GNC Engineer II – Controls

Pivotal; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Pivotal is advancing electric VTOL technology and seeks a GNC Engineer II to help tune flight control laws for Helix family aircraft. You will use CONDUIT and our simulation tools to ensure stable, responsive handling across the flight envelope and support integration into flight software.

The ideal candidate has a solid foundation in linear control theory and aircraft dynamics, plus experience with MATLAB/Simulink, Monte Carlo simulations, and data analysis.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical Engineering or related field.

Responsibilities

• Analyze existing control laws against stability and performance criteria.
• Tune control law gains using CONDUIT for the flight envelope.
• Assess effects of actuator/sensor dynamics, delays, and saturation on stability and performance.
• Update gains in MATLAB/Simulink models and support flight software release.
• Conduct Monte Carlo studies and analysis of failures for verification.

Skills

Control theory

Flight dynamics

MATLAB/Simulink

Python or MATLAB

C/C++

GNC/flight controls

Data analysis

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering

Tools

CONDUIT

MATLAB

Simulink

Python

Job description

Pivotal is the leader in the emerging market of electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft. We design, develop, and manufacture light eVTOL aircraft and are renowned for the BlackFly aircraft the world's first light eVTOL to fly manned missions and enter the consumer market.

Efficient, compact, and simple, Pivotal aircraft are designed for a wide range of consumer, public service, and defense applications. Our distinctive tilt-aircraft architecture and scalable platform have been flying for over 10 years. Last year we announced our next-generation aircraft, the Helix, which is rapidly progressing toward general release and scalable production in 2026.

Mobility is one of the most highly-valued areas of modern technology investments. This is the right company, in the right space, the right strategy, at the right time. If you are ready for adventure, we invite you to join our amazing team and grow with us.

About the Role

The GNC team at Pivotal develops the flight control and navigation algorithms that let our aircraft fly safely and precisely, including on the Helix family of aircraft. We are looking for a GNC Engineer II who focuses on flight controls to evaluate and tune our existing control laws, so the aircraft has stable, responsive, and predictable handling across the flight envelope.

You will use CONDUIT and our existing simulation environment to analyze the control laws against stability and performance criteria, tune their gains, and check their behavior in Monte Carlo and full-mission simulations before they go to flight test. You will work closely with the GNC engineers who own the control law architecture, as well as the firmware, aeromechanical, and flight test teams.

The ideal candidate has a solid grounding in linear control theory and aircraft flight dynamics, and enjoys the analytical work of understanding why a control system behaves the way it does and how to improve it. Experience with frequency-domain control system analysis is highly desirable.

Responsibilities

Control Law Analysis & Tuning

• Analyze existing control laws against stability and performance criteria such as gain and phase margins, bandwidth, disturbance rejection, and command tracking.
• Tune control law gains and parameters with CONDUIT to meet these criteria across the flight envelope.
• Assess how actuator and sensor dynamics, time delays, and saturation affect control system stability and performance.
• Update control law gains and parameters in our MATLAB and Simulink models and support their release into flight software.

Simulation & Verification

• Run Monte Carlo studies in our existing simulation environment that vary aircraft parameters, disturbances, and failures to evaluate control law robustness.
• Help identify worst-case conditions and failure scenarios for simulation-based verification, and run and analyze those cases.
• Set up and improve automated integration tests that simulate complete flight missions and check the results against requirements.

Flight Test & Data Analysis

• Support and analyze flight tests, comparing flight data with simulation predictions to assess control performance and refine tuning.
• Document analyses, tuning changes, and test results to support verification activities.

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field.

Experience

• 2+ years of industry experience in GNC or flight controls, or a Master's or PhD with research focused on control systems or flight dynamics.
• Strong foundation in linear control theory, including transfer functions, state-space models, and frequency-domain analysis such as Bode and Nichols plots and stability margins.
• Solid understanding of aircraft flight dynamics, including equations of motion, linearization, and dynamic stability modes.
• Hands-on experience analyzing and tuning feedback control systems, such as cascaded PID loops, on hardware or in high-fidelity simulation, whether through industry, research, student teams, or personal projects.
• Experience using simulation to evaluate control system performance, including Monte Carlo or parametric studies.
• Proficiency in MATLAB and Simulink for control design, modeling, and simulation.
• Proficiency in Python or MATLAB for analyzing test and flight data.
• Proficiency in C or C++ for writing application-level code.
• Strong analytical, debugging, and communication skills, and the ability to work in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree or PhD in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering or a related field, with a focus on flight controls or flight dynamics.
• Experience using CONDUIT for control system analysis and optimization.
• Familiarity with explicit model-following, dynamic inversion, or other control architectures used in safety-critical aviation.
• Familiarity with handling qualities and flight control specifications such as ADS-33, MIL-STD-1797, and MIL-DTL-9490.
• Experience developing flight controls for VTOL aircraft, multicopters, rotorcraft, or eVTOL platforms.
• Experience with Git, continuous integration, and agile development workflows, including automated simulation-based regression testing.
• Experience using AI-assisted development tools, such as Claude, to speed up algorithm development, coding, and data analysis.
• Experience with fault detection, or with analyzing control system behavior under failure scenarios such as motor or actuator failures.
• Experience with frequency-domain system identification using CIFER or similar tools.
• Experience with hardware-in-the-loop testing and supporting flight test campaigns.
• Interest in aviation, RC aircraft, or drones.

Attributes aligned with Core Values

• Safety Above All: Demonstrates a proactive safety mindset by embedding safety into daily work, identifying and mitigating risks, encouraging open dialogue about safety concerns, and continuously improving practices and protocols.
• Customer Focus: Puts customers at the center of every action by understanding their challenges, delivering meaningful value, and supporting their success.
• Work Better Together: Seeks and values diverse perspectives, builds cross-functional relationships, and fosters trust through empathetic, fact-based communication and commitment to shared decisions.
• Be the Pilot: Drives results with clarity and purpose by focusing on what matters most, adapting to change, taking initiative, and owning outcomes.
• Embrace the Unknown: Navigates ambiguity with resilience and bold thinking, challenges the status quo, and combines innovative ideas with practical approaches to overcome obstacles and drive progress.
• Respect for People: Fosters a high-performance culture grounded in respect, professionalism, and support by balancing high expectations with a healthy, collaborative environment and being a trusted, dependable teammate.

Applicants must be eligible for employment in the United States and willing to work onsite at our HQ office in Palo Alto, CA.

Pivotal offers a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, and 401k plans.

Pivotal is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Pivotal does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.