What are the responsibilities and job description for the Flight Controls Tools and Support Engineer position at General Atomics and Affiliated Companies?
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 an aerospace/software engineer to develop analysis tools & methodologies for flight-controls, guidance, and navigation systems. We’re looking for someone who enjoys translating needs of controls engineering into software roadmaps, and applying modern practice to write code and tests which facilitate simulation and analysis for a large user base. Your work and innovations can span the entire lifecycle of aircraft development - from refining requirements and design through flight testing and field support. This position is within the Flight Technologies department in Poway, CA, in San Diego County. The Flight Technologies department is a growing technical organization focusing on many aspects of flight sciences; the Tools & Support group supports all disciplines within Flight Technologies.
DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:
We have an exciting opportunity for an aerospace/software engineer to develop analysis tools & methodologies for flight-controls, guidance, and navigation systems. We’re looking for someone who enjoys translating needs of controls engineering into software roadmaps, and applying modern practice to write code and tests which facilitate simulation and analysis for a large user base. Your work and innovations can span the entire lifecycle of aircraft development - from refining requirements and design through flight testing and field support. This position is within the Flight Technologies department in Poway, CA, in San Diego County. The Flight Technologies department is a growing technical organization focusing on many aspects of flight sciences; the Tools & Support group supports all disciplines within Flight Technologies.
DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:
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Scope the relevant requirements, design and execute controls-related software development, then demonstrate and train others in use of software. Software examples may include:
- tools to translate aerodynamic and mass models into Simulink and run six-degree-of-freedom (6-DoF) simulations
- scripts which automate and scale Monte Carlo analysis to parallel computing
- visualizations scraping a database to compare simulated vs. test-logged data
- statistical analysis of controller errors to characterize mission performance.
- Understand and improve existing controls-analysis tools and workflows.
- Coordinate software-development sprints with buy-in from technical experts and peer developers.
- Innovate efficiency gains from improving frameworks for controls-analysis tasks, then collaborate to build and roll out such systems.
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Implement industry-standard practices for building models, storing and transferring data including use of version-control systems, and testing/verifying/validating/deploying software.
- Develop processes for configuration management and interface control of aero- and flight-controls-related artifacts.
- Prepare and present reports, code reviews, specifications, and other documentation to stakeholders across disciplines such as software, test, and systems engineering.
- Occasional travel to support wind-tunnels tests, flight-test campaigns, customer site visits, and conferences.
- Retain capability to perform flight-controls analysis such as of aircraft stability and flying qualities, primarily to understand the workflow of internal customers.
We recognize and appreciate the value and contributions of individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences and welcome all qualified individuals to apply.
Job Qualifications
- Typically requires a bachelors degree, masters degree or PhD in engineering or a related technical discipline from an accredited institution and progressive engineering experience as follows; six or more years of experience with a bachelors degree, four or more years of experience with a masters degree, or two or more years with a PhD. May substitute equivalent engineering experience in lieu of education.
- Experience with MATLAB/Simulink, especially for modeling, simulation, and analysis of linear and nonlinear dynamic systems. Experience with equivalent alternative softwares may be substituted.
- Experience implementing software testing, especially related to Simulink modeling.
- Familiarity with aircraft flight controls and stability.
- Ability to understand new concepts quickly and apply them accurately in an evolving environment.
- Prolific and effective communication and interpersonal skills for diverse audiences.
- Ability to obtain and maintain DoD Secret security clearance is required.
- Facilitation skills (such as experience as a scrum master or project coordinator).
- Experience guiding agile, requirements-driven software development and organizing process and standards for software tools.
- Familiarity with GitHub and GitHub Actions or equivalent version-control and testing/CI/CD framework.
- Experience implementing controls analysis in high-performance-computing (HPC) and/or parallel workflows.
- Experience with applied statistics and data science.
- Exposure to adjacent technical areas, including aerodynamics, performance, and structures analysis.
- Familiarity with Python.
- Familiarity with MySQL, SQLite, MongoDB, or similar.
Job Category
Engineering
Experience Level
Mid-Level (3-7 years)
Workstyle
Hybrid
Full-Time/Part-Time
Full-Time Salary
Pay Range Low
98,100
Pay Range High
171,398
Travel Percentage Required
0% - 25%
Relocation Assistance Provided?
Yes
US Citizenship Required?
Yes
Clearance Required?
Desired
Clearance Level
Secret