UAS GNC Engineer

Knightwerx; Scottsdale (AZ); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Knightwerx is seeking a highly skilled Senior GNC/Autonomy Engineer to join our team developing a small unmanned electric aircraft. You will work in a fast-paced environment with engineers and subject matter experts to advance the aircraft from concept to flight readiness.

The role emphasizes onboard flight control, state estimation, and hardware/software integration, collaborating across AE, ME, EE, and SW teams to define requirements, tune control loops, and validate through simulations and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering or related field required.
• Minimum 5 years GNC experience developing software for embedded systems.
• End-to-end development of embedded systems from concept to flight readiness.
• Cross-disciplinary, hands-on experience with electrical, embedded, and software domains.

Responsibilities

• Focus on the onboard flight control system for a small UAS.
• Translate system-level requirements into software requirements with cross-discipline teams.
• Size and configure actuators; define control authority requirements.
• Architect and tune vehicle control loops and state estimation algorithms.
• Collaborate with SW team to build 6-DOF in-the-loop simulator.
• Support vehicle modeling and sensor/component selection.

Skills

GNC experience

Embedded programming

C/C++

Python

C#

Sensor integration

Hardware debugging

Vehicle modelling

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

ArduPilot

PX4

Job description

Knightwerx is looking for a highly skilled and experienced Senior GNC/Autonomy Engineer to work on the development of a small unmanned electric aircraft. We operate in a fast-paced development environment that balances innovation and ingenuity with practicality and reliability. You’ll be working and supported by a team of strong engineers and subject matter experts to develop an aircraft from the ground up and be involved in every step of the process.

Work Experience

• Bachelor's or higher degree in relevant engineering discipline
• Min. 5 years GNC experience developing software for embedded systems
• Top to bottom, start to finish development of embedded system
• Cross-discipline, hands-on experience with electrical, embedded, and software fields

Attributes

• Innovative, hands-on, and practical
• Multi-disciplined, problem solver, driven by engineering analysis
• Goal driven, learns from mistakes, and closes the loop on the design process
• Understands trades of scope for effort
• Communicates well through discussion and documentation
• Works well with others to develop plans and solve problems

Primary Duties

• Focus on the adaptation and development of onboard flight control system for a small UAS
• Works with cross-discipline engineers (AE, ME, EE, SW) to understand the system-level desired functionality and translates to software requirements
• Works with aircraft designer to size and spatially configure control actuators; define and experimentally confirm control authority requirements
• Architects, implements and tunes vehicle and component control loops, and state estimation algorithms
• Work with SW team to build and implement 6-DOF software in the loop simulator
• Work with AE team to build 6-DOF vehicle model for simulation
• Aide in evaluating and defining tasking/effort to fit the schedule and scope of the project in conjunction with project management

Tasks

• State estimation algorithm implementation and tuning
• Architect/modify vehicle control loops
• Verify/tune vehicle and component control loops
• Develop vehicle and component-level models
• Research, down-select, and source vehicle sensors and computational components
• Help roadmap GPS-denied / VIO implementation into vehicle

Skills

• Understanding of common state estimation algorithms and methods for assessing/tuning
• Understanding of common control loops and methods for assessing/tuning
• Embedded programming, with emphasis on C/C++ in a robotics and/or UAV setting. Experience with Python, C# (desired)
• Basic understanding of low-level avionics hardware
• Capable of hardware debugging and/or working with hardware engineers to troubleshoot avionics issues Includes following wiring diagrams and oscilloscope/analyzer use
• Physics-based actuator/vehicle modeling
• Experience with Ardupilot and/or PX4 code bases and compatible hardware (desired)