Senior Aircraft Automation Engineer – Systems & Controls

Cirrus Aircraft; Duluth (MN); On-site; USD 123,626 - 185,440; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive Health Coverage

401(k) Plan with employer match

Tuition reimbursement program

Paid time off (PTO) and holidays

Parental leave and funeral leave

Well-being programs and employee clubs

Exclusive discounts and career growth

Job summary

Cirrus Aircraft in Minnesota seeks a Principal/Staff Engineer to drive automation technologies for the Advanced Design and Development group. You will define architecture principles, roadmap automation, and lead early-stage concepts from ideation through prototyping, simulation, and maturation.

You will coordinate with avionics, controls, software, test, and safety experts to craft robust system architectures and verification strategies, while guiding TRL maturation and certification readiness.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Aerospace, Software, Systems, or Computer Engineering. Master's degree preferred.
• 7+ years of experience with program-level technical impact in automation, embedded controls, or aircraft systems.
• Demonstrated proficiency in control logic and/or algorithm development using MATLAB/Simulink or equivalent tools.
• Hands-on test experience including instrumentation, data acquisition, and test execution.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate and coordinate effectively across multiple different technical and manufacturing disciplines.
• Willingness to take smart risks, accept accountability, and fix mistakes.
• Intrinsic motivation to drive progress and to minimize administrative overhead.
• Experience in iterative development cycles and rapid prototyping.

Responsibilities

• Work closely with Chief Engineers and cross-disciplinary teams to develop system functions and pilot interactions.
• Define automation mode logic and system behavior with optimization for safety and reliability.
• Develop, prototype, and validate architectures for aircraft system management and automation.
• Architect and prototype embedded control solutions involving sensing, actuation, and feedback.
• Generate engineering data and documentation, including trade studies and interface definitions.
• Lead verification strategies across SIL/HIL/lab and flight test environments.
• Lead early safety and certification planning activities with stakeholders.
• Travel up to 25% may be required.

Skills

MATLAB/Simulink

Instrumentation

Data acquisition

Test execution

Cross-functional communication

Prototyping

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Aerospace, Software, Systems, or Computer Engineering

Master's degree preferred

Tools

CREO/Windchill

MATLAB/Simulink tools

Jira/Confluence

PTC CREO

Windchill

Job description

Cirrus Aircraft in Minnesota seeks a Principal/Staff Engineer to drive automation technologies for the Advanced Design and Development group. You will define architecture principles, roadmap automation, and lead early-stage concepts from ideation through prototyping, simulation, and maturation.

You will coordinate with avionics, controls, software, test, and safety experts to craft robust system architectures and verification strategies, while guiding TRL maturation and certification readiness.