Valinor Enterprises, Inc.

GNC Engineer

New York, NY

No sponsorshipDetected 62 days ago

PythonMATLABCybersecurityCFDSensorsControlsSimulinkCommunication

About the role

We're a small, technical team moving fast - our vehicle is flying, our customers are real, and the work spans simulation to real life.
This is a senior individual contributor role with direct ownership of flight performance - from control law architecture to day-of-demo parameter tuning.
You'll work closely with the Chief Engineer and a small cross-functional team.

Own the full GNC stack on our drone: PX4 code, VTOL transition logic, fixed-wing control laws (TECS, NPFG, attitude/rate loops), multicopter controller
Design, implement, and iterate on control laws
translate theoretical controller designs into flight-validated parameters, and test them in the field to tune the aircraft
Build and maintain the flight dynamics model
extract and validate aerodynamic coefficients from flight data and CFD outputs
Develop and maintain a Simulink-based 6DOF simulation environment for control law prototyping, linearization, and stability margin analysis - de-risking parameter changes before they go to hardware

4+ years of hands-on flight controls or GNC engineering experience on real flying hardware
Experience with fixed-wing or VTOL platforms
Ability to read and interpret flight logs to diagnose control system issues (PX4 log analysis, PlotJuggler)
Familiarity with aerodynamic modeling pipelines (CFD output → stability derivatives → flight dynamics model)

Experience supporting operational customer demonstrations or field deployments
Fun work environment - we like to laugh and take care of each other, but we also deeply respect the mission in front of us.
Familiarity with NDAA compliance requirements for UAS hardware
Active clearance preferred, but not required.
Valinor is an equal-opportunity employer committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace.
The Valinor team is made up of incredibly talented and unique individuals, who together are disrupting industry norms by creating new paths towards the future of defense and government technology.
If you are someone passionate about working on problems that have a real-world impact, we'd love to hear from you!
Experience with TECS, NPFG, or L1 guidance implementations

Competitive salary, equity packages, and benefits, including health, dental, and vision insurance - fully covered for employees, 401K, development stipends, among others.

This listing is sourced directly from Valinor Enterprises, Inc.'s careers page and normalized into a canonical job model.