Controls Engineer

San Diego, CA
Full Time
Experienced



Controls Engineer 

Location: onsite in San Diego, CA  

Travel: as needed to support flight testing and demoing of your projects, travel expenses covered, (expected is about 1 week per month) 
 

Firestorm as a company grew out of the simple question: how does a US ally country with a respectively low defense budget deter an aggressor state entity with a vastly larger war chest? We’re building the very answer to that question, something we call “democratized deterrence.” Firestorm is a VC-backed, defense-meets-Silicon Valley technology company developing mission-adaptable aerial vehicles to put the power back into the hands of the operator. We aim to upend the current defense procurement cost paradigm by bringing world-class capabilities to bear at meaningfully lower costs. 

We are seeking a Guidance, Navigation, and Controls (GNC) Engineer with a passion for innovation to join our fast-growing team.  You will be responsible for designing and developing flight controls for our Unmanned Autonomous Systems.   

What You’ll Be Doing: 

  • Design, implement, simulate, and fly estimation and controls algorithms 

  • Model dynamical systems 

  • Be engaged across multiple projects and involved in simulation development, system analysis, GNC requirements and software development, integration, operational concept development 

  • Review test data captured from flight testing to verify vehicle performance, evaluate GNC algorithm/controller behavior, or debug incidents during testing 

  • Work with the flight testing team to validate changes to autopilot software 

  • Tune newly developed platforms 

Minimum Qualifications: 

  • Bachelor’s/Master’s degree in a STEM field plus hands-on project/experience with robotics/controls/dynamics, or Ph.D. in a STEM field 

  • Familiarity with C++, python, and Matlab/Octave 

  • Excellent communication and documentation skills 

  • “US Person” status required (US Citizen, US permanent resident) 

Preferred Qualifications: 

  • 3+ years of experience in applied controls  

  • Product development experience in a flying platform that uses the PX4 or Arduplane codebases 

  • Experience working in a team that follows agile software development methods 

  • High proficiency in C++/C/python/Matlab/Octave 

  • Experience flying RC fixed-wing planes 

What makes you a good fit: 

  • Knowledge of modern and classical control design methods 

  • Experience with system identification and test-based control design 

  • Experience documenting and communicating technical analysis for a technical audience outside your field 

  • Self-motivated and mission-driven 

  • Comfortable with the design review process, and with both providing and receiving feedback 

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our culture at Firestorm fosters collaboration, respect, and trust to empower passionate people to do their best work.  We offer a competitive salary, comprehensive benefits, and opportunities for career growth. 
 

Salary range: 115k – 145k 

To apply, please send your resume to us at careers@launchfirestorm.com 

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