Senior GNC Engineer
Poseidon Aerospace · Alameda
About Poseidon Aerospace:
Poseidon Aerospace is reimagining how the world moves goods. We build and operate full-size autonomous cargo aircraft - capable of carrying two tons of payload over a thousand nautical miles. From remote communities to contested logistics operations, our platforms unlock a new cost curve for air freight, making it faster, cheaper, and accessible anywhere it's needed. Headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area with locations in Washington DC, Oregon, and Maine; we're building something consequential.
About the role
GNC is how our cargo aircraft knows where it is, decides where to go, and flies there with no pilot on board. As a Senior GNC Engineer you will own the GNC architecture. You will decide how the aircraft is controlled, how it estimates its state, how it behaves when sensors or actuators fail, and what evidence is needed before each new part of the envelope is flown. You will do a large share of the design work yourself and set the technical bar for the engineers around you.
Responsibilities
Own the GNC architecture, including control law structure, navigation solution, guidance modes, and redundancy management
Design flight control laws for all phases of flight, including takeoff, landing, and failure cases
Design the navigation and state estimation solution, including sensor selection criteria with avionics
Define the control response to sensor, actuator, and engine failures, and to loss of link
Set stability margin and performance requirements and show that the design meets them across the envelope
Own the fidelity of the 6-DOF simulation and its validation against flight data
Define GNC requirements and interfaces with flight software, avionics, and flight sciences
Define the verification approach across simulation, hardware-in-the-loop, and flight test
Lead GNC flight clearance for envelope expansion and support flight test on site
Lead system identification and model updates from flight data
Support system safety assessments and certification evidence for the flight control system
Lead design reviews and mentor other GNC engineers
Required Qualifications
B.S. in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, or a related field, or equivalent experience
5+ years designing guidance, navigation, or control systems for aircraft, spacecraft, or comparable vehicles
Owned the GNC design for a vehicle or major flight phase from requirements through flight
Algorithms you designed have flown on a real vehicle
Supported a flight test campaign, including flight clearance and post-flight model correlation
Designed control or navigation behavior for sensor or actuator failures
Led design reviews and set technical direction for other engineers
Preferred Qualifications
GNC experience on fixed-wing uncrewed aircraft
Experience with autonomous takeoff and landing
Experience designing redundancy management for flight control sensors and actuators
Experience building a simulation environment from the ground up
Experience with model-based development and autocode under DO-178C and DO-331
Experience with flight control system certification or military airworthiness
M.S. or Ph.D. in controls, dynamics, or a related field
Why this role
There is no pilot to fall back on. The GNC system flies the aircraft from takeoff to landing, and you will decide how it does that, at a stage where the architecture is still yours to set. You will see your design fly on an aircraft that carries two tons.
What you get from us
Competitive salary and meaningful early-stage equity
Relocation support if applicable
Employee Health Benefit Plans
6% Retirement matching
Flexible PTO
Free lunches, snacks, and a stocked fridge at our offices
AI tools and subscriptions
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