Flight Control Systems (FCS)- IPT Head

Katalyst CRO; Montreal (administrative region); On-site; CAD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Katalyst CRO is seeking a senior Flight Control Systems leader to own the FCS program delivery, lead cross-functional teams, and coordinate with customers and certification authorities. The role demands deep expertise in flight control architectures, DO-178C/DO-254, and ARP4754A/ARP4761 compliance.

Applicants should have 12–18+ years in aerospace, strong leadership, and hands-on experience with MATLAB/Simulink and model-based design tools.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Control Systems Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or Electrical Engineering.
• 12-18+ years of experience in the aerospace domain.
• Proven experience leading cross-functional engineering teams or IPTs.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Flight Control Systems IPT and ensure alignment with aircraft program milestones.
• Own scope, schedule, cost, quality, and technical delivery of FCS programs.
• Coordinate with Aerodynamics, Structures, Avionics, Software, and V&V teams; serve as primary technical interface with customers.
• Define FCS architecture including fly-by-wire/fly-by-light systems, actuation systems, and sensors.
• Lead control law development, stability and control analysis, flight dynamics modeling, gain scheduling, redundancy management.
• Lead MIL, SIL, and HIL integration activities and oversee ground testing, iron bird testing, and flight test support.
• Ensure compliance with FAA, EASA, and DGCA regulations; DO-178C and DO-254 standards.

Skills

Technical leadership

Program ownership

Cross-functional collaboration

Stakeholder communication

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Aerospace/Control/Electrical Engineering

Tools

MATLAB/Simulink

Cameo

Rhapsody

3DX/Teamcenter

Job description

• Lead the Flight Control Systems (FCS) IPT and ensure alignment with aircraft program milestones.
• Own scope, schedule, cost, quality, and technical delivery of FCS programs.
• Coordinate with Aerodynamics, Structures, Avionics, Software, and V&V teams. Serve as the primary technical interface with customers and stakeholders.
• Define FCS architecture including fly-by-wire/fly-by-light systems, actuation systems, and sensors.
• Lead control law development, stability and control analysis, flight dynamics modeling, gain scheduling, and redundancy management.
• Ensure compliance with ARP4754A and ARP4761 standards.
• Develop and manage System Requirement Documents (SRD), control laws, simulation models, and Interface Control Documents (ICD).
• Lead MIL, SIL, and HIL integration activities and oversee ground testing, iron bird testing, and flight test support.
• Ensure seamless integration with avionics systems, actuation systems, and cockpit interfaces.
• Lead certification efforts in accordance with FAA, EASA, and DGCA regulations.
• Ensure compliance with DO-178C and DO-254 standards.
• Manage certification deliverables including PSAC, PHAC, SAS, safety assessments, and compliance reports.
• Interface with certification authorities, DERs, and ARs.
• Conduct safety analyses including FHA, FMEA, and FTA.
• Drive fail-safe, fail-operational, and fault-tolerant flight control system designs.
• Present technical solutions, performance metrics, risks, and mitigation plans to stakeholders.
• Support RFQs, proposals, effort estimation, and technical reviews.
• Ensure adherence to configuration control and change management processes.
• Identify and mitigate technical and integration risks while managing dependencies across IPTs.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Flight Control Systems (FCS) IPT and ensure alignment with aircraft program milestones.
• Own scope, schedule, cost, quality, and technical delivery of FCS programs.
• Coordinate with Aerodynamics, Structures, Avionics, Software, and V&V teams. Serve as the primary technical interface with customers and stakeholders.
• Define FCS architecture including fly-by-wire/fly-by-light systems, actuation systems, and sensors.
• Lead control law development, stability and control analysis, flight dynamics modeling, gain scheduling, and redundancy management.
• Ensure compliance with ARP4754A and ARP4761 standards.
• Develop and manage System Requirement Documents (SRD), control laws, simulation models, and Interface Control Documents (ICD).
• Lead MIL, SIL, and HIL integration activities and oversee ground testing, iron bird testing, and flight test support.
• Ensure seamless integration with avionics systems, actuation systems, and cockpit interfaces.
• Lead certification efforts in accordance with FAA, EASA, and DGCA regulations.
• Ensure compliance with DO-178C and DO-254 standards.
• Manage certification deliverables including PSAC, PHAC, SAS, safety assessments, and compliance reports.
• Interface with certification authorities, DERs, and ARs.
• Conduct safety analyses including FHA, FMEA, and FTA.
• Drive fail-safe, fail-operational, and fault-tolerant flight control system designs.
• Present technical solutions, performance metrics, risks, and mitigation plans to stakeholders.
• Support RFQs, proposals, effort estimation, and technical reviews.
• Ensure adherence to configuration control and change management processes.
• Identify and mitigate technical and integration risks while managing dependencies across IPTs.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Control Systems Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or Electrical Engineering.
• 12-18+ years of experience in the aerospace domain.
• Strong experience in flight control system development and aircraft NPD programs.
• Proven experience leading cross-functional engineering teams or IPTs.

Technical Skills

• Strong expertise in Flight Dynamics & Control Theory.
• Control Law Design, Simulation, and Fly-by-Wire Architectures.
• Hands-on experience with MATLAB/Simulink and flight simulation environments.
• Familiarity with MBSE tools such as Cameo and Rhapsody.
• Knowledge of ARINC/AFDX interfaces, sensors, and actuation systems.

Leadership & Soft Skills

• Strong technical leadership and program ownership.
• Effective stakeholder and customer communication skills.
• Experience managing onsite-offshore delivery teams.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with eVTOL, UAV, or Advanced Air Mobility programs.
• Exposure to Digital Twins, Model-Based Design, and Autonomous Flight Control Systems.
• Familiarity with PLM tools such as 3DX and Teamcenter.

Key Deliverables

• Certified FCS architecture and control laws.
• Integrated and validated flight control system.
• Certification documentation, compliance matrix, and review artifacts.
• On-time IPT deliverables aligned with program milestones.

Reporting Structure

• Reports to: Chief Engineer / Program Manager.
• Leads: Flight Control Systems IPT (Control, Systems, Integration, V&V, and Certification Engineers).