Control Systems Engineer

CHAOS Industries; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 130,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

100% paid medical, dental, and vision benefits

401(k) with company match

Unlimited PTO

Casual dress code

Job summary

CHAOS Industries in El Segundo, California is looking for a Control Systems Engineer to design and maintain HIL simulation environments. The candidate will work with various teams to validate vehicles thoroughly before flight.

The ideal applicant has hands-on experience in HIL setups, programming in Python/C++, and knowledge of real-time simulation platforms. CHAOS Industries offers competitive salaries and comprehensive benefits including a 401(k) match and unlimited PTO.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in hardware-in-the-loop testing or similar.
• Hands-on building/operating HIL or SIL simulation environments.
• Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop HIL test benches for system integration.
• Integrate high-fidelity simulation models for real-world behavior.
• Develop automated test suites to validate software changes.

Skills

HIL simulation environment experience

Embedded systems integration

Python programming

C/C++ programming

Real-time simulation platforms

Debugging hardware-software interactions

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering or Computer Science

Tools

dSPACE

PX4

ArduPilot

Job description

CHAOS Industries is redefining modern defense with a multi-product portfolio that gives the ultimate advantage—domain dominance. The company's products are powered by Coherent Distributed Networks (CDN™), empowering warfighters, commercial air operators, and border protection teams to act faster, adapt rapidly, and stay ahead of evolving threats.

CHAOS Industries was founded in 2022 and has raised a total of $1 billion in funding from leading investors, including 8VC, Accel, and Valor Equity Partners. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, with offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, and London.

Role Overview

CHAOS is seeking a skilled Control Systems Engineer to join our hardware engineering team. In this role, you will design, build, and maintain HIL simulation environments that enable full system integration testing of our Effector platforms — bridging the gap between software development and flight hardware. You will work closely with GNC, software, and systems engineers to ensure our vehicles are thoroughly validated before ever leaving the ground.

The ideal candidate has hands‑on experience building and operating HIL or SIL simulation environments for embedded or autonomous systems.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and develop HIL test benches for full effector system integration, including flight controllers, ESCs, sensors, and ground control systems
• Integrate high-fidelity simulation models (flight dynamics, actuator, and sensor models) that accurately replicate real-world behavior
• Integrate hardware components—including autopilot boards, communication links, power systems, and peripherals—into HIL systems
• Develop automated test suites and regression frameworks to validate software and firmware changes against HIL environments
• Collaborate with software and integration/test engineers to define test plans and acceptance criteria for new features and hardware releases
• Debug complex hardware-software interactions by analyzing HIL test data, logs, and telemetry
• Maintain and improve test infrastructure, including simulation software, real-time targets, and data acquisition systems
• Document test methodologies, procedures, and results clearly for cross‑functional team use
• Support transition of HIL‑validated systems to integration and flight test phases

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.
• 3+ years of experience in hardware-in-the-loop testing, embedded systems integration, or a closely related discipline
• Hands‑on experience building and operating HIL or SIL simulation environments for embedded or autonomous systems
• Proficiency in real-time simulation platforms (e.g., dSPACE, VIRES Stand‑In, or similar)
• Strong programming skills in Python and/or C/C++ for test automation and system scripting
• Familiarity with flight controller software such as PX4, ArduPilot, or equivalent
• Experience with communication protocols common in drone systems (MAVLink, CAN, UART, SPI, I2C)
• Solid understanding of effector system architecture, including propulsion, navigation, and control loops
• Experience with version control systems and CI/CD pipelines for automated testing
• Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills across hardware and software domains
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance

Preferred Requirements

• Experience with ROS or ROS 2 for simulation and integration testing
• Familiarity with MATLAB/Simulink for flight dynamics or control system modeling
• Exposure to flight test operations and transitioning systems from HIL to field testing
• Experience with FPGA firmware development or embedded Linux environments
• Knowledge of RF systems, GPS signal simulation, or sensor fusion techniques
• FAA Part 107 certification or equivalent UAV operational credentials

Compensation

$130k-190k

The stated compensation range reflects only the targeted base compensation range and excludes additional earnings such as bonus, equity, and benefits. Actual salary offer may vary based on work experience, education, and other factors.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision benefits 100% paid for by the company
• 401(k) with 50% company match up to 6% of pay, FSA, HSA, life insurance, and more
• Free daily lunch, No meeting Fridays, unlimited PTO, casual dress code
• Competitive base salaries, generous pre‑IPO stock option grants, relocation assistance, and annual bonuses (coming soon)
• 250 employees and counting across 5 global offices

Equal Employment Opportunity

As set forth in CHAOS Industries’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate as applicable. The following categories are considered: disabled veteran, recently separated veteran, active‑duty wartime or campaign badge veteran, armed forces service medal veteran.