{"schemaVersion":"jobsearcher.job.v1","id":"76efc59196b345d247416ef5","url":"https://jobsearcher.com/jobs/76efc59196b345d247416ef5","canonicalUrl":"https://jobsearcher.com/jobs/76efc59196b345d247416ef5","title":"Flight Controls Engineer","description":"General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), an affiliate of General Atomics, is a world leader in proven, reliable remotely piloted aircraft and tactical reconnaissance radars, as well as advanced high-resolution surveillance systems.\n\nWe have an exciting opportunity for a Flight Controls Engineer in the San Diego (Poway, CA) area. In this position, you will play an active role in the design and development of flight controls for cutting-edge next generation unmanned aircraft platforms. Responsibilities include control law design and analysis, physics model generation, and code verification and validation. These responsibilities can span the entire lifecycle of a new aircraft development program, from requirements refinement to detailed design to prototype flight tests. You will have the chance to contribute to a broad swath of novel aircraft platforms ranging from Small Unmanned Air Systems (SUAS) to Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA). This position offers competitive benefits, including 9/80 work schedule, medical, dental, employer-matched 401(k), pension plan, employee referral program, and more.\n\nDUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:\nPerform GNC-related tasks for all phases of a new aircraft development program, including use case refinement, requirements development, clean-sheet design, software integration and validation, flight test planning, and analysis of flight data through prototype flight tests.\nTranslate the physics of flight control avionics, aerodynamic characteristics, and mass properties of a conceptual aircraft into MATLAB scripts and Simulink models for real-time simulation and automatic code generation.\nDesign discrete flight control laws, continually performing stability and flying qualities analyses.\nIndependently verify and validate the embedded control law software on the simulated and actual hardware.\nSupport development of analytic tools as needed for novel aircraft configurations.\nParticipate in internal and customer-facing design reviews, test readiness reviews, flight briefings, and technical interchange meetings.\nCollaborate among peers, as part of a multi-disciplinary team (Systems, Software, Mechanical, and Electrical engineering), to solve unique and complex engineering challenges.\n\nWe recognize and appreciate the value and contributions of individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences and welcome all qualified individuals to apply.\n\nJob Qualifications\nTypically requires a bachelors degree, masters degree or PhD in engineering or a related technical discipline from an accredited institution and progressive engineering experience as follows; twelve or more years of experience with a bachelors degree, ten or more years of experience with a masters degree, or seven or more years with a PhD. May substitute equivalent engineering experience in lieu of education.\nRelevant background in the areas of low- and high-speed aerodynamics, control systems, and aircraft dynamics.\nExperience with MATLAB/Simulink modeling, simulation, and analysis of linear and nonlinear dynamic systems.\nStrong knowledge of classical and modern control theory, lower order modeling, and filtering techniques.\nExperience with flight control design and analysis for fixed and rotary wing aircraft or missile systems.\nExperience designing Simulink models for code generation and integration into an established C/C++ codebase.\nAbility to self-motivate and self-organize to achieve program established deadlines; proactively working independently and collaborating with other disciplines and seeking out help when appropriate.\nStrong communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills to effectively interface with other departments, customers, and/or government representatives.\nAbility to obtain and maintain a DoD Secret security clearance is required.\nDESIRED SKILLS / QUALIFICATIONS:\nFamiliarity with Stateflow, Python, and/or C/C++.\nExposure to adjacent technical areas, including Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), aerodynamics and performance, mass property analysis, servo-mechanical modeling, and/or aircraft structures.\nActive DoD Secret, or higher, security clearance.\nJob Category\nEngineering\nExperience Level\nSenior (8+ years)\nWorkstyle\nHybrid\nFull-Time/Part-Time\nFull-Time Salary\nPay Range Low\n116,480\nPay Range High\n208,505\nTravel Percentage Required\n0% - 25%\nRelocation Assistance Provided?\nYes\nUS Citizenship Required?\nYes\nClearance Required?\nDesired\nClearance Level\nSecret","company":"Generalatomic","rawCompany":"generalatomic","city":"Poway","state":"CA","isRemote":false,"isActive":false,"createdAt":"2026-04-14T10:34:00.975Z","occupations":[{"code":"17-2011.00","title":"Aerospace Engineers","slug":"aerospace-engineers"},{"code":"17-2199.05","title":"Mechatronics Engineers","slug":"mechatronics-engineers"},{"code":"17-2072.00","title":"Electronics Engineers, Except Computer","slug":"electronics-engineers-except-computer"}],"industries":[{"code":"336411","title":"Aircraft Manufacturing","slug":"aircraft-manufacturing"},{"code":"334511","title":"Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing","slug":"search-detection-navigation-guidance-aeronautical-and-nautical-system-and-instrument-manufacturing"},{"code":"336413","title":"Other Aircraft Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing","slug":"other-aircraft-parts-and-auxiliary-equipment-manufacturing"}],"jobPosting":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"JobPosting","title":"Flight Controls Engineer","description":"General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), an affiliate of General Atomics, is a world leader in proven, reliable remotely piloted aircraft and tactical reconnaissance radars, as well as advanced high-resolution surveillance systems.