Principal System Hardware Engineer

Technology Innovation Institute; United Arab Emirates; On-site; AED 450,000 - 600,000; Full time

Job summary

Technology Innovation Institute in Abu Dhabi seeks a senior architect to define and own system and hardware architecture for Flight Controller and Mission Controller products. You will lead requirements, roadmaps, and design decisions across embedded hardware and software, sensors, and avionics.

You will mentor engineering teams, drive compliance with aerospace and cybersecurity standards, and collaborate with customers and partners on mission-critical solutions in Secure Systems.

Qualifications

• Deep understanding of UAV Flight Control Systems, Mission Controllers, and Autopilot architectures.
• Knowledge of PX4, ArduPilot, NuttX, RTOS-based systems, and embedded Linux environments.
• Experience with flight dynamics, navigation, guidance, control algorithms, and sensor fusion.
• Understanding of ISR, autonomous operations, swarming, and mission management systems.

Responsibilities

• Own Flight Controller and Mission Controller architecture.
• Define system requirements and technical roadmaps.
• Lead hardware and HW system integration activities.
• Drive technical reviews, validation, and risk management.
• Collaborate with customers, partners, and stakeholders.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship.
• Ensure compliance with quality, safety, and cybersecurity requirements.

Skills

Flight Control Systems

Embedded Hardware

Sensor Fusion

Communications & Cybersecurity

Leadership & Mentoring

Education

PhD/Masters in CS or related

Bachelors in CS or related

Tools

PX4

ArduPilot

RTOS

Embedded Linux

Job description

Technology Innovation Institute (TII) is a publicly funded research institute, based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It is home to a diverse community of leading scientists, engineers, mathematicians, and researchers from across the globe, transforming problems and roadblocks into pioneering research and technology prototypes that help move society ahead.

Role Overview

• Define and own system and hardware architecture for Flight Controller and Mission Controller products.
• Lead system requirements, technical roadmaps, and design decisions.
• Drive integration of embedded hardware, software, sensors, communications, and avionics systems.
• Lead technical reviews, risk management, and product validation activities.
• Collaborate with customers, partners, and internal stakeholders on product requirements and solutions.
• Ensure compliance with aerospace, safety, cybersecurity, and environmental standards.
• Mentor engineering teams and provide technical leadership across projects.

Functional Activities

• Own Flight Controller and Mission Controller architecture.
• Define system requirements and technical roadmaps.
• Lead hardware and HW system integration activities.
• Drive technical reviews, validation, and risk management.
• Collaborate with customers, partners, and stakeholders.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship.
• Ensure compliance with quality, safety, and cybersecurity requirements.

Industry / Domain

Secure Systems

Necessary Knowledge And Experience

Technical Knowledge

• Flight Controller & Mission Systems:
  • Deep understanding of UAV Flight Control Systems, Mission Controllers, and Autopilot architectures.
  • Knowledge of PX4, ArduPilot, NuttX, RTOS-based systems, and embedded Linux environments.
  • Experience with flight dynamics, navigation, guidance, control algorithms, and sensor fusion.
  • Understanding of ISR, autonomous operations, swarming, and mission management systems.
• Embedded Systems & Hardware Architecture:
  • Expertise in ARM-based processors, microcontrollers, SoCs, FPGAs, and real-time embedded systems.
  • Strong knowledge of high-reliability hardware architecture and embedded product development.
  • Experience with power architecture, redundancy concepts, fault tolerance, and safety-critical design.
  • Understanding of hardware interfaces including CAN, CAN-FD, Ethernet, UART, SPI, I2C, RS-422, RS-485, and PCIe.
• Sensors & Navigation Systems:
  • Experience integrating IMUs, GNSS receivers, magnetometers, barometers, airspeed sensors, and payload systems.
  • Knowledge of inertial navigation, GPS-denied navigation, and resilient positioning technologies.
  • Understanding of sensor calibration, synchronization, and performance optimization.
• Communications & Security
  • Understanding of UAV communication architectures, datalinks, mesh networking, and secure communications.
  • Familiarity with cybersecurity principles, secure boot, trusted execution environments, encryption, and key management.
  • Experience with MAVLink, DDS, ROS2, and other autonomous systems communication frameworks.
• Quality, Certification & Compliance
  • Knowledge of aerospace and defense development practices.
  • Familiarity with DO-160, MIL-STD-810, MIL-STD-461, NDAA compliance, EMC/EMI requirements, and environmental qualification.
  • Understanding of safety, reliability, verification, validation, and certification processes.
• Soft Skills:
  • Leadership: Strong leadership skills to guide and mentor team members effectively.
  • Communication: Excellent communication skills to collaborate with cross-functional teams, stakeholders, and customers.
  • Problem-Solving: Ability to analyze complex issues, propose solutions, and make informed decisions
  • Adaptability: Willingness to adapt to changing project requirements and industry trends.

Education And Certification Requirements

• PhD/Masters (preferred)/Bachelors in Computer Science or relevant discipline