GNC Perception Lead
full-time•Hawthorne•$142k - $235k
About this role
GNC Perception Lead
Department: Software Engineering
Employment Type: Full Time
Location: Hawthorne, California
Reporting To: Denise Brown
Compensation: $142,000 - $235,000 / year
Description
Venturi Astrolab, Inc. (Astrolab) is advancing how humanity explores and operates on other planetary bodies. We design, build, and operate multipurpose commercial planetary rovers that extend human capability beyond Earth. We are looking for experienced, driven engineers to help lead this work forward.
As the GNC and Perception Lead, you will own the autonomy systems that enable Astrolab’s rovers to operate safely and effectively in extreme environments. You will lead technical strategy and execution across guidance, navigation, control, and perception while managing and mentoring a high-performing engineering team.
This role combines deep technical leadership with people leadership. You will set system vision, make critical design decisions, drive execution, and ensure autonomy systems perform reliably on flight-ready vehicles operating on the lunar surface.
What You'll Do:
- Lead the design and delivery of GNC and perception systems for autonomous rover operations
- Define technical direction and system architecture across guidance, navigation, control, and perception
- Manage and mentor a team of GNC and perception engineers
- Own sensor strategy, including selection, integration, and performance validation
- Guide the development of localization, navigation, pose estimation, and autonomy algorithms
- Oversee simulation, testing, and verification across lab, field, and analog environments
- Drive integration with hardware, software, systems, and mission operations teams
- Ensure safety, reliability, and fault tolerance across autonomy systems
- Balance performance, risk, and embedded compute constraints
- Support tele-operated, semi-autonomous, and fully autonomous vehicle operations
What's Prepared You:
Required
- 10 or more years working on GNC and perception systems for space vehicles, extraterrestrial rovers, or autonomous terrestrial vehicles
- Experience managing teams of 5 to 10 engineers and delivering under aggressive timelines with limited resources
- End-to-end experience across vehicle development lifecycles, from trade studies through embedded implementation, verification, and operations
- Strong experience with perception systems for autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles, including:
- Sensor selection and testing across optical, inertial, radar, lidar, and related systems
- Image processing methods and algorithms
- Global and relative localization, multi-sensor odometry, and terrain relative navigation
- Pose estimation, feature detection, and tracking
- Hazard detection and avoidance
- Terrain mapping and route planning
- System integration and testing
- Experience with statistical analysis methods, such as Monte Carlo, for performance evaluation
- Experience designing and executing autonomy test campaigns across lab, field, and analog environments
- Experience implementing GNC and perception systems on embedded platforms with limited compute resources
Desired
- Significant experience with GNC and perception systems for extra-terrestrial rovers
- Hands-on experience designing, analyzing, and testing GNC and perception algorithms
- Experience building simulation environments for autonomy analysis and validation
- Experience developing embedded autonomy software under compute and power constraints
- Experience optimizing image processing pipelines for space missions
- Familiarity with NASA expectations for safety, reliability, and mission assurance
- Experience with mobility systems and motor controllers
- Experience across tele-operated, semi-autonomous, and fully autonomous vehicle modes
- Understanding of extra-terrestrial rover challenges, including power limits, thermal constraints, lunar dust, regolith optics, and lighting conditions
- Experience with inertial navigation systems and lidar-based navigation
What We Offer:
- Join a team of best-in-class engineers building the foundation of planetary surface exploration
- Equity ownership in the company
- Comprehensive health benefits, including medical, dental, vision, and mental health support
- 401(k) plan with company match
- Flexible PTO and parental leave
- Home office set-up reimbursement
- Fully flexible and remote-friendly work environment
- Weekly lunch stipend, plus complimentary snacks and beverages on-site
- Twice a month, social hour on-site with food and drinks
What you'll do
- Lead the design and delivery of GNC and perception systems for autonomous rover operations. Manage and mentor a team of engineers while ensuring the performance and reliability of autonomy systems.
About Astrolab
Venturi Astrolab, Inc. (Astrolab) is pioneering new ways to explore and operate on distant planetary bodies. We are singularly focused on designing, building and operating a fleet of multi-purpose commercial planetary rovers to extend and enhance humanity’s presence in the solar system.
Headquartered in Hawthorne, California, we are an American-owned and American-operated small business. Our team has more than five decades of experience in terrestrial and planetary robotics, electric vehicles, human spaceflight, and human intelligence field operations. Our stellar team, strategic partnerships with cutting-edge companies and institutions combine with our world-class manufacturing, integration and test facility will enable the delivery of lunar and Mars mobility solutions at maximum reliability, flexibility and cost effectiveness.
Having a strong, diverse, and inspired team is essential to accomplishing our bold mission. Employees are our biggest asset, and we are deeply committed to them and our values.
At Astrolab we…
Demonstrate and inspire trust. Interactions are direct, honest, and respectful. We are fair and transparent with what we do and why.
Thrive in balance. Balance gives us perspective and keeps us motivated and inspired. We commit to rewarding work and a fulfilling personal life.
Seek diverse perspectives. We ask questions, engage in productive debate and offer alternatives to ensure our solutions and products are robust and a reflection of our collective best.
Move with purpose. Quality and reliability are accomplished through efficient ideation and iteration. We act with a sense of urgency and deliver what we promise, always with the big picture in mind.
Make an impact. We intentionally move our community and industry into the future through our work, practices, and actions.
Check out our website for current openings and help us drive the future of planetary exploration & development!
Ready to join Astrolab?
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does Astrolab pay for a GNC Perception Lead?
Astrolab offers a competitive compensation package for the GNC Perception Lead role. The salary range is USD 142k - 235k per year. Apply through Clera to learn more about the full compensation details.
What does a GNC Perception Lead do at Astrolab?
As a GNC Perception Lead at Astrolab, you will: lead the design and delivery of GNC and perception systems for autonomous rover operations. Manage and mentor a team of engineers while ensuring the performance and reliability of autonomy systems..
Is the GNC Perception Lead position at Astrolab remote?
The GNC Perception Lead position at Astrolab is based in Hawthorne, California, United States. Contact the company through Clera for specific work arrangement details.
How do I apply for the GNC Perception Lead position at Astrolab?
You can apply for the GNC Perception Lead position at Astrolabdirectly through Clera. Click the "Apply Now" button above to start your application. Clera's AI-powered platform will help match your profile with this opportunity and guide you through the application process.