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General Atomics · 4 months ago

Flight Controls Engineer

Poway California

Full-time

Hybrid

Senior Level, Lead/Staff

$106K/yr - $190K/yr

8+ years exp

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. is a world leader in remotely piloted aircraft and tactical reconnaissance radars. They are seeking a Flight Controls Engineer to design and develop flight controls for next-generation unmanned aircraft platforms, involving tasks from requirements refinement to prototype flight tests.

EnergyEnergy EfficiencyManufacturingWireless

No H1B

Security Clearance Required

U.S. Citizen Only

Responsibilities

Perform GNC-related tasks for all phases of a new aircraft development program, including use case refinement, requirements development, clean-sheet design, software integration and validation, flight test planning, and analysis of flight data through prototype flight tests

Translate the physics of flight control avionics, aerodynamic characteristics, and mass properties of a conceptual aircraft into MATLAB scripts and Simulink models for real-time simulation and automatic code generation

Design discrete flight control laws, continually performing stability and flying qualities analyses

Independently verify and validate the embedded control law software on the simulated and actual hardware

Support development of analytic tools as needed for novel aircraft configurations

Participate in internal and customer-facing design reviews, test readiness reviews, flight briefings, and technical interchange meetings

Collaborate among peers, as part of a multi-disciplinary team (Systems, Software, Mechanical, and Electrical engineering), to solve unique and complex engineering challenges

Qualification

MATLAB/Simulink modelingControl systemsFlight control designClassical control theoryC/C++ integrationPythonComputational Fluid DynamicsCommunication skillsInterpersonal skillsSelf-motivationPresentation skillsTeam collaboration

Required

Typically requires a bachelors degree, masters degree or PhD in engineering or a related technical discipline from an accredited institution and progressive engineering experience as follows; nine or more years of experience with a bachelors degree, seven or more years of experience with a masters degree, or four or more years with a PhD. May substitute equivalent engineering experience in lieu of education

Relevant background in the areas of low- and high-speed aerodynamics, control systems, and aircraft dynamics

Experience with MATLAB/Simulink modeling, simulation, and analysis of linear and nonlinear dynamic systems

Strong knowledge of classical and modern control theory, lower order modeling, and filtering techniques

Experience with flight control design and analysis for fixed and rotary wing aircraft or missile systems

Experience designing Simulink models for code generation and integration into an established C/C++ codebase

Ability to self-motivate and self-organize to achieve program established deadlines; proactively working independently and collaborating with other disciplines and seeking out help when appropriate

Strong communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills to effectively interface with other departments, customers, and/or government representatives

Ability to obtain and maintain a DoD Secret security clearance is required

Preferred

Familiarity with Stateflow, Python, and/or C/C++

Exposure to adjacent technical areas, including Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), aerodynamics and performance, mass property analysis, servo-mechanical modeling, and/or aircraft structures

Active DoD Secret, or higher, security clearance