Guidance Navigation & Controls Engineer

COGENT Infotech; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

COGENT Infotech in San Jose, CA seeks a flight control engineer to design and implement GNC software for electric VTOL aircraft, collaborating with cross-functional teams to align GNC requirements with overall system objectives.

Candidates should have a BS with 5+ years or MS with 3+ years in relevant field, and possess strong knowledge of vehicle dynamics, optimization, and control theory, plus MATLAB/Simulink proficiency.

Qualifications

• BS with 5+ years of relevant experience or MS with 3+ years.
• Strong knowledge of vehicle dynamics, optimization and control theory.
• Proficiency with MATLAB/Simulink.

Responsibilities

• Designs and implements flight control algorithms for electric VTOL aircraft.
• Connects GNC requirements with other system requirements across teams.
• Influences leadership decisions related to GNC systems.
• Verifies complex systems and software with creative solutions.
• Builds simulations to verify and validate system requirements.
• Runs trade studies to inform aircraft design and architecture.
• Collaborates with Flight Test to design capability tests.
• Improves fidelity of vehicle and environment simulation models.
• Analyzes flight data to improve models.
• Authors software requirements and test cases for GNC design.
• Collaborates with Systems Engineering to decompose requirements.
• Identifies deficiencies in Flight Control System with Safety teams.

Skills

Vehicle dynamics

Optimization

Control theory

Flight control experience

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

BS + 5 years relevant experience

MS + 3 years relevant experience

Tools

MATLAB/Simulink

Job description

Experience

• Experience: BS + 5 years relevant experience, OR MS + 3 years relevant experience.

Core technical requirements

• Strong knowledge of vehicle dynamics, optimization, and both classical and modern control theory
• Proficiency in MATLAB/Simulink

What the role does

• Designs and implements flight control algorithms for electric VTOL aircraft
• Works cross-functionally to connect GNC requirements with other system requirements
• Influences leadership decisions affected by GNC systems
• Implements creative solutions to verify complex systems and software
• Builds simulations to verify and validate system requirements
• Runs trade studies to inform aircraft design and system architecture
• Works with the Flight Test team to design vehicle capability tests
• Improves fidelity/capability of vehicle and environment simulation models
• Analyzes full-scale and subscale flight data to improve models
• Authors software requirements and test cases driving GNC software design
• Collaborates with Systems Engineering to decompose higher-level requirements
• Collaborates with Systems Safety and Systems Engineering to identify/correct deficiencies in the Flight Control System
• Experience verifying GNC systems in simulation and on hardware
• Expertise with aircraft or rotorcraft performance and handling qualities
• Experience with envelope protection
• Experience modeling physics, sensors, and actuators
• Experience applying system identification techniques to aircraft or rotorcraft
• Knowledge of fault detection and isolation techniques
• Experience implementing trajectory generation and/or optimization algorithms
• Experience flight testing piloted and/or autonomous aircraft or rotorcraft
• Piloting experience (aircraft or rotorcraft)