Engineer II
The Flight Controls Engineer at Confidential Client supports production UAV programs by performing guidance, navigation, and control tasks including software integration, simulation, flight test planning, and flight data analysis. The role involves evaluating system changes, troubleshooting flight control issues, and collaborating with multidisciplinary teams to ensure compliance with system requirements and maintain aircraft performance.
About Careertakes
👉 Important disclosure: Careertakes is a third-party recruiting platform supporting this hiring process. If selected, you will be employed directly by our client, Engineering.
Applicants for this role may also receive access to additional matched opportunities through the Careertakes platform.
Position overview
Confidential Client is seeking an Engineer II (Flight Controls) to join their Flight Technologies / Flight Controls team in Poway, CA. This entry-level (0–2 years) engineering role focuses on guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) and supports production Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV) programs. The role requires hands-on analysis, software integration, simulation, and test support. U.S. citizenship is required and the ability to obtain/maintain DoD security clearance is required.
What You’ll Do
- Perform GNC-related tasks for aircraft modifications: requirements development, software integration and validation, simulation analysis to support airworthiness risk assessments, flight test planning, and flight-data analysis.
- Evaluate Flight Controls impacts from system changes (payloads, software updates) using linear/non-linear analysis, piloted simulation, SIL/HIL testing, and ground/flight testing.
- Ensure new developments meet system requirements, legacy performance, and industry best practices.
- Troubleshoot flight-control anomalies using flight-data analysis and simulation; correlate with flight software behavior and propose corrective actions.
- Analyze aerodynamic characteristics to maintain desired flying qualities.
- Work closely with Aerodynamics, Structures, Test Engineers, and Systems Engineers to coordinate design, test, and field-support activities.
- Support occasional travel to flight-test facilities (0–25% travel).
Required qualifications
- Bachelor’s or master’s degree in engineering (aerospace/aeronautical, electrical, mechanical, or related) OR equivalent engineering experience.
- Approximately 0–2 years of relevant engineering experience (Entry-Level).
- Experience coding in C or C++; MATLAB scripting experience.
- Strong written and verbal communication and documentation skills.
- Ability to work independently and in cross-functional teams; customer-focused.
- Ability to obtain and maintain DoD security clearance; U.S. Citizenship required.
Preferred qualifications
- Experience with unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) or flight-control systems.
- Simulink model programming and MathWorks automatic code generation toolset experience.
- Coding experience in Python.
- Familiarity with SIL/HIL test setups and piloted simulation.
Compensation & benefits
- Salary range (posted): $68,770 – $116,193 per year.
- Estimated market salary shown on source: ~$135,609/year (for reference only).
- Relocation assistance: Yes (as noted by the client).
- Full-time position. Benefits and additional compensation details provided by Confidential Client during the hiring process.
Work location & security
- Location: Poway, CA (on-site workstyle noted by the client).
- Clearance: Ability to obtain / maintain DoD security clearance required; some positions may require Secret-level clearance.
- Travel: Occasional (0%–25%) to flight-test facilities.
Why join
- Work on world-class production UAV programs focused on flight controls and GNC.
- Learn from cross-functional engineering teams and gain hands-on experience with simulation, flight testing, and embedded flight software.
- Early-career growth opportunities and exposure to defense/aerospace engineering best practices.
Equal Opportunity & Hiring Transparency
Careertakes and our client are Equal Opportunity Employers committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce. We prohibit discrimination or harassment of any kind. To support a fair and efficient hiring process, AI tools may be used to assist with application review or resume screening. These tools do not replace human decision-making. Final hiring decisions are made by people.
If you have questions about how your data is used, please contact us directly.
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