# Director, Guidance Navigation & Control

**Company:** [Turion Space](https://hotfix.jobs/companies/turion-space)
**Location:** Irvine, CA
**Role:** Engineering Management
**Salary:** $200k – $273k/yr
**Experience:** 10+ years
**Skills:** guidance navigation and control, c/c++, Python, MATLAB, control theory, estimation, flight dynamics, guidance algorithms, modeling and simulation, verification and validation, satellite operations, autonomous navigation
**Posted:** 2026-07-23

> Lead the GNC team at Turion Space, owning technical vision, system architecture, team development, and execution for spacecraft missions including RPO, reconnaissance, refueling, and Space Domain Awareness. Requires 10+ years in GNC with leadership experience, expertise in control theory, algorithms (C/C++, Python/MATLAB), and satellite operations.

## Job Description

## Key Responsibilities
- Set the long-term technical vision, strategy, and roadmap for GNC capabilities, tools, processes, and team development.
- Own system-level architecture decisions for guidance, navigation, control, simulation, validation, and autonomy-related functions.
- Lead the GNC team by owning team structure, hiring plans, and team development.
- Serve as the senior technical authority for GNC, providing direction on trade studies, requirements, interfaces, performance targets, and risk management.
- Establish engineering standards, review practices, modeling and simulation expectations, verification methods, and certification or compliance approaches.
- Mentor and develop senior engineers and technical leads, raising the overall technical bar of the organization.
- Drive make-versus-buy decisions, provide technical oversight of suppliers, and manage external partnerships related to GNC/RPO technologies.
- Represent GNC technical direction and program status in executive reviews, customer discussions, design reviews, and major decision forums.

## Requirements
- Minimum 10 years of experience in roles related to guidance, navigation, and control engineering, with progressive growth from hands-on technical execution to senior technical leadership, architecture ownership, and strategic decision-making.
- Expertise implementing GNC algorithms as production flight code (C/C++) and ground analysis tools (Python/MATLAB).
- Extensive experience leading GNC engineering teams for complex aerospace, robotics, autonomous systems, defense, space, aviation, or similar platforms.
- Proven experience supporting satellite bus operations, providing support for GNC-related activities and resolving on-orbit anomalies.
- Demonstrated ownership of GNC architecture, technology roadmaps, and system-level technical direction across multiple programs or product generations.
- Deep expertise in control theory, estimation/navigation, flight dynamics, guidance algorithms, modeling and simulation, and verification and validation.
- Proven ability to influence executive stakeholders, manage technical risk, and make high-impact decisions under uncertainty.
- Experience building, mentoring, and scaling high-performing engineering teams.
- Strong communication skills with the ability to translate complex technical topics into clear strategic recommendations.

## Preferred Qualifications
- Direct spacecraft GNC experience in SDA, autonomous navigation, rendezvous safety, maneuver planning, or proximity operations.

## Similar roles

- [Director of Engineering - Marketplace and Auctions](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/659de17c-8a97-4a4d-ba61-ef1b5ae2bd08) - Storable - Remote - $200k – $250k/yr
- [Head of Software](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/90f6d068-2e9d-46ec-bd66-a7241ed0801d) - Northwood Space - Los Angeles, CA - $200k – $270k/yr
- [Director, Software Engineering (Product)](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/69a061fa-6b62-480c-92b0-1153f85ed932) - Ambient.ai - Redwood City, CA - $200k – $260k/yr
- [Director, Engineering Excellence & Design Standards](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/89764dce-9bb3-46a6-9b0c-2e16ce3bb80c) - Shield AI - Dallas, TX - $209k – $314k/yr
- [Director of Software Architecture](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/bd90a004-c7be-4a7a-93bd-72cdc8eac3ef) - Hometap - Remote - $210k – $225k/yr

**Apply:** https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/56a3e290-100f-4d53-ab55-a4a5dd9b2ae8
**Canonical:** https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/56a3e290-100f-4d53-ab55-a4a5dd9b2ae8