GNC Drone Engineer Internship

HyLight; Paris; Sur place; EUR 22 000 - 28 000; Plein temps

Avantages offerts par ce poste

2000 to 2500€/month compensation

Shareholder in HyLight upon hiring

Public transport reimbursement or €800

Bike for commuting

Free lunch

Bi-annual offsite trips

Excellent international work环境

Résumé du poste

HyLight is developing autonomous HyLighters to advance aerial monitoring with zero emissions from Brétigny-sur-Orge, near Paris. This internship focuses on Guidance, Navigation, and Control to enable pilotless operation in varied conditions, while ensuring regulatory compliance.

You will collaborate across Technical and Regulatory teams on high-impact projects. The role requires a master’s level background in aerospace/ mechanical/ electrical engineering, hands-on work in GNC and autonomous

Qualifications

• Final-year Master’s in Aerospace, Mechanical, or Electrical Engineering.
• Experience in Guidance, Navigation & Control, Flight Dynamics, Robotics, Aerospace, Autonomous Systems.
• Knowledge of Simulink and dynamics is essential.
• Programming in Python and C/C++, with MATLAB/Simulink use.

Responsabilités

• Modeling & Control: design and implement control/ guidance laws for mission execution.
• Robustness & Safety: develop flight strategies for difficult conditions and risk mitigation.
• Hardware Integration: debug embedded systems and implement flight computers, actuators, sensors.
• Testing & Documentation: conduct flight tests and document models and laws.
• Future Innovation: improve airship performance and contribute to future flight solutions.

Connaissances

GNC

Flight Dynamics

Robotics

Automation

Python

Formation

Master's in Aerospace/Mechanical/Electrical Eng

Outils

Simulink

MATLAB

PX4

MAVLINK

QGroundControl

C/C++

Python

Description du poste

About HyLight

HyLight's mission is to help society become more resilient to climate change by improving the observation and inspection of infrastructure.

We build HyLighters, airships that collect data across vast distances with zero emissions.

Our activities include:

• Detecting methane leaks from gas infrastructures (4% of global GHG emissions)
• Inspecting power lines to prevent outages and wildfires

By 2030, we aim to become the global leader in aerial monitoring.

In just 3 years, we have pushed the realm of possibilities as we have:

• Developed 8 iterations of the HyLighter
• Logged over 300 flight hours
• Secured our first inspection contracts with Europe's largest infrastructure operators
• Joined the world’s top startup accelerator, Y Combinator
• Raised €6 million

HyLight is aiming for a diverse and included team. If your profile doesn't fit all the description but you can bring a diverse point of view, push it forward, it will be highly appreciated.

We're well-funded and backed by top investors, providing the resources you wish you had when building your own business. We don't care about traditional roles or titles just that you're smart, proactive, and bring the same founder-level ownership and drive to help us build something massive.

Job Summary

This internship encompasses all subjects related to the Guidance, Navigation, and Control of our autonomous airship, the HyLighter. GNC is paramount to guaranteeing the perfect execution of our flights. Your mission is to contribute to enabling HyLight to operate pilotless airships in diverse conditions while proving their robustness to regulatory authorities. This is a high-impact internship that will involve close collaboration with the entire Technical and Regulatory teams.

A Note from Amine (GNC Lead)

We have a massive challenge ahead of us: building from scratch the reliable control systems for a completely new type of aircraft, an airship. This role requires a rare balance. You need the analytical, mathematical, and scientific depth to develop complex control laws and implement them in code, alongside a natural intuition for flight dynamics and aerodynamics. At the same time, you must remain incredibly pragmatic, with the ability to be on the ground, testing rapidly, and debugging driver or electronic issues in the field.

The Mission

• Modeling & Control: Understand and model airship dynamics to design and implement control and guidance laws for mission execution.
• Robustness & Safety: Contribute to the development of flight strategies for difficult conditions and design risk mitigation strategies for degraded modes.
• Hardware Integration: Debug embedded systems and implement flight computers, actuators, and various types of sensors.
• Testing & Documentation: Define and participate in flight tests and simulations, ensuring thorough documentation of implemented models and control laws.
• Future Innovation: Improve the performance of existing airships while actively participating in the design of future flight solutions.

Profile Sought

Education: Final-year Master's degree (or equivalent) in Aerospace, Mechanical, or Electrical Engineering.

Experience: Previous internship(s), research experience, academic projects, or hands-on work in Guidance, Navigation & Control, Flight Dynamics, Robotics, Aerospace, Automotive, or Autonomous Systems.

Background: You have worked on GNC, Flight Dynamics, or Control Systems through internships, university projects, research, student teams, or personal initiatives. Experience with drones or autonomous vehicles is a strong plus.

The following list of skills is exhaustive. While you may not perfectly fit the profile, we highly value personal growth and development. We see our interns as potential future team leads at HyLight.

Technical Skills

• Systems Mastery: Knowledge of modeling and control with exposure to Simulink and solid theoretical foundations in dynamics and automation.
• Programming: Good skills in Python and C/C++, with experience using MATLAB/Simulink through coursework, research, or personal projects.
• Embedded Software: Understanding of microcontrollers, actuators, drivers, and embedded software concepts, with hands-on experience through academic or personal projects.
• Tools (Plus): Knowledge of PX4, MAVLINK, and QGroundControl (QGC) is a significant advantage.
• Data Analysis: Able to extract insights from simulation or flight data.

Soft Skills

• Entrepreneurial Mindset: Methodical but enterprising, with strong curiosity, self-motivation, and the ability to learn quickly.
• Project Management: Ability to organize your work, manage priorities, and independently drive assigned tasks.
• Communication: Excellent interpersonal skills to interact effectively with internal staff and external partners.
• Enjoys hands-on work (prototyping, setup, field testing).

Languages

• English (fluent – internal communication and documentation)

What We Offer

• 2000 to 2500€/month compensation
• Shareholder in HyLight upon hiring
• 100% reimbursement of public transport pass (Navigo) or €800/year for sustainable commuting
• Bike provided for commuting
• Free lunch
• Bi-annual offsite trips with the whole team
• Excellent work environment: international team, team events, beautiful offices on a former airbase

Why You Should Join

• Founder Mentality: We value extreme ownership and want people who think like founders fast decision makers, natural problem solvers, and executors.
• Ground Floor Opportunity: You'll be helping to shape and grow a revolutionary company with the resources to back it.
• Impact & Speed: Work in a fast-paced environment where your contributions will have immediate, tangible effects on the company's success.

Interview Process

• Introductory phone call (20 min)
• A 1-hour technical case study followed by a debrief with team members
• On-site meeting with the team (1h)

Location

Office: Base 217, Brétigny-sur-Orge, accessible via RER C.

• Lab and Warehouse access

You'll work side-by-side with experts in embedded, aerospace, and hydrogen propulsion systems where your impact matters from day one