UAS GNC Engineer

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. 8-12 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)

Requirements

* Must have US citizenship

* On-site, collaborative work environment