Senior UAS Flight Controls Engineer - Autonomy & Validation

Matchtech; England; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Matchtech is seeking a senior Flight Controls Engineer for an unmanned aircraft start-up. You will lead development and tuning of control laws from simulation through ground and flight testing, while supporting flight dynamics modelling and sensor fusion.

The role expects hands-on work with autopilots and onboard systems, and a strong track record in real-world control algorithm testing. This hybrid position in the UK emphasizes rigorous validation, documentation, and integration of control

Qualifications

• Strong experience in flight control, control systems, autonomy, robotics, or aerospace controls.
• Proven experience developing and testing control algorithms for real-world systems.
• Practical experience with UAS/UAVs, aircraft, robotics, or autonomous platforms.
• Strong understanding of flight dynamics, control theory, stability and tuning.
• Experience with modelling, simulation, testing and verification/validation.
• Ability to analyse flight-test data and diagnose control issues.
• Comfortable working with autopilots, IMUs, GNSS/INS, actuators and onboard systems.
• Strong documentation and validation discipline.

Responsibilities

• Develop and tune flight-control algorithms and control approaches for UAS platforms.
• Verify and validate control performance from simulation to ground testing and flight testing.
• Support flight dynamics modelling, control-law development, simulation and tuning.
• Configure, integrate, and tune autopilot systems where appropriate.
• Support system identification, flight-test planning, and flight-data analysis.
• Contribute to SIL/HIL test approaches and troubleshooting (stability, sensor fusion, actuators).
• Document control approaches, test results, configuration changes, and validation evidence.

Skills

Flight control systems

Autonomy/Robotics

UAS/UAV experience

Flight dynamics

Control theory

Simulation/Testing

Autopilots/IMU/GNSS

Documentation

MATLAB/Simulink

Python

C/C++

Tools

MATLAB/Simulink

Python

C/C++

Job description

Matchtech is seeking a senior Flight Controls Engineer for an unmanned aircraft start-up. You will lead development and tuning of control laws from simulation through ground and flight testing, while supporting flight dynamics modelling and sensor fusion.

The role expects hands-on work with autopilots and onboard systems, and a strong track record in real-world control algorithm testing. This hybrid position in the UK emphasizes rigorous validation, documentation, and integration of control