Autonomous Aircraft GNC Engineer — Flight Control & Estimation

Powerus; Rock Hill (SC); On-site; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Powerus is seeking a GNC Engineer to design, implement, and validate the guidance, navigation, and control systems for our unmanned aircraft. You will develop state estimation, tune across the flight envelope, build verification simulations, and support flight test.

You will work closely with aerodynamics, embedded software, and test engineering; require US Person status; degree in aerospace, mechanical, or electrical engineering; proficiency with MATLAB/Simulink and C/C++ for implementation.

Qualifications

• Must be located in the United States, within commuting distance of Rock Hill, SC.
• Degree in aerospace, mechanical, electrical engineering, or a related field.
• Experience developing control systems or state estimation for aircraft, robotics, or vehicles.
• Strong command of control theory and its practical application.
• Proficiency with MATLAB/Simulink and with C or C++ for implementation.
• Experience supporting or conducting flight or vehicle test.
• U.S. Person status required (ITAR/EAR access)

Responsibilities

• Design and implement guidance, navigation, and control algorithms for multirotor and fixed-wing platforms.
• Develop state estimation and sensor fusion for attitude, position, and velocity.
• Build and maintain simulation models used to validate control behaviour before flight.
• Tune and validate control performance across the flight envelope and configurations.
• Support flight test, including test planning, on-site tuning, and post-flight analysis.
• Analyze flight data to characterize vehicle behaviour and identify model error.
• Define failure detection and safe-state behaviour for degraded sensing or actuation.
• Document control architecture, gains, and validation evidence.

Skills

Control theory

MATLAB/Simulink

C/C++

State estimation

Sensor fusion

Flight test

GNC concepts

Education

Aerospace Engineering

Mechanical Engineering

Electrical Engineering

Tools

PX4

ArduPilot

Job description

Powerus is seeking a GNC Engineer to design, implement, and validate the guidance, navigation, and control systems for our unmanned aircraft. You will develop state estimation, tune across the flight envelope, build verification simulations, and support flight test.

You will work closely with aerodynamics, embedded software, and test engineering; require US Person status; degree in aerospace, mechanical, or electrical engineering; proficiency with MATLAB/Simulink and C/C++ for implementation.