Sr/Principal UAS GNC Engineer

The company is a high-octane aerospace technology startup founded in 2019 and specializing in developing advanced Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and microsensor technology for both government and civilian sectors. Currently seeking a highly skilled and experienced Sr/Principal UAS Guidance Navigation Control (GNC) Engineer to work on the full lifecycle development of a small unmanned electric aircraft with a team of engineers and subject matter experts from the ground up.

The Company

The company offers high-performance UAS, low-size, weight, and power (SWaP) sensor technology, and best-in-class AI video tools.

The company, which is run by former Special Forces Operators, has both a patriotic culture and diverse team with a history of success and focus on bringing industry-leading products to the warrior community.

Seeking a Sr/Principal UAS GNC Engineer to lead the development of a cutting-edge small unmanned electric aircraft.

The Compensation

$160K - $220K Competitive Annual Base Salary Plus Stock Option Package and Bonus Plan Commensurate with Experience

The Location

Fully onsite position based in the Camarillo, CA Headquarters

The Benefits

Comprehensive Blue Shield of California Medical Coverage (2 PPO & 1 PPO/Health Savings Account Options)

Preventative Care Services Covered at No Cost

Blue Shield of California & Guardian Dental PPO Plan Options

Blue Shield of California & Guardian Vision Plan Options

Voluntary Life & AD&D Insurance

Short & Long-Term Disability Plans

Exclusive Employee Discount Program through BenefitHub

Clever Rx Prescription Discount Program

The Role

Focus on the adaptation and development of an onboard flight control system for a small UAS.

Collaborate with cross-discipline engineers, e.g. Aerospace Engineers (AE), Mechanical Engineers (ME), Electrical Engineers (EE), and Software Engineers (SW), to understand the system-level desired functionality and translate it to software requirements.

Work with aircraft designers to size and spatially configure control actuators and define and experimentally confirm control authority requirements.

Architect, implement, modify, optimize and tune vehicle and component control loops and state estimation algorithms.

Partner with the SW team to build and implement 6-DOF software in the loop simulator and with the AE team to build a 6-DOF vehicle model for simulation.

Aide in evaluating and defining tasking/effort to fit the schedule and scope of the project in conjunction with project management.

Develop accurate vehicle and component-level models.

Research, evaluate, and source vehicle sensors and computational components.

Advance GPS-denied / VIO integration into the vehicle roadmap.

The Background Profile

U.S. Citizenship required

Bachelor's Degree in a relevant Engineering discipline; Master's Degree a plus

Minimum of 5-10 years of GNC experience developing software for embedded systems

Comprehensive end-to-end development of embedded systems

Versatile hands-on experience across electrical, embedded, and software disciplines

Proficient in common state estimation algorithms and tuning methods

Skilled in control loop assessment and optimization techniques

Experienced in embedded programming, specializing in C/C++ for robotics and UAVs; familiarity with Python and C# is preferred

Knowledgeable in low-level avionics hardware fundamentals

Adept at hardware debugging and collaborating with engineers to troubleshoot avionics issues, including interpreting wiring diagrams and using oscilloscopes/analyzers

Strong foundation in physics-based actuator and vehicle modeling

Familiar with Ardupilot and/or PX4 code bases and compatible hardware is preferred

Ability to be based onsite at the headquarters in Camarillo, CA

The Ideal Background

Innovative, hands-on, and highly practical in approach

Multidisciplinary problem solver driven by rigorous engineering analysis

Goal-oriented, learns from mistakes, and ensures a complete design process

Strategic, balancing scope and effort effectively

Highly skilled in clear communication through both discussion and documentation

Collaborative and thrives in teamwork to develop plans and solve complex problems