Senior Unmanned Aerial Systems Engineer I / II

Core Responsibilities

Technical Leadership & Team Management

• Partner closely with the Principal Engineer to align UAS team deliverables with broader architectural goals and company milestones.
• Serve as the technical anchor for the UAS engineering team, providing guidance on complex system-level trade-offs and architecture decisions.
• Progressively assume day-to-day management of the UAS team, tracking engineering deliverables, estimating work effort, and ensuring alignment with project schedules.
• Establish and enforce rigorous engineering standards, including requirements decomposition, design reviews (PDR, CDR), and documentation control.

System Architecture & Platform Development

• Lead the system-level design and integration for a fleet of UAS platforms, specifically focused on Multi-rotor and VTOL configurations.
• Perform preliminary design, sizing, and optimization of aircraft systems, including propulsion matching (multicopter lift vs. forward-flight thrust), hover efficiency, and transition envelope analysis.
• Architect and manage interfaces between hardware, software, avionics, datalinks, and ground control systems (GCS) using Interface Control Documents (ICDs).

Flight Control, Avionics & Payload Integration

• Tune and optimize flight control loops and stability systems, particularly addressing the complex control logic required for VTOL transition phases (hover to forward flight and back).
• Oversee the integration of mission-critical subsystems, including RF communications, embedded compute modules, and specialized surveillance or electronic payloads.
• Troubleshoot and resolve complex hardware-software integration issues at the edge.

Testing, Validation & Verification (V&V)

• Define and own the V&V strategy, ensuring bidirectional traceability from operational requirements down to component specifications.
• Lead integration and test execution across Software-in-the-Loop (SIL), Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL), ground, and flight test environments.
• Analyze flight logs and telemetry data to identify root causes of anomaliesespecially during complex VTOL flight modesand implement corrective engineering solutions.

Required Qualifications

• Experience: 7+ years of progressive systems engineering experience in aerospace, defense, or complex robotics, with a demonstrated history of delivering operational systems.
• Platform Expertise: Proven hands-on experience designing, integrating, and flight-testing Multi-rotor and VTOL platforms. (Strong understanding of transition flight dynamics is highly preferred).
• Technical Foundation: Deep understanding of rotorcraft aerodynamics, electric propulsion optimization, and multi-rotor control theory.
• Leadership: Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional engineering efforts or managing integration cycles; strong desire to transition into formal engineering management.

Technical Skills Matrix

Category

Key Competencies

Flight Systems

ArduPilot/PX4, Transition Dynamics, PID Tuning, Navigation (GNSS/INS)

Systems Engineering

Requirements Management, V-Model Development, ICDs, Risk Assessments

Avionics & Hardware

Embedded Systems, RF / Datalink Integration, Power Distribution

Testing & Analysis

HIL/SIL Simulation, Flight Log Analysis, Telemetry, Root Cause Diagnostics