Senior Staff Engineer, Flight Controls - X-BAT (R4812)

Shield AI•Dallas, TX

About The Position

In this role, you will own the flight control system for XBAT, with responsibility for delivering stable, predictable, and operationally robust performance across all phases of flight, including vertical takeoff, hover, transition out-bound, wing-borne flight, transition in-bound, and precision recovery.

Requirements

10+ years of experience in flight controls / GNC on real flight vehicles, with demonstrated ownership from design through flight test
Demonstrated experience with control allocation design and implementation for over-actuated systems with provisions for saturation and failure accommodation.
Strong background in: Flight dynamics and 6DOF simulation, Control theory and nonlinear systems
Experience executing full V&V cycles, including pre-flight performance prediction, Monte Carlo analysis, flight readiness assessment, and post-flight analysis
Proficiency in C++, MATLAB/Simulink, and/or Python, with experience deploying real-time algorithms
Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance

Nice To Haves

VTOL or transition aircraft experience where control blending and allocation were critical to success
Autonomous systems or missile/UAV GNC background
Experience with flight safety, airworthiness, and mission assurance
Familiarity with: Sensor and air data systems, Fault-tolerant or adaptive control, CI/CD pipelines and modern DevSecOps practices
Experience with HIL or integrated simulation/test environments and Linux-based development workflows (Git, etc.)
Experience operating in rapid development environments with tight iteration loops between simulation and test

Responsibilities

Design and deliver the flight control system across all phases of flight including control allocation strategies that manage actuator redundancy, saturation, and degraded operations.
Lead development of high-fidelity 6DOF simulation environments and ensure accurate pre-flight performance predictions
Define and execute the verification strategy, including linear analysis, Monte Carlo campaigns, disturbance/sensitivity/degraded operation testing, and HIL validation
Diagnose and resolve simulation-to-flight mismatches, including unidentified dynamics and modeling gaps
Support flight test operations, making risk-informed decisions and driving rapid iteration between flights
Integrate control systems with propulsion, aero, actuation, sensors, state estimation, and autonomy, ensuring the vehicle behaves predictably under real-world disturbances and uncertainties
Mentor and guide engineers while setting the technical standard for control system performance and rigor