Flight Controls Engineer

Job Description

Job Description

Job Title: Controls Engineer – UAV Flight Dynamics and GNC

Job Description

This role focuses on understanding, analyzing, and improving the flight behavior of unmanned aircraft by working at the intersection of flight dynamics, guidance, navigation and control (GNC), software, and avionics. You will analyze real flight data, correlate it with models, and drive concrete changes to control and navigation systems that are validated through flight testing. The position offers the opportunity to contribute to pioneering work in unmanned helicopters, with strong potential for extension and conversion to a full-time role.

Responsibilities

• Analyze real flight data and compare it to flight models to understand and explain why the aircraft behaved the way it did, whether performance was as expected or not.
• Identify whether observed flight behavior issues are related to modeling, tuning, or system-level problems and propose clear, data-driven solutions.
• Tune and evaluate flight control and navigation behavior to improve stability, responsiveness, and mission performance.
• Work across flight dynamics, GNC, software, and avionics disciplines, collaborating closely with each team without owning all domains outright.
• Help the broader team make informed and safe decisions about aircraft behavior, performance, and flight envelope expansion.
• Document findings, analyses, and conclusions clearly so other engineers can rely on and reuse this work in the future.
• Analyze and model UAV flight mechanics, including aerodynamic forces, stability, and control response, to support accurate performance predictions.
• Evaluate and refine flight performance metrics such as endurance, climb rate, turn capability, and control authority to meet mission-level objectives.
• Correlate flight test data with aerodynamic and performance models to validate system behavior and identify discrepancies or modeling gaps.
• Support flight envelope expansion activities, ensuring the aircraft operates safely within aerodynamic and structural limits.
• Contribute to defining and verifying performance requirements and mission-level objectives for UAV platforms.
• Support flight testing as required, including pre-test preparation, real-time data interpretation, and post-flight analysis.
• Review, document, and tune existing control and navigation algorithms for attitude, position, and mission control.
• Analyze control law performance under various flight conditions and refine parameters for improved stability, robustness, and response.
• Investigate and explain observed flight behaviors using theoretical analysis and numerical simulations.
• Support estimation and sensor fusion performance assessment, including IMU, GPS, air data, magnetometer, and other onboard sensors.
• Collaborate with software and flight test teams to ensure accurate implementation and thorough documentation of GNC logic.
• Develop and maintain a comprehensive understanding of the autopilot and flight control software architecture, including embedded systems, control laws, and aircraft-level integration.
• Interpret and document algorithmic flow and software–hardware interactions to support troubleshooting and future enhancements.
• Collaborate with embedded engineers to ensure correct integration and calibration of control laws within the flight control software.
• Occasionally implement or prototype algorithm modifications and diagnostic tools using C, C++, Python, or MATLAB/Simulink.
• Interpret electrical wiring diagrams and avionics schematics to understand system interfaces, dependencies, and potential failure modes.
• Support system integration and troubleshooting activities related to sensors, flight computers, actuators, and other avionics components.
• Participate in hardware-in-the-loop (HIL), software-in-the-loop (SIL), and bench-level testing to validate overall flight system behavior.
• Produce and maintain detailed technical documentation, including algorithm descriptions, test procedures, performance reports, and analysis summaries.
• Contribute to simulation model improvements and data processing workflows to increase fidelity and efficiency.
• Stay current on advances in UAV flight dynamics, GNC theory, and aeronautical system modeling, and apply relevant developments to ongoing work.
• Mentor junior engineers on principles of flight mechanics, stability, and control system design, helping them build strong analytical and practical skills.
• Travel as needed to support flight tests, including on-site data collection, troubleshooting, and post-flight review.

Essential Skills

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Avionics Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or Control Systems Engineering.
• 10+ years of experience in aerospace, UAV, or flight control engineering.
• 5+ years of hands-on experience with flight data analysis and performance validation.
• Strong experience in flight mechanics, aerodynamics, and aircraft performance analysis.
• Demonstrated knowledge in tuning or analyzing flight control and navigation algorithms.
• Familiarity with C and C++ for analysis, documentation, or prototyping of control and navigation algorithms.
• Familiarity with Python for data analysis, tooling, and prototyping.
• Familiarity with MATLAB/Simulink for simulation, modeling, and algorithm development.
• Good understanding of embedded systems and avionics interfaces such as CAN, UART, serial, and TCP/UDP.
• Ability to interpret electrical schematics and support hardware and software integration activities.
• Strong understanding of aircraft dynamics, stability and control, and flight performance principles.
• Skill in data analysis, simulation, and model correlation using real flight data.
• Ability to translate flight observations into actionable control system improvements.
• Strong communication and documentation skills for effective technical and multidisciplinary collaboration.
• Self-driven and detail-oriented approach with a strong interest in flight systems understanding and continuous improvement.
• Ability and willingness to travel as needed for flight tests.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Experience with autopilot frameworks such as PX4, ArduPilot, or proprietary systems.
• Exposure to hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) environments and safety-critical systems.
• Knowledge of aerospace software certification standards such as DO-178C.
• Hands-on experience in UAV flight testing and flight data post-processing.
• Familiarity with Ground Control Station (GCS) software or simulation environments.
• Experience with control system design, including stability analysis and controller tuning for UAVs.
• Experience in test planning for flight tests, including defining objectives, test points, and success criteria.
• Experience working with GPS, inertial sensors, and other navigation systems in integrated avionics architectures.
• Comfort working with flight envelope definition and expansion for new or evolving aircraft configurations.

Work Environment

This role supports a major growth area in unmanned helicopters and offers the opportunity to work on pioneering UAV technologies. The position will start with a strong on-site presence to support flight tests, system integration, and close collaboration with flight dynamics, GNC, software, and avionics teams. Over time, the role will transition to a hybrid model, with on-site work as needed for testing, integration, and critical collaboration activities. You will work with modern tools and environments including HIL and SIL setups, embedded flight control hardware, ground control stations, and simulation platforms. The culture emphasizes safety, technical rigor, clear documentation, and continuous improvement, while providing a collaborative environment where engineers from multiple disciplines work together to advance UAV capabilities. Benefits include the opportunity for contract extension and potential conversion to a full-time position in a rapidly expanding domain.

This is a Permanent position based out of Bingen, WA.

The pay range for this position is $147846.00 - $236317.00/yr.

Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

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This is a hybrid position in Bingen,WA.

This position is anticipated to close on Sep 17, 2026.

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