizing the pointing algorithms of our agile satellite, or delivering imagery to reduce wildfire risk, monitor carbon emissions from industrial power plants, or inform decision-makers on national security matters.
How We Operate: Albedo has developed a novel approach to Very Low Earth Orbit, both in space and with our business model. We are intentionally doing things differently by taking (calculated) risks, trying new things, and moving with speed. In age where AI presents extraordinary potential, we’ve adopted an AI-first mentality to create leverage for ourselves and customers. Like our satellites, we intentionally operate in a space that most avoid because its hard — but the excitement and things we have and will achieve make it worth it.
Who We're Looking For: As we scale our VLEO platform and expand our constellation, we need innovative thinkers who thrive in fast-paced environments and are passionate about pushing technological boundaries. You'll be joining a team that's already proven it can achieve the impossible with the successful deployment of Clarity-1. If you're excited to tackle top-tier technical challenges, apply cutting-edge AI developments, and advance the state-of-the-art in VLEO technology, you'll find yourself part of a mission that's transforming how humanity sees and understands our planet—and eventually, other worlds.
If you can feel the excitement running through your veins, apply to be one of the Bedo 100.
As a Lead GNC Controls Engineer, you’ll own the design, simulation, and tuning of Albedo’s pointing and motion control algorithms. You’ll play a central role in translating high-level image quality requirements into closed-loop control implementations, working closely with flight software, simulation, and payload teams. From jitter suppression to agile slew maneuvers, your designs will determine the stability and agility of the world’s most exquisite commercial imaging satellites.
What You’ll Do:
- Design, simulate, and tune control laws (classical and modern) for agile body-pointing and scanning maneuvers
- Translate image motion requirements into system-level and component-level control allocations
- Analyze and mitigate structural dynamics and actuator-induced disturbances
- Work with simulation engineers to develop and validate control system performance across a 6DOF model
- Collaborate with avionics and FSW teams to integrate algorithms into real-time software and hardware-in-the-loop testbeds
- Support attitude control and pointing performance verification across development, test, and flight
Your Ideal Skills and Experience:
- Have 7–12 years of experience in spacecraft or robotic control system design
- Are fluent in classical control analysis (Bode, Nichols, root locus) and modern techniques (LQR, MPC, optimization-based
- Can implement and validate control algorithms in both MATLAB/Simulink and C++
- Understand how to model actuator dynamics, sensor noise, and structural modes
- Have experience tuning control laws for tight pointing requirements, jitter suppression, or agile maneuvers
- Familiarity with CMGs, momentum management, or over-actuated control allocation
- Experience with embedded controls in a flight-like real-time environment
- Prior work on image-motion-sensitive systems (e.g., EO payloads, optical benches)
- Experience with hardware-in-the-loop testing and simulation validation workflows
Compensation and Benefits
- Employee friendly equity compensation
- Asynchronous culture with flexible working hours
- 4% direct matching 401k
- Insurance: Medical, Vision, Dental, Mental Health
- Parental leave and childcare coverage
- Relocation bonus for moving to our Denver, CO HQ
- Flexible vacation from day one
- 12 company holidays and flexible sick time
- $100 monthly wellness benefit
- Team retreats to build relationships in-person
Full-Time On-Site Work Environment: This position requires regular in-person engagement by working on-site full-time. Travel to other possible non-Albedo locations may be required.
Working Conditions:
Work is performed in an office environment, laboratory, cleanroom, or production floor.
Albedo does not accept agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to Albedo employees. Albedo is not responsible for any fees or overhead related to unsolicited resumes.
Additional Requirements: In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire. All persons hired will be required to be a U.S. citizen, a lawful permanent resident of the U.S., or protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.
Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled: Albedo is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
Relocation: Relocation for this position is available
US CITIZENSHIP IS REQUIRED
#LI-Onsite