Principal Flight Controls Engineer

Electra • Manassas, VA

4d • $176,000 - $220,000

About The Position

As a Principal Flight Controls Engineer, you will support development of the control laws for Electra’s EL9 Ultra Short aircraft. You will take over a baseline concept and prototype implementation and work with a team to finalize preliminary design, execute detailed design, and mature the system to a certifiable configuration. The role calls for deep expertise in flight controls and control theory, along with strong leadership capabilities. You will collaborate with the flight control system, airframe, and flight physics teams and help bring a novel aircraft configuration through certification.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree and 10+ years of relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Strong understanding of flight dynamics, aircraft control theory, and handling qualities.
• Experience with model-based development, simulation environments, and control law verification.
• Experience deploying safety-critical software to a real-time embedded platform.
• Experience modeling aircraft and aircraft systems, including aerodynamics, aero-elastic effects, actuators, sensors, and propulsion systems.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to balance deep technical involvement with strategic leadership responsibilities.

Nice To Haves

• Experience leading control law development for novel or highly integrated aircraft configurations, such as STOL, eVTOL, or hybrid-electric aircraft.
• Experience developing algorithms for fly-by-wire and/or stability augmentation systems, from initial concept through flight testing.
• Familiarity with aerospace development and certification practices, including DO-178 and DO-331, applicable to flight software development.
• Familiarity with automated testing and CI/CD pipelines.
• Experience with redundant and fault-tolerant control system architectures.
• Experience building, scaling, and managing high-performing engineering teams, including hiring, mentoring, and driving technical excellence and accountability.

Responsibilities

• Support end-to-end control law development for the EL9 aircraft, from preliminary design through certification.
• Help develop and validate control law software, ensuring alignment across systems, performance, and structures.
• Support control law integration into the flight control system, including verification and flight testing.
• Ensure control laws meet aircraft-level performance, safety, and handling-quality requirements.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Short-term disability, long-term disability, and life insurance
• Generous paid time off, sick leave, and company holidays
• Paid winter break
• 401(k) with immediate vesting
• Free catered lunches, coffee, snacks, and drinks at the Manassas headquarters
• Free on-site parking
• Performance bonus

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal