Senior GNC Engineer - Flight Controls & Autonomy

Hermeus is a venture-backed defense aviation company reclaiming the lost art of rapid iterative prototyping to build the fastest aircraft in the world today. By prioritizing relentless hardware iteration, we deliver high-speed systems at the pace of the modern battlefield. We work with the Department of War to provide the high-speed capabilities our nation and its allies need to maintain a durable, asymmetric advantage. About The Role: As a Senior GNC Engineer at Hermeus, you will help develop and deploy the flight control, navigation, and autonomy systems that enable our aircraft to fly safely and perform reliably in demanding real-world environments. This role will focus heavily on flight controls development, controls modeling, state estimation, and autonomy for advanced aircraft applications, including autonomous takeoff and landing.  You will work across simulation, software, hardware, and flight test to build and validate advanced control and estimation capabilities for high-speed aircraft. This role is ideal for an engineer who enjoys solving hard dynamic systems problems, moving quickly from analysis to implementation, and working closely with cross-functional teams to take algorithms from concept through validation and flight. Responsibilities: • Develop and improve flight control, guidance, and navigation algorithms for high-speed aircraft • Design and implement control laws, estimation logic, and sensor fusion strategies for autonomous and piloted flight applications, with an emphasis on autonomous takeoff and landing • Develop and analyze linear control models and dynamic system representations to support controller design, stability analysis, and performance assessment • Build and refine high-fidelity models of vehicle dynamics, sensors, actuators, and control system behavior using MATLAB, Simulink, and related simulation tools • Conduct 6-DOF simulation, Monte Carlo analysis, regression testing, and performance studies to validate system robustness across nominal and off-nominal conditions • Support software and system integration across flight controls, navigation, avionics, and other vehicle subsystems • Execute and analyze software-in-the-loop, hardware-in-the-loop, and system integration testing campaigns • Support flight test planning, real-time test execution, and post-flight data analysis to validate and improve control and estimation performance • Collaborate closely with avionics, software, test, and vehicle engineering teams to define requirements, interfaces, and system architecture • Drive technical trade studies for sensors, estimators, control logic, and autonomy-related subsystems • Contribute to verification strategies, test coverage definition, and system-level performance validation • Document technical work clearly through reports, test reviews, and design presentations Requirements: • Bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, physics, or a related technical field • 5+ years of professional experience in GNC, flight controls, autonomy, estimation, robotics, or closely related aerospace systems • Strong fundamentals in dynamics, linear controls, stability analysis, and modeling and simulation • Experience developing or integrating flight-critical algorithms for aircraft, spacecraft, missiles, UAVs, or other autonomous systems • Proficiency in MATLAB, Simulink, Python, C++, or similar technical computing and software development tools Preferred Skills and Experience: • Experience with flight controls development for autonomous aircraft or other high-performance aerospace systems • Experience with autonomous takeoff and landing system development, testing, or validation • Experience with GNSS, INS/IMU, air data systems, and other aircraft navigation sensors • Practical experience with Kalman filtering techniques, including EKF, UKF, or related estimation methods • Experience with 6-DOF simulation, control law development, and flight dynamics modeling • Experience with software-in-the-loop, hardware-in-the-loop, Monte Carlo testing, and regression-based validation • Experience supporting flight test, post-flight analysis, and control system tuning • Ability to solve complex technical problems with a high degree of ownership in a fast-paced development environment • Strong written and verbal communication skills • Passion for building advanced aircraft and enabling a faster pace of flight development The salary range listed for this role is intended as a general guideline. Final compensation will be determined based on a variety of factors, including role scope and responsibilities, relevant experience, education and training, key skills, market data, and business needs. At Hermeus, compensation is only one part of our total rewards package. We offer competitive pay, equity, and a range of benefits designed to support our team. Benefits: Health & Wellness: 100% employer-paid healthcare and pet insurance Financial: Competitive pay, stock options, 401(k) retirement plan, and potential year-end bonuses Time Off: Paid parental leave, 12 federal holidays, unlimited PTO for exempt employees, and generous accrued PTO for non-exempt employees Office Perks: Weekly paid office lunches and fully stocked breakrooms   U.S. EXPORT CONTROL COMPLIANCE STATUS  The person hired will have access to information and items subject to U.S. export controls, and therefore, must either be a “U.S. person” as defined by 22 C.F.R. § 120.62 or otherwise eligible for deemed export licensing. US persons include U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, lawful permanent residents (green card holders), and asylees and refugees with such status granted, not pending.    EQUAL OPPORTUNITY Hermeus is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions at Hermeus are based solely on merit, competence, and qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability, or any other legally protected status.