Engineering Manager- Control Laws

Electra Aero

Manassas (VA)

On-site

USD 153,000 - 185,000

Full time

14 days+

Get more replies from employers

Send a job-specific resume in minutes.

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary and equity

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Generous PTO, sick leave, and company+

Paid winter break

401(k) with immediate vesting

Free catered lunches, coffee, snacks,

Job summary

Electra Aero is seeking an Engineering Manager – Control Laws in Manassas, VA, to lead end-to-end development of control laws for the EL9 aircraft. You will manage a high-performing team, aligning software and hardware teams toward certification milestones and flight-test readiness.

You will apply deep flight dynamics and control theory expertise to mature a certifiable control system, while balancing technical leadership with program cost and schedule constraints.

Qualifications

Bachelor's degree and 10+ years of relevant experience.
Proven ability to lead a team and drive programs to execution.
Strong understanding of flight dynamics and control theory.
Experience with model-based development and verification.
Experience deploying safety-critical software to real-time embedded platforms.
Experience with aircraft modeling, systems, aerodynamics, actuators, sensors, propulsion.

Responsibilities

Own end-to-end control law development from design through certification.
Lead development and validation of control law software across systems.
Build and lead a high-performing flight controls team, manage cost/schedule.
Support control law integration into the Flight Control system, including verification and flight test.
Ensure control laws meet performance, safety, and handling qualities at aircraft level.

Skills

Flight dynamics

Control theory

Model-based development

Flight controls

Embedded real-time software

Team leadership

Stakeholder management

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

DO-178/DO-331

Job description

Overview

Engineering Manager – Control Laws

About Electra

At Electra, we're building the EL9 - a nine-passenger, hybrid-electric aircraft that takes off and lands in 150 feet. Our Ultra Short technology unlocks thousands of new operating locations and enables Direct Aviation: quiet, point-to-point regional travel that gets people from where they are to where they want to go, without the congestion of major airports or the noise of conventional aviation.

A global company headquartered in Manassas, VA, Electra is backed by Lockheed Martin, Honeywell, and Safran, has filed for FAA Part 23 type certification, and carries 2,000+ intent to purchase from operators worldwide. We're a team of ~100 people moving fast toward first EL9 test flights in 2027 and certification by late 2029 or 2030. Every hire matters at this stage - and this role is no exception.

The Role

As the Engineering Manager – Control Laws, you will serve as both the engineering lead and people manager responsible for development of the Control Laws for the EL9 Ultra Short aircraft.

You will inherit a baseline concept and prototype implementation and lead your team in finalizing preliminary design, driving detailed design execution, and maturing the system to a certifiable configuration.

This role requires deep expertise in flight controls and control theory as well as strong leadership capabilities to build and scale a high-performing team. You will collaborate with the flight control system team, airframe team, and flight physics team, and play a central role in bringing a novel aircraft configuration through certification.

What You'll Do

Own the end-to-end Control Law development for the EL9 aircraft, from preliminary design through certification.
Lead development and validation of the control law software, ensuring alignment across systems, performance, and structures.
Build and lead a high-performing flight controls team, providing technical direction while delivering on program cost, schedule, and milestones.
Support control law integration into the Flight Control system, including verification, and flight test
Ensure that the control laws meets performance, safety, and handling quality requirements at the aircraft level.

What You'll Bring

Bachelor's degree and 10+ years of relevant experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
Proven ability to lead a team and drive complex programs to execution.
Strong understanding of flight dynamics, aircraft control theory, and handling qualities.
Experience with model-based development, simulation environments, and control law verification.
Experience deploying safety-critical software to a real-time embedded platform
Experience with modeling aircraft and aircraft systems, aerodynamics, aero-elastic effects, actuators, sensors, and propulsion systems.
Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.
Ability to balance deep technical involvement with strategic leadership responsibilities.

Bonus Points

Experience leading control law development for novel or highly integrated aircraft configurations (e.g., STOL, eVTOL, hybrid-electric aircraft).
Experience developing algorithms for fly-by-wire and/or stability augmentation systems, from initial concept through flight testing.
Familiarity with industry-standard aerospace development and certification practices (DO-178, DO-331) applicable to flight software development.
Familiarity with automated testing, CI/CD pipelines
Experience with redundant and fault-tolerant control system architectures.
Experience building, scaling, and managing high-performing engineering teams, including hiring, mentoring, and driving technical excellence and accountability.

Compensation

$153,000 – $185,000 annually. This range reflects the anticipated hiring range across all eligible locations; actual compensation is determined based on your relevant experience, skills, and geographic location. Total compensation includes performance bonus and comprehensive benefits.

What We Offer