Controls Engineer — Precision Pointing & Gimbaled Systems

InvestedintheMission; Albuquerque (NM); On-site; USD 112,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Dental benefits

Vision benefits

401K with company matching

9/80 work schedule

Holiday shutdown

Job summary

AeroVironment’s team seeks an experienced Controls Engineer to design, develop, model, simulate, and test control algorithms for advanced directed energy and precision tracking systems. The role spans multidisciplinary engineering across controls, software, electrical, mechanical, and test disciplines to move technologies from development to field deployment.

The position requires a strong background in motion control, guidance and navigation, robotics, and data analysis, with the ability to

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Robotics, Controls Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• 5-10 years of relevant engineering experience in controls, robotics, GNC, autonomous systems, precision motion systems, or similar applications.
• Demonstrated experience designing and analyzing closed‑loop control systems.
• Experience with precision motion control, including servo systems, motors, actuators, encoders, and related feedback devices.
• Experience with one or more of the following: Guidance, navigation, and control; Robotics and autonomous systems; Precision pointing and tracking; Gimbal control and stabilization; State estimation and sensor fusion; Signal processing; System identification; Modeling and simulation.
• Strong experience using MATLAB for modeling, simulation, algorithm development, and data analysis.
• Strong experience using Python for engineering analysis, modeling, automation, and visualization.
• Ability to analyze test data, identify system‑level performance limitations, and develop engineering solutions.
• Strong understanding of dynamic systems, feedback control theory, linear algebra, probability/statistics, and numerical methods.
• Experience working across software, electrical, mechanical, and systems engineering disciplines.
• Ability to support laboratory and field testing of complex hardware/software systems.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance required.
• Must be a U.S. citizen due to security clearance requirements.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, analyze, and validate closed-loop control systems for precision pointing, tracking, stabilization, and motion-control applications.
• Develop control algorithms for high‑performance gimbaled, robotic, and electro‑mechanical systems.
• Apply classical and modern control techniques including feedback control, state‑space methods, filtering, estimation, system identification, and trajectory generation.
• Support guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) algorithm development and integration.
• Develop models and simulations of dynamic systems to evaluate system performance, control‑loop behavior, disturbances, and design trades.
• Perform signal processing and sensor‑data analysis to characterize system performance and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Develop algorithms for sensor fusion, state estimation, tracking, filtering, and control.
• Analyze large datasets collected during laboratory, field, and flight testing using MATLAB and Python.
• Develop automated analysis tools and visualization methods to rapidly evaluate system and subsystem performance.
• Perform system identification and develop mathematical models using experimental test data.
• Translate system‑level performance requirements into control‑system requirements and design parameters.
• Support hardware‑in‑the‑loop (HIL), software‑in‑the‑loop (SIL), laboratory, and field testing.
• Troubleshoot complex interactions between sensors, actuators, embedded software, communications, and mechanical systems.
• Work closely with software engineers to transition algorithms and models into real‑time embedded implementations.
• Support design reviews, technical reviews, test readiness reviews, and customer demonstrations.
• Document control‑system architectures, algorithms, models, test results, and performance assessments.
• Support integration and field testing of Directed Energy systems at government and customer test locations.

Skills

Closed-loop control

Motion control

Gimbal control

State estimation

Sensor fusion

MATLAB

Python

GNC

Real-time embedded

System identification

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical/Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering or Robotics

Master’s degree in Controls/Electrical/Aerospace/Robotics

Tools

MATLAB

Python

Job description

AeroVironment’s team seeks an experienced Controls Engineer to design, develop, model, simulate, and test control algorithms for advanced directed energy and precision tracking systems. The role spans multidisciplinary engineering across controls, software, electrical, mechanical, and test disciplines to move technologies from development to field deployment.

The position requires a strong background in motion control, guidance and navigation, robotics, and data analysis, with the ability to