Autonomy & Flight Controls Lead

The AIRO Group; Phoenix (AZ); On-site; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

The AIRO Group is seeking a visionary Autonomy and Controls Engineering Lead to direct the development of next-generation intelligent flight software for our advanced UAS platforms. In this hands-on role, you will bridge modern control theory and embedded hardware to deliver safe, reliable autonomous flight.

You will own core flight software, including state estimation, trajectory planning, and low-level stabilization loops while guiding a fast-moving team from simulation through real-world

Qualifications

• BS or MS in Robotics, Aerospace, CS or related with 5+ years real-time control software experience.
• Expert in C/C++ and Python for embedded flight software.
• Strong knowledge of control theory including linear/non-linear design and state estimation.
• Experience with PX4 or ArduPilot flight controllers.

Responsibilities

• Architect and tune flight control systems for UAS platforms.
• Deliver GPS-denied navigation using EKF, factor graphs, and VIO.
• Integrate and customize flight stacks (PX4, ArduPilot, ROS, ROS 2).
• Lead SIL and HIL simulation campaigns to validate flight software and fail-safes.
• Define hardware–software interfaces for avionics and sensors.
• Provide technical leadership and scale the autonomy team with robust software architecture.

Skills

C/C++

Python

Real-time control

State estimation

Sensor fusion

Embedded systems

Robotics

Education

BS/MS in Robotics/Aerospace/CS

Tools

PX4

ArduPilot

ROS

ROS 2

Job description

The AIRO Group is seeking a visionary Autonomy and Controls Engineering Lead to direct the development of next-generation intelligent flight software for our advanced UAS platforms. In this hands-on role, you will bridge modern control theory and embedded hardware to deliver safe, reliable autonomous flight.

You will own core flight software, including state estimation, trajectory planning, and low-level stabilization loops while guiding a fast-moving team from simulation through real-world