Flight Controls Engineer

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 116,000 - 209,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

9/80 work schedule

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Employer-matched 401(k)

Pension plan

Employee referral program

Job summary

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), a world leader in remotely piloted aircraft and reconnaissance systems, invites applications for a Flight Controls Engineer in the San Diego area.

You will contribute to designing flight controls for next‑gen unmanned aircraft, including control law design, model generation and code verification across the program lifecycle. Responsibilities span requirements refinement through prototype flight tests, with opportunities to work on SUAS to CCA

Qualifications

• Typically requires a bachelor’s, master’s or PhD in engineering or a related technical discipline.
• Seven or more years with a PhD; ten or more with a master; twelve or more with a bachelor; substitute equivalent experience.

Responsibilities

• Perform GNC-related tasks across all phases of aircraft development, including requirements, design, software integration and flight data analysis.
• Translate flight control physics into MATLAB/Simulink models for real-time simulation and code generation.
• Design discrete flight control laws and perform stability analyses; verify embedded control software on hardware and simulations.
• Collaborate with Systems, Software, Mechanical, and Electrical engineering teams for complex challenges.

Skills

Strong communication

Self-motivation

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor/Master/PhD in engineering

Tools

MATLAB/Simulink

C/C++

Python

Stateflow

Job description

Job Summary

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), an affiliate of General Atomics, is a world leader in proven, reliable remotely piloted aircraft and tactical reconnaissance radars, as well as advanced high-resolution surveillance systems.

We have an exciting opportunity for a Flight Controls Engineer in the San Diego (Poway, CA) area. In this position, you will play an active role in the design and development of flight controls for cutting-edge next generation unmanned aircraft platforms. Responsibilities include control law design and analysis, physics model generation, and code verification and validation. These responsibilities can span the entire lifecycle of a new aircraft development program, from requirements refinement to detailed design to prototype flight tests. You will have the chance to contribute to a broad swath of novel aircraft platforms ranging from Small Unmanned Air Systems (SUAS) to Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA). This position offers competitive benefits, including 9/80 work schedule, medical, dental, employer-matched 401(k), pension plan, employee referral program, and more.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Perform GNC-related tasks for all phases of a new aircraft development program, including use case refinement, requirements development, clean-sheet design, software integration and validation, flight test planning, and analysis of flight data through prototype flight tests.
• Translate the physics of flight control avionics, aerodynamic characteristics, and mass properties of a conceptual aircraft into MATLAB scripts and Simulink models for real-time simulation and automatic code generation.
• Design discrete flight control laws, continually performing stability and flying qualities analyses.
• Independently verify and validate the embedded control law software on the simulated and actual hardware.
• Support development of analytic tools as needed for novel aircraft configurations.
• Participate in internal and customer-facing design reviews, test readiness reviews, flight briefings, and technical interchange meetings.
• Collaborate among peers, as part of a multi-disciplinary team (Systems, Software, Mechanical, and Electrical engineering), to solve unique and complex engineering challenges.

We recognize and appreciate the value and contributions of individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences and welcome all qualified individuals to apply.

Job Qualifications

• Typically requires a bachelors degree, masters degree or PhD in engineering or a related technical discipline from an accredited institution and progressive engineering experience as follows; twelve or more years of experience with a bachelors degree, ten or more years of experience with a masters degree, or seven or more years with a PhD. May substitute equivalent engineering experience in lieu of education.
• Relevant background in the areas of low- and high-speed aerodynamics, control systems, and aircraft dynamics.
• Experience with MATLAB/Simulink modeling, simulation, and analysis of linear and nonlinear dynamic systems.
• Strong knowledge of classical and modern control theory, lower order modeling, and filtering techniques.
• Experience with flight control design and analysis for fixed and rotary wing aircraft or missile systems.
• Experience designing Simulink models for code generation and integration into an established C/C++ codebase.
• Ability to self-motivate and self-organize to achieve program established deadlines; proactively working independently and collaborating with other disciplines and seeking out help when appropriate.
• Strong communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills to effectively interface with other departments, customers, and/or government representatives.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a DoD Secret security clearance is required.

DESIRED SKILLS / QUALIFICATIONS

• Familiarity with Stateflow, Python, and/or C/C++.
• Exposure to adjacent technical areas, including Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), aerodynamics and performance, mass property analysis, servo-mechanical modeling, and/or aircraft structures.
• Active DoD Secret, or higher, security clearance.

Job Type: Full-Time Salary

Salary range: 116,480 - 208,505