ADCS/Control Systems Engineer III

Job Title: Attitude Determination and Control System Engineer Level III (Controls)

Location: Leander, TX

Employment: Contract to Hire (6 months)

Industry: Aerospace & Defense

Compensation: $65-$75/hour

Schedule: 40 hours /week

About the Opportunity:

• As a Senior ADCS Engineer specializing in controls and autonomy at client, you will design and implement advanced control systems and autonomous flight software for operational spacecraft.
• In this role, you will develop and tune attitude control software, support hardware-in-the-loop testing and system integration and provide technical leadership while collaborating with multidisciplinary teams.
• This position combines advanced control theory, real-time embedded systems development, and hands-on flight operations support while mentoring junior engineers in a fast-paced operational environment.

Why You'll Love Working Here:

• Supportive, team-driven culture that values collaboration, transparency, and accountability
• Opportunity to grow your career with a global workforce solutions leader serving multiple industries
• People-first environment that encourages employees to bring their authentic selves to work
• Strong focus on partnership, innovation, and delivering meaningful results for clients and candidates

Why This Opportunity is Exciting:

• This role offers the chance to join a company that prioritizes both people and performance-where your contributions directly impact client success while giving you room to grow and develop professionally.

About Acara Solutions

• Acara is a premier recruiting and workforce solutions provider-we help companies compete for talent. With a legacy of experience in various industries worldwide, we partner with clients, listen to their needs, and customize visionary talent solutions that drive desired business outcomes. We leverage decades of experience to deliver contingent staffing, direct placement, executive search, and workforce services worldwide.

Sound like a good fit?

APPLY TODAY

What You'll Do:

• Design, analyze, and tune spacecraft attitude control software to ensure accurate pointing across all mission phases
• Implement control techniques for critical mission phases using reaction wheels, control moment gyros, magnetic torque rods, and thruster systems
• Develop control systems accounting for complex spacecraft dynamics including structural flex modes, propellant slosh, gimbal dynamics, and control structure interaction
• Establish technical standards and validation methodologies for control system design, software development, and hardware-in-the-loop testing
• Conduct stability analysis, sensitivity studies, and performance optimization for control systems under nominal and off-nominal conditions
• Support hardware-in-the-loop test campaigns for integrated ADCS systems including control algorithm validation, flight software verification, and system-level performance testing
• Drive resolution of complex ADCS challenges requiring deep technical expertise and rapid problem-solving
• Provide technical direction on system architecture and serve as subject matter expert for spacecraft control
• Mentor junior engineers in control theory and flight software development
• Author technical documentation and analysis reports that communicate ADCS concepts and results to diverse audiences
• Interface with cross-discipline teams to integrate control software with spacecraft hardware
• Serve as an ADCS console operator for spacecraft operations and perform post-mission analysis to improve spacecraft models
• Champion continuous improvement initiatives for ADCS processes, tools, and operational efficiency

What You'll Bring:

• Bachelor's Degree in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science.
• 5 years of experience in spacecraft ADCS systems with significant depth in attitude control system design or flight software development.
• 5 years of experience in developing high-fidelity actuator models and attitude control system testbeds.

What Sets You Apart:

• Master Degree in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Applied Mathematics.
• Doctor of Philosophy in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Applied Mathematics.
• Advanced knowledge of attitude dynamics and control theory, including rotational dynamics, attitude representations, control moment generation, and stability analysis
• Strong understanding of classical control theory and frequency domain analysis techniques
• Proficiency in hardware-in-the-loop testing and requirement verification for mission-critical systems
• Understanding of software development best practices including version control (Git), code documentation, and testing
• Excellent communication and presentation skills
• Experience architecting and implementing control systems for operational spacecraft from development through mission operations
• Expertise in advanced control techniques such as nonlinear control methods, optimal control, model predictive control, or adaptive control applied to spacecraft applications
• Hands-on experience with spacecraft actuator systems including reaction wheels, control moment gyros, magnetic torque rods, and thruster systems
• Advanced knowledge of state estimation techniques including Kalman filtering, sensor fusion, and covariance analysis
• Advanced knowledge of numerical methods for control law tuning, root-solving, and parameter optimization
• Experience with modern flight software frameworks and real-time operating systems
• Software engineering expertise with proficiency in development practices including version control, code review, testing, documentation, and CI/CD workflows
• Proficiency in Python for scripting, data analysis, and automation
• Working knowledge of spacecraft systems and mission operations
• Proven ability to develop junior engineers while managing technical responsibilities
• Track record of thought leadership through publications, presentations, or contributions to industry state-of-the-art
• Expertise in real-time software development using C for mission-critical applications