Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Salary: $60.00 USD Hourly - $90.00 USD Hourly
Description: Senior GNC & Autonomy EngineerAbout the RoleWe are seeking a highly skilled and experienced
Senior Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) / Autonomy Engineer to lead the development of advanced flight control and autonomy systems for a next-generation small unmanned electric aircraft.
Our team operates in a fast-paced, hands-on environment that values innovation, technical excellence, practicality, and reliability. In this role, you will collaborate closely with a multidisciplinary team of engineers and subject matter experts, contributing to every stage of aircraft development, from concept and system architecture through testing and flight validation.
Required Experience & Qualifications- Bachelor's degree or higher in Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Robotics, Computer Engineering, or a related field
- Minimum of 5 years of experience developing GNC software for embedded systems
- Proven experience leading the complete development lifecycle of embedded systems, from architecture through deployment
- Hands-on, cross-functional experience spanning embedded software, electronics, and system integration
- 5+ years of engineering experience in a related industry
- Experience working in robotics, UAV, aerospace, or autonomous systems environments preferred
Desired AttributesThe ideal candidate is:
- Innovative, practical, and hands-on
- A strong analytical problem solver with a multidisciplinary engineering mindset
- Results-oriented and committed to continuous improvement
- Capable of balancing technical scope, schedule, and resource constraints
- Effective in both verbal and written communication
- Collaborative and able to work effectively across engineering disciplines
- Self-motivated, adaptable, and driven by technical excellence
Key Responsibilities- Lead the adaptation, development, and optimization of onboard flight control systems for a small unmanned aircraft system (UAS)
- Collaborate with Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical, and Software Engineering teams to translate system-level objectives into software requirements
- Partner with aircraft designers to define actuator sizing, placement, and control authority requirements through analysis and testing
- Design, implement, tune, and validate vehicle control architectures, component control loops, and state estimation algorithms
- Work with software engineers to develop and integrate 6-DOF Software-in-the-Loop (SIL) simulation environments
- Collaborate with aerospace engineers to develop and refine high-fidelity vehicle dynamic models
- Support project planning activities by estimating engineering effort, defining technical tasks, and aligning development activities with project schedules
Core Technical Responsibilities- Develop, implement, and tune state estimation algorithms
- Design, modify, and optimize vehicle-level and subsystem control loops
- Validate control system performance through simulation, testing, and flight evaluation
- Develop physics-based models for aircraft dynamics and onboard systems
- Evaluate, select, and integrate sensors, avionics, and computational hardware
- Contribute to the roadmap and implementation strategy for GPS-denied navigation and Visual-Inertial Odometry (VIO) capabilities
Technical SkillsRequired- Strong understanding of state estimation techniques and tuning methodologies
- Experience with control system design, analysis, and performance optimization
- Embedded software development, particularly in C/C++, for robotics, aerospace, or UAV applications
- Experience developing physics-based vehicle and actuator models
- Basic understanding of avionics systems and low-level hardware interfaces
- Ability to troubleshoot embedded hardware and avionics issues using schematics, wiring diagrams, oscilloscopes, and logic analyzers
- Strong systems engineering and integration skills
Preferred- Experience with Python and/or C#
- Experience with ArduPilot, PX4, or related open-source flight control platforms
- Familiarity with autonomous navigation technologies, including VIO and GPS-denied operations
- Experience with UAV flight testing and validation activities
Work Environment & Requirements- Full-time, on-site position in a highly collaborative engineering environment
- Ability to work closely with multidisciplinary teams throughout the aircraft development lifecycle
Minimum Requirements- Bachelor's Degree in a relevant engineering discipline
- 5+ years of engineering experience
- 5+ years of embedded systems development experience
Medical, dental, and vision insurance are available to qualified candidates who meet eligibility requirements.
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