Hermeus
Senior GNC Engineer - Flight Controls & Autonomy
TLDR
Contribute to the development and validation of flight control, navigation, and autonomy systems for advanced high-speed aircraft, focusing on dynamic systems challenges.
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.
The Navigation and System Integration GNC Engineer will be responsible for integration, testing, validation and verification of Navigation instrumentation and GNSS components and supporting the navigation SW suite and development efforts (including filtering and fusion) on advanced guidance, navigation and control systems for our aircraft, as needed.
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
Basic 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 Qualifications
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
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.
Benefits
Equity Compensation
Stock Options
Health Insurance
100% employer-paid health care
401k & Retirement Plans
Paid Parental Leave
Paid Time Off
Unlimited PTO
Hermeus is a manufacturer of high-speed aircraft, specializing in the rapid design, build, and testing of high-Mach and hypersonic vehicles. Our focus is on delivering advanced capabilities for the Department of Defense, ensuring that the U.S. and its allies retain a strategic edge over potential adversaries.
- Founded
- Founded 2018
- Employees
- 11-50 employees
- Total raised
- $76M raised