Flight Controls Engineer

About the job

Responsibilities

• Design, model, and tune flight controllers (attitude, position, altitude, yaw, trim) in MATLAB/Simulink and deploy them to PX4-based flight hardware.
• Build and maintain vehicle dynamics models, including the cyclorotor, and extend our simulation capability (e.g., Gazebo, SITL).
• Write test plans and run test-stand and flight tests with the drone ops crew.
• Analyze flight logs (PX4 ULog) for tracking error, motor saturation, and vibration, and build tools that make that analysis faster.
• Make the controller robust to estimator events such as EKF resets, IMU switches, and GPS dropouts.
• Characterize propulsion (thrust vs. RPM, motor and prop selection) and fold the results back into the control code.
• Develop control for aerial manipulation: precise lateral positioning, wind rejection, and contact with the conductor during sensor install and removal.
• Configure and integrate motor controllers over DroneCAN.
• Document controller design decisions and changes, manage control code in Git, and post clear updates for the team.
• Mentor technicians and interns, and work with pilots on how the aircraft feels to fly.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, or Electrical Engineering, or a related field, with a focus on controls.
• 3+ years designing and testing control systems for UAVs, aircraft, or robots, or a graduate degree with significant hands-on flight-test work.
• Strong MATLAB/Simulink skills, including code generation for embedded targets.
• Solid grounding in classical control: PID/PD design, feedforward, saturation and anti-windup, rate and jerk limiting, and frequency-domain analysis.
• Hands-on flight or hardware testing experience, including reading logs to diagnose problems.
• Python for data analysis and tooling; Git.
• Clear technical writing.
• Able to work on-site in Boise and travel occasionally for field tests and installs.

Desired Qualifications

• Experience with PX4 or ArduPilot internals (uORB, EKF2) and Pixhawk/Cube hardware.
• Multirotor or unconventional rotorcraft dynamics; cyclorotor experience is a big plus.
• Aerial manipulation or contact control.
• State estimation and sensor fusion.
• Simulation with Gazebo, SITL, or HITL.
• CAN/DroneCAN and motor controller integration.
• FAA Part 107 certificate or piloting experience.
• Master's or PhD in controls, robotics, or aerospace.
• Fluency with AI assistants in engineering work, and enough depth to catch them when they're wrong.

Benefits

• 120 hrs of paid time off
• Health Insurance
• Dental & Vision Insurance
• Short-term disability insurance
• Long-term disability insurance
• Health Savings Account (HSA)
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
• Paid holidays
• Flexible work schedule

In accordance with applicable federal regulations and requirements Pitch Aeronautics does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age.