Senior Flight Controls Engineer

@ Skyways

Senior Flight Controls Engineer

Posted 6 months ago

This job is still taking applications, but it's been up a while.

About the job

Skyways develops autonomous cargo aircraft for military and commercial use. The role focuses on control system design, implementation, and testing to ensure aircraft stability and performance.

Requirements

Control theory fundamentals
Experience with flight control systems
Proficiency in C++ and Python
Experience with simulation and testing
Ability to debug complex problems

Qualifications

Strong control and dynamics background
Hands-on flight system experience
Comfort working in embedded systems
Fast iteration environment experience

Full job description

Skyways designs, builds, and operates fully autonomous long-range cargo aircraft. Founded in 2017, the company has spent the last eight years developing and deploying autonomous logistics systems for real-world operations.

Our V2 aircraft carries 30 lbs up to 500 miles, while our next-generation V3 carries 100 lbs over 1,000+ miles with 20+ hours of endurance. Both use a hybrid-electric architecture that takes off like a helicopter and cruises like a plane, enabling long-range autonomous delivery without traditional runway infrastructure.

Today, Skyways aircraft operate across three continents in controlled national airspace under FAA oversight and in support of U.S. military operations. We are transitioning from prototype development to full-rate production and scaling toward large autonomous cargo fleets.

Backed by Y Combinator and a $37M AFWERX STRATFI award from the U.S. Air Force, Skyways is creating a new form of transportation to advance our civilization from Austin, Texas.

The Opportunity

This is a hands-on controls role on a small, fast moving GNC team. You will own control law work across VTOL, transition, and fixed wing flight. You will tune in analysis and simulation, validate on the aircraft, and see your changes fly in production and increase customer satisfaction. You will also work alongside the team's AI agents, which carry a real share of the engineering load. If you like seeing our work in the real world being used to transform civilization, this role is built for you.

What You'll Do:

Implement and tune control laws across VTOL, fixed wing, and the transition between them.

Tune in SITL and the V3 digital twin, then validate in ground and flight test.

Analyze flight logs, find root cause, and turn findings into control fixes.

Write and own flight test plans with the team.

Manage a portion of the team's AI agents.

What You'll Bring:

Strong fundamentals in control theory and aircraft or rotorcraft dynamics.

Experience implementing flight or vehicle control laws in production code.

Fluency in C++ and Python in real time or embedded systems.

Hands on experience with controller tuning, simulation, and field or flight test.

Ability to read flight logs, isolate root cause, and present findings clearly.

Comfort in an early stage environment with fast iteration. incomplete requirements, and calculated risk.

Ability to work onsite in Austin, where our aircraft are designed, built, and flown.

Bonus Points:

Experience with ArduPilot, PX4, or a similar flight stack.

Background in VTOL, fixed wing, or hybrid aircraft control.

Hardware in the loop or software in the loop testing.

System identification or working with large telemetry sets.

Comfort working alongside AI coding agents.

Want to join our mission? Apply to learn more!

Due to U.S. government contract requirements, this role is limited to U.S. citizens, U.S. permanent residents, or candidates from specific countries authorized under applicable export control regulations.

Skyways is an Equal Opportunity employer committed to diversity in the workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, protected veteran status or any other factor protected by applicable local, state or federal laws.

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