Senior GNC / Autonomy Engineer

Knightwerx; Scottsdale (AZ); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Knightwerx is seeking a Senior GNC/Autonomy Engineer to advance guidance, navigation, control, and autonomy for next‑gen unmanned aircraft systems. You will work across software, electrical, mechanical, and aerospace teams to design, implement, and validate flight-critical systems that influence performance, reliability, and mission success.

You will contribute to state estimation, control design, simulation, integration, and future autonomy capabilities, driving hands-on flight hardware work

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in a related technical discipline.
• 5+ years of GNC experience developing software for embedded systems.
• Experience developing embedded systems from concept through deployment.
• Strong understanding of control-loop design and state estimation.
• Embedded software development experience using C/C++.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and tune guidance, navigation, and control algorithms.
• Develop state estimation systems for autonomous aircraft.
• Architect and optimize vehicle and subsystem control loops.
• Build and validate vehicle models and simulation environments.
• Support software-in-the-loop and 6-DOF simulation capabilities.
• Collaborate with software, aerospace, electrical, and mechanical engineers to translate system-level requirements into flight-ready solutions.
• Evaluate sensors, computing platforms, and future navigation technologies.
• Contribute to GPS-denied navigation and VIO capabilities.
• Support aircraft integration, testing, validation, and performance improvement efforts.

Skills

GNC engineering

Embedded C/C++

State estimation

Control systems

Python

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher

Tools

PX4

ArduPilot

VIO

GPS-denied nav

Job description

Develop the Systems That Keep Autonomous Aircraft Flying

We're looking for a Senior GNC / Autonomy Engineer to help develop the guidance, navigation, control, and autonomy capabilities that enable next-generation unmanned aircraft systems.

In this role, you'll work across software, electrical, mechanical, and aerospace disciplines to design, implement, and validate flight-critical systems that directly influence aircraft performance, reliability, and mission success. You'll have the opportunity to work on the aircraft from concept through flight testing, contributing to everything from state estimation and control system design to simulation, integration, and future autonomy capabilities.

This is a hands-on engineering position for someone who enjoys solving complex technical challenges, moving quickly, and seeing their work turn into real-world capability.

Technical Challenges You Will Tackle

• Design, implement, and tune guidance, navigation, and control algorithms.
• Develop and refine state estimation systems for autonomous aircraft.
• Architect and optimize vehicle and subsystem control loops.
• Build and validate vehicle models and simulation environments.
• Support development of software-in-the-loop and 6-DOF simulation capabilities.
• Partner with software, aerospace, electrical, and mechanical engineers to translate system-level requirements into flight-ready solutions.
• Evaluate sensors, computing platforms, and future navigation technologies.
• Contribute to GPS-denied navigation and visual-inertial odometry (VIO) capabilities.
• Support aircraft integration, testing, validation, and performance improvement efforts.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Robotics, Computer Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• 5+ years of GNC experience developing software for embedded systems.
• Experience developing embedded systems from concept through deployment.
• Strong understanding of control systems and control-loop design.
• Strong understanding of state estimation algorithms and tuning methodologies.
• Embedded software development experience using C/C++.
• Strong problem-solving and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with UAVs, autonomous systems, robotics, or aerospace platforms.
• Experience with PX4 and/or ArduPilot.
• Experience with Python or C#.
• Physics-based actuator or vehicle modeling experience.
• Experience working with avionics hardware and debugging tools.
• Familiarity with GPS-denied navigation, VIO, or related autonomy technologies.

About Knightwerx

Knightwerx develops American-made, AI-powered unmanned aerial systems and remote sensing technologies that support human-machine teaming in mission-critical environments. We build next-generation aerospace and autonomy solutions for both commercial and government customers where performance, speed, and reliability matter.

As a growing company, we offer the opportunity to work close to the mission, close to the product, and close to the decisions that shape what gets built. Engineers here work across disciplines, take ownership of meaningful challenges, and help shape the future of the company as it scales.

Additional Information

• Onsite position in Scottsdale, AZ
• Relocation assistance available for this role