\n\nWe have an exciting opportunity for a Flight Controls Engineer in the San Diego (Poway, CA) area. In this position, you will play an active role in the design and development of flight controls for cutting-edge next generation unmanned aircraft platforms. Responsibilities include control law design and analysis, physics model generation, and code verification and validation. These responsibilities can span the entire lifecycle of a new aircraft development program, from requirements refinement to detailed design to prototype flight tests. You will have the chance to contribute to a broad swath of novel aircraft platforms ranging from Small Unmanned Air Systems (SUAS) to Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA). This position offers competitive benefits, including 9/80 work schedule, medical, dental, employer-matched 401(k), pension plan, employee referral program, and more.\n\nDUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:\nPerform GNC-related tasks for all phases of a new aircraft development program, including use case refinement, requirements development, clean-sheet design, software integration and validation, flight test planning, and analysis of flight data through prototype flight tests.\nTranslate the physics of flight control avionics, aerodynamic characteristics, and mass properties of a conceptual aircraft into MATLAB scripts and Simulink models for real-time simulation and automatic code generation.\nDesign discrete flight control laws, continually performing stability and flying qualities analyses.\nIndependently verify and validate the embedded control law software on the simulated and actual hardware.\nSupport development of analytic tools as needed for novel aircraft configurations.\nParticipate in internal and customer-facing design reviews, test readiness reviews, flight briefings, and technical interchange meetings.\nCollaborate among peers, as part of a multi-disciplinary team (Systems, Software, Mechanical, and Electrical engineering), to solve unique and complex engineering challenges.\n\nWe recognize and appreciate the value and contributions of individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences and welcome all qualified individuals to apply.\n\nJob Qualifications\nTypically requires a bachelors degree, masters degree or PhD in engineering or a related technical discipline from an accredited institution and progressive engineering experience as follows; twelve or more years of experience with a bachelors degree, ten or more years of experience with a masters degree, or seven or more years with a PhD. May substitute equivalent engineering experience in lieu of education.\nRelevant background in the areas of low- and high-speed aerodynamics, control systems, and aircraft dynamics.\nExperience with MATLAB/Simulink modeling, simulation, and analysis of linear and nonlinear dynamic systems.\nStrong knowledge of classical and modern control theory, lower order modeling, and filtering techniques.\nExperience with flight control design and analysis for fixed and rotary wing aircraft or missile systems.\nExperience designing Simulink models for code generation and integration into an established C/C++ codebase.\nAbility to self-motivate and self-organize to achieve program established deadlines; proactively working independently and collaborating with other disciplines and seeking out help when appropriate.\nStrong communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills to effectively interface with other departments, customers, and/or government representatives.\nAbility to obtain and maintain a DoD Secret security clearance is required.\nDESIRED SKILLS / QUALIFICATIONS:\nFamiliarity with Stateflow, Python, and/or C/C++.\nExposure to adjacent technical areas, including Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), aerodynamics and performance, mass property analysis, servo-mechanical modeling, and/or aircraft structures.\nActive DoD Secret, or higher, security clearance.\nJob Category\nEngineering\nExperience Level\nSenior (8+ years)\nWorkstyle\nHybrid\nFull-Time/Part-Time\nFull-Time Salary\nPay Range Low\n116,480\nPay Range High\n208,505\nTravel Percentage Required\n0% - 25%\nRelocation Assistance Provided?\nYes\nUS Citizenship Required?\nYes\nClearance Required?\nDesired\nClearance Level\nSecret","datePosted":"2026-04-14T10:34:00.975Z","dateModified":"2026-04-14T10:34:00.975Z","hiringOrganization":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Generalatomic","sameAs":"https://jobsearcher.com"},"jobLocation":{"@type":"Place","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","addressLocality":"Poway","addressRegion":"CA","addressCountry":"US"}},"identifier":{"@type":"PropertyValue","name":"JobSearcher","value":"76efc59196b345d247416ef5"},"url":"https://jobsearcher.com/jobs/76efc59196b345d247416ef5"}}