Engineer IV

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), an affiliate of General Atomics, is a world leader in proven, reliable remotely piloted aircraft and tactical reconnaissance radars, as well as advanced high-resolution surveillance systems.

We have an exciting opportunity for a Flight Controls Engineer in the San Diego (Poway, CA) area. In this position, you will play an active role in the design and development of cutting-edge next generation unmanned aircraft platforms. Responsibilities include control law design and analysis, physics model generation, code verification and validation, and flight test. These responsibilities can span the entire lifecycle of a new aircraft development program, from requirements refinement to detailed design to prototype flight tests. You will have the chance to contribute to a broad swath of novel aircraft platforms ranging from Small Unmanned Air Systems (SUAS) to Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA). This position offers competitive benefits, including 9/80 work schedule, medical, dental, employer-matched 401(k), pension plan, employee referral program, and more.


DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Perform GNC-related tasks for all phases of a new aircraft development program, including use case refinement, requirements development, clean-sheet design, lower order modelling, control law development, 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 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.

​​​​​​We recognize and appreciate the value and contributions of individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences and welcome all qualified individuals to apply.

 

• Typically requires a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree or Ph.D. in Aeronautical Engineering, or a related technical discipline, from an accredited institution and progressive engineering experience as follows: six or more years of experience with a bachelor’s degree, four or more years of experience with a master’s degree, or two or more years with a Ph.D.  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.
• Ability to self-motivate and self-organize to achieve program established deadlines; proactively working independently and collaborating with other disciplines, 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.

DESIRED SKILLS / QUALIFICATIONS:

• 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.
• Familiarity with Stateflow, Python, and/or C/C++.
• Exposure to adjacent technical areas, including Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), aerodynamics and performance, software, and/or aircraft structures.
• Active DoD Secret, or higher, security clearance.