GNC Engineer

Poseidon Aerospace; Alameda (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Relocation support

Employee Health Benefit Plans

6% Retirement matching

Flexible PTO

Free lunches, snacks, and stocked frid

AI tools and subscriptions

Job summary

Poseidon Aerospace in the San Francisco Bay Area is seeking a GNC Engineer to develop control systems for autonomous cargo aircraft. You will build and maintain simulations for attitude, stability, and flight performance, and implement flight control algorithms directly on hardware.

You will collaborate with avionics and software teams, analyze trajectories, and influence high-level control design while prototyping on prototype hardware.

Qualifications

• Experience leading GNC development for high-performance vehicles.
• Experience building simulation environments from scratch.
• Experience implementing flight control/navigation algorithms on aircraft or similar platforms.
• Familiarity with GNC verification/validation, 6-DOF sims, HITL testing.
• Strong problem-solving with creative control solutions.
• Proficiency in C++, Python, and Simulink.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain simulation environment for attitude, stability, and flight performance.
• Design and implement flight control algorithms on hardware and lead GNC software development.
• Use simulation data to inform and optimize control system design for flight dynamics.
• Collaborate with avionics and software engineers for reliable control and navigation.
• Analyze trajectories, control profiles, and stability to maximize performance and safety.
• Contribute to high-level design decisions on aircraft control systems and performance.
• Support prototyping by testing control algorithms on prototype hardware.
• Tackle complex challenges for precise control in dynamic environments.

Skills

GNC development

Flight control

HITL testing

6-DOF simulations

C++/Python/Simulink

Tools

Simulation software

HW/SW integration

Job description

About Poseidon Aerospace:

Poseidon Aerospace is reimagining how the world moves goods. We build and operate full-size autonomous cargo aircraft - capable of carrying two tons of payload over a thousand nautical miles. From remote communities to contested logistics operations, our platforms unlock a new cost curve for air freight, making it faster, cheaper, and accessible anywhere it's needed. Headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area with locations in Washington DC, Oregon, and Maine; we're building something consequential.

As a GNC Engineer at Poseidon Aerospace, you will develop and implement control systems to ensure accurate and reliable performance of our aircraft. Your work will include vehicle dynamics modeling, flight control system design, and integrating your solutions into flight-ready avionics. We’re looking for someone who brings comprehensive GNC development skills to the team, from modeling to practical implementation.

Responsibilities:

• Develop and maintain our simulation environment for analyzing aircraft attitude, stability, and flight performance.

• Design and implement flight control algorithms directly on hardware, taking ownership of software development for GNC systems.

• Use simulation data to inform and optimize control system design, focusing on flight dynamics and performance.

• Collaborate closely with avionics and software engineers to ensure reliable and efficient control and navigation solutions.

• Analyze flight trajectories, control profiles, and stability characteristics to maximize aircraft performance and safety.

• Contribute to high-level design decisions related to aircraft control systems and flight performance.

• Support prototyping efforts by implementing and testing control algorithms on prototype hardware.

• Tackle complex and novel challenges related to precise and reliable aircraft control, particularly in dynamic and changing environments.

Ideal Qualifications:

• Demonstrated technical ownership of functional vehicle control systems, including design and simulation (e.g., "I developed and tested the GNC for XYZ aircraft").

• Experience creating simulation environments from the ground up, with a clear understanding of best practices.

• Experience implementing flight control and/or navigation algorithms on aircraft or similar high-performance vehicles.

• Familiarity with verification and validation of GNC flight software, including the use of 6-DOF simulations and hardware-in-the-loop (HITL) testing.

• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to develop creative solutions for real-world control challenges.

• Fundamentals of C++/python/simulink for implementing control algorithms

What you get from us

• Competitive salary and meaningful early-stage equity

• Relocation support if applicable

• Employee Health Benefit Plans

• 6% Retirement matching

• Flexible PTO

• Free lunches, snacks, and a stocked fridge at our offices

• AI tools and subscriptions