As Lead Controls Engineer, ​you will own the control systems architecture, guide algorithm development (attitude, trajectory, and mission-level control), and lead a team of controls engineers. This role combines technical depth in flight dynamics and control theory with leadership responsibilities, including mentoring, roadmap development, and cross-team collaboration with firmware, autonomy, and systems integration teams.

• Control System Design & Development
  

• Architect, implement, and optimize control systems for attitude, altitude, velocity, and trajectory tracking.
  

• Develop both low-level controllers (motor commands, stabilization) and high-level controllers (trajectory following, waypoint tracking).
  

• Model and analyze UAV dynamics under variable payloads and flight conditions.
  

• Explore and implement advanced control methods (e.g., LQR, MPC, adaptive control, fault-tolerant control).
  

• Continuous Improvement & Research
  

• Stay updated with the state of the art in control systems, UAV dynamics, and adaptive/autonomous control methods.
  

• Drive innovation by evaluating new algorithms (e.g., AI/ML-enhanced control strategies).
  

• Ensure documentation, safety standards, and compliance with UAV regulatory requirements.
  

• Simulation, Testing & Tuning
  

• Lead the use of simulation environments (MATLAB/Simulink, Gazebo, AirSim, SITL/HIL) for validation.
  

• Define test cases and metrics for control performance, robustness, and safety.
  

• Oversee parameter tuning and log analysis during lab and field flight testing.
  

• Cross-Functional Collaboration
  

• Work closely with:
  

• Firmware engineers to ensure low-level control implementation on embedded hardware.
  

• Autonomy engineers to connect planners with trajectory controllers.
  

• Perception & sensor fusion teams to leverage accurate state estimation for stable control.
  

• Flight test team to validate and iterate in real-world conditions.
  

Requirements

• Master’s or Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering, Controls, Robotics, or related field.
  

• 6–10 years of experience in control systems for robotics or UAVs.
  

• Strong expertise in:
  

  • Classical control (PID, cascaded loops).
    

  • Modern control (LQR, MPC, nonlinear/adaptive control).
    

  • State estimation and dynamics modeling.
    

• Proficiency in MATLAB/Simulink, C++, and Python.
  

• Hands-on experience with PX4, ArduPilot, or custom autopilot stacks.
  

• Proven experience with real-world tuning and analyzing UAV flight logs.
  

• Experience leading small teams or projects.
  

• Familiarity with fault-tolerant and redundant control architectures.
  

• Knowledge of certifiable RTOS environments (SafeRTOS, INTEGRITY).
  

• Hands-on flight testing of UAVs (quadrotors, VTOLs, fixed-wing).
  

• Contributions to control-related research, publications, or open-source projects.
  

Benefits

• Technical leadership role at the heart of Unmannd’s flight systems.
  

• Direct impact on real-world UAV performance and reliability.
  

• Access to real hardware platforms, flight ranges, and simulations.
  

• Collaborative startup culture with opportunities to grow into Head of Controls / Autonomy.
  

• Competitive salary and equity options.