Senior GNC Engineer

Mayman Aerospace; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Mayman Aerospace is seeking a Guidance, Navigation, and Control Engineer to advance our P100 VTOL aircraft. You will join a fast-paced, prototype-driven team to design and test control and navigation systems for both VTOL and fixed-wing flight phases.

The role emphasizes ownership, collaboration, and rapid problem-solving within a venture-backed DoD-focused environment. The position requires a 7+ year background in mechanical, aerospace, or robotics engineering, with strong MATLAB/Simulink,

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Mechanical, Aerospace, Robotics, or related field with 7+ years experience.
• Strong engineering fundamentals and communication skills.
• Excellent organizational skills for technical documentation and code management.
• Willingness to work across a broad range of startup activities.
• Ability to take ownership and drive tasks to completion.
• Able to prioritize multiple assignments in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Develop P100 control and navigation system designs with the engineering team.
• Analyze control systems using linear and nonlinear simulations for stability margins.
• Create control designs for VTOL and fixed-wing flight phases.
• Define hardware requirements to meet performance metrics.
• Integrate PX4 autopilot into high-performance VTOL operations.
• Develop navigation/state estimation algorithms for GPS-denied environments.
• Integrate Sense and Avoid technologies for autonomous safety.
• Support aircraft assembly, sensor calibration, and hardware-in-the-loop testing.
• Join the flight-test team and assist with test ranges.

Skills

Matlab/Simulink

Python

C++

Embedded systems

Linux environments

PX4 autopilot

MAVLink protocol

Navigation algorithms (EKF/SLAM/VIO)

Hardware-in-the-loop testing

Sense and Avoid systems

Export control clearance awareness

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical/Aerospace/Robotics or related field

Master’s degree preferred

Tools

PX4 autopilot

MAVLink

Linux

MATLAB/Simulink

Job description

Guidance, Navigation, and Control Engineer Job Description

Mayman Aerospace created the world's only successful turbine powered Jetpack. We are a venture backed company with DoD contracts working to develop our Air Utility Vehicle. It will be the smallest & fastest, heavy-lift micro-turbine powered VTOL aircraft ever designed. We are currently developing our fifth full-scale flying variant called the P100.

At our company, we foster a relaxed and informal atmosphere with a fast-paced prototype culture. We strongly believe in nurturing individuality and promoting innovation. To thrive here, a successful candidate should be highly motivated, enterprising, and genuinely enthusiastic. Our collaborative environment values teamwork over ego, emphasizing the importance of being proactive and embracing speed and intellectual risks. Working well under pressure, tackling challenges, and assuming responsibility are essential traits. While days can be long, we prioritize the excitement and fulfillment that come with the work rather than counting hours.

Mayman Aerospace is looking for an experienced Guidance, Navigation, and Control Engineer to join our existing engineering team designing, building, and flight testing our awesome autonomous aircrafts.

What You'll Do:

• Join our engineering team to develop the P100 aircraft control and
  navigation system designs.
• Analyze the control systems through linear and non-linear simulation analysis to predict adequate stability margins.
• Develop novel control system designs for VTOL and Fixed Wing phases of
  flight.
• Define control system hardware requirements that support higher level performance metrics.
• Integrate and customize PX4 autopilot software stack for high-performance VTOL operations.
• Support design and implementation of algorithms for navigation and state estimation in GPS-denied environments.
• Integrate Sense and Avoid (SAA) technologies to enhance autonomous operational safety.
• Help with the aircraft assembly and integration effort (e.g. software configuration, sensor calibration, hardware-in-the-loop testing).
• Join the flight-test team (travel to test range and support the end-to-end test effort).

Who You Are:

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace
  Engineering, Robotics, or similar technical degree with 7+ years of experience.
• Strong engineering fundamentals and critical thinking.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent organizational skills for technical documentation and code
  management.
• Willingness to work collaboratively across a broad range of activities to support team goals – growth-stage startups require a wide range of skills.
• Ability to take ownership of tasks, and drive them to completion.
• Adept at prioritizing tasks and executing multiple assignments concurrently in a rapidly changing environment.

Skills We Are Looking For

• Proficiency in Matlab/Simulink, C++, and Python, with experience in embedded systems or Linux environments.
• Experience with the PX4 autopilot ecosystem and MAVLink communication protocol.
• Experience with aircraft control system development.
• Experience with navigation algorithms (e.g., EKF, SLAM, VIO) for non-GPS environments.
• Experience with hardware software integration.
• Familiarity with integrating sensors for Sense and Avoid (SAA) systems (e.g., radar, lidar, cameras).
• Experience with software testing (unit tests, simulation, and HITL) - including test plans and data review.
• US citizen or resident status as this position will require access to export controlled data (security clearance is not required).

Skills We Would Love

• Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related field.
• Hands-on experience developing drone aircraft.
• 6DOF Simulation development experience.

Mayman Aerospace is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Mayman Aerospace is governed on the basis of merit, qualifications, and competence, and will not be influenced in any manner by race, religion, gender, national origin, color, age, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.