Senior Principal Engineer , Guidance & Control (Grade 6)

AL TARIQ; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 400,000 - 900,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Family visas

Annual flight tickets

Medical insurance for you and depend

Education allowances for your children

Job summary

AL TARIQ is seeking a Senior Principal Engineer - Guidance & Control to lead the development and implementation of advanced flight control software for next-generation smart weapon systems. The role spans from concept to flight testing and production support.

The ideal candidate has 10–15 years of experience in smart weapons or defence, with strong C/C++, MATLAB, and Simulink skills, and a track record in DO-178/MIL-STD compliant software development.

Qualifications

• <10-15 years in smart weapons, guided munitions, aerospace or defence industries.
• “Guidance systems” and “Flight control systems” experience with Kalman filtering and modelling/simulation.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and maintenance of Guidance & Control algorithms for smart weapon systems.
• Design and optimise autopilot and mission control software to meet performance requirements.
• Develop and maintain LAR and MPS algorithms.
• Own 6-DOF simulation models and support HILS activities.
• Validate aerodynamic models using flight test data.
• Translate system requirements into software solutions.
• Design software architectures and code in C, C++, MATLAB, and Simulink.
• Perform software verification/validation to meet programme requirements.
• Ensure compliance with DO-178 and MIL-STD standards.
• Conduct flight, lab and ground testing with data analysis and reporting.
• Manage software configuration, traceability and change control.
• Support production and fault investigations with engineering teams.

Skills

Guidance systems

Flight control systems

Kalman filtering

Modelling & simulation

C programming

C++ programming

MATLAB & Simulink

Software verification & validation

Aerospace standards knowledge

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Software/Electrical/Mechanical/CS or equivalent

Master's Degree preferred

Tools

C

C++

MATLAB

Simulink

HILS environments

Aerodynamic modelling

Job description

About The Role

Shape the future of precision-guided systems. At Al Tariq we are seeking an experienced Senior Principal Engineer - Guidance & Control to lead the development and implementation of advanced flight control software for next-generation smart weapon systems. This is a highly technical role offering the opportunity to work across the full product lifecycle, from concept development and modelling through to flight testing, validation, and production support.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development and maintenance of Guidance & Control algorithms for smart weapon systems.
• Design and optimise autopilot and mission control software to meet performance requirements.
• Develop and maintain Launch Acceptable Region (LAR) and Mission Planning System (MPS) algorithms.
• Own and enhance 6-Degree-of-Freedom (6-DOF) simulation models and support Hardware-in-the-Loop Simulation (HILS) activities.
• Validate and maintain aerodynamic models using flight test data.
• Analyse system requirements and translate them into effective software solutions.
• Design software architectures and develop code using C, C++, MATLAB, and Simulink.
• Execute software verification and validation activities to ensure compliance with programme requirements.
• Ensure compliance with aerospace and defence software standards, including DO-178 and MIL-STD frameworks.
• Conduct flight, laboratory, and ground testing, including data analysis and performance reporting.
• Manage software configuration, traceability, technical documentation, and change control processes.
• Support production, fault investigations, and multidisciplinary engineering teams in resolving technical challenges.

Requirements

Education

• Bachelor's Degree in Software Engineering /Electronic Engineering / Mechanical Engineering / Computer Science Or an equivalent technical discipline
• Master's Degree preferred.

Experience

• 10-15 years of experience within the smart weapons, guided munitions, missile, aerospace, or defence industry.
• Extensive experience in:
  • Guidance systems
  • Flight control systems
  • Kalman filtering
  • Modelling and simulation
• Strong software development capability using C / C++ / MATLAB / Simulink
• Experience with 6-DOF modelling , HILS environments , Aerodynamic modelling & Flight-test data analysis
• Working knowledge of military and commercial aerospace standards.

Benefits

Working at EDGE comes with a package that genuinely reflects how much we value our people. Salaries are highly competitive and tax-free and, depending on your role and seniority, benefits can include family visas, annual flight tickets, medical insurance for you and your dependants, and education allowances for your children.

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EDGE is an equal opportunity employer committed to building a diverse, inclusive, and high-performing workforce. We believe every individual deserves to be treated with fairness, respect and dignity, and our employment decisions reflect that. We do not discriminate based on race, colour, nationality, ethnicity, religion, gender, marital status, age, disability, pregnancy or parental status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

As a global organisation, effective collaboration across international teams is central to how we work, so English proficiency is required for all roles unless otherwise stated in the job posting.