Staff GNC Engineer

Apera; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Apera is seeking a Staff GNC Engineer in San Francisco to lead GNC architecture across CTOL and VTOL platforms. You will design real-time C++ flight software for control, guidance, navigation, and state estimation, and develop multi-sensor fusion using IMU, air data, GNSS, perception, and external sensors.

The role requires deep knowledge of aircraft dynamics, Kalman filtering, and modern estimation techniques, with hands-on experience validating through flight testing.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in GNC, flight controls, navigation, estimation, or related aerospace disciplines.
• Deep understanding of aircraft dynamics, control theory, state estimation, and sensor fusion.
• Proven experience developing real-time C++ flight software validated through flight testing.
• Strong C++ and Python skills, including simulation and dynamic-system analysis.

Responsibilities

• Own integrated GNC architecture across CTOL and VTOL aircraft platforms.
• Design and implement real-time C++ flight software for control, guidance, navigation, and state estimation.
• Develop multi-sensor fusion using IMU, air data, GNSS, perception, and external sensors.
• Apply modern control and estimation techniques and optimisation-based methods.
• Perform stability, performance, and robustness analysis using C++ and Python.
• Develop simulation and flight-data analysis tools to support development.
• Plan and execute flight-test activities to validate GNC performance.
• Collaborate with perception, autonomy, and systems teams to deliver integrated solutions.
• Provide technical leadership, architectural direction, and mentorship to GNC engineers.

Skills

GNC expertise

Flight controls

Sensor fusion

State estimation

Real-time systems

Python

C++

Tools

C++

Python

Ceres

GTSAM

SymForce

Job description

An innovative aerospace company developing advanced conventional, electric, and autonomous aircraft is seeking a Staff GNC Engineer to provide technical leadership across guidance, navigation, flight controls, and state estimation.

Responsibilities

• Own integrated GNC architecture across CTOL and VTOL aircraft platforms.
• Design and implement real-time C++ flight software for control, guidance, navigation, and state estimation.
• Develop multi-sensor fusion using IMU, air data, GNSS, perception, and external sensors.
• Apply modern control and estimation techniques, including optimal/robust control, Kalman filtering, nonlinear estimation, and optimisation-based methods.
• Perform stability, performance, and robustness analysis using C++ and Python.
• Develop simulation and flight-data analysis tools to support aircraft and algorithm development.
• Plan and execute flight-test activities to validate GNC performance.
• Work closely with perception, autonomy, and systems teams to deliver integrated sensor-to-actuator solutions.
• Provide technical leadership, architectural direction, and mentorship to GNC engineers.

Required

• 10+ years' experience in GNC, flight controls, navigation, estimation, or related aerospace disciplines.
• Deep understanding of aircraft dynamics, control theory, state estimation, and sensor fusion.
• Proven experience developing real-time C++ flight software validated through flight testing.
• Strong C++ and Python skills, including simulation and dynamic-system analysis.
• Experience integrating inertial, air-data, GNSS, and/or perception measurements.
• Demonstrated technical leadership and experience owning system architecture.
• Experience with CTOL and VTOL/eVTOL aircraft.
• Vision-aided navigation or perception-integrated state estimation.
• Factor-graph/optimisation frameworks such as Ceres, GTSAM, or SymForce.
• System identification, sensor calibration, and automatic differentiation.
• Experience designing quantitative flight-test experiments for controls and navigation.