GNC Engineer

Valinor is a new type of defense and government tech company focused on solving the problems others don't. Our unique model of centralized go-to-market and decentralized engineering allows us to move with unparalleled efficiency to identify unmet needs, build right-sized solutions, and get products where they matter most - in the hands of users. Unlike others in the space, who focus on the flashy problems, Valinor exists to solve the quiet, unaddressed problems-the small but significant ones that lead to cracks in the country's strength, stability, and security. Backed by General Catalyst, Founders Fund, and Friends & Family Capital, Valinor was founded in 2024 and has established strategic partnerships with Palantir, Anduril, and Helsing. We are building the dream team, and we want you on it. ABOUT THE ROLE Valinor Condor is building the next generation of autonomous VTOL aircraft for defense and enterprise applications. We're a small, technical team moving fast — our vehicle is flying, our customers are real, and the work spans simulation to real life. We're seeking a Flight Controls & GNC Engineer to own the guidance, navigation, and control stack on our VTOL platform. 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. You'll be our technical authority on everything from transition logic and rate controller design to aero model development and stability analysis. WHAT YOU'LL DO Flight Controls & Tuning - 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 - Conduct structured flight test campaigns — define test cards, instrument logging, execute in-field, and close the loop with data-driven analysis - Debug flight anomalies from logs: identify root cause across sensor, estimator, controller, and actuator layers Dynamics & Aero Modeling - Build and maintain the flight dynamics model; extract and validate aerodynamic coefficients from flight data and CFD outputs - Write technically precise scopes of work for CFD contractors; review and integrate their outputs into the aero model - 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 Systems & Integration - Work with the software team on autopilot integration, sensor fusion, and estimator configuration (EKF tuning, IMU/GPS/baro) - Support customer demonstrations — ensure the vehicle performs reliably and gracefully under operational conditions WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR Required - 4+ years of hands-on flight controls or GNC engineering experience on real flying hardware - Deep familiarity with PX4 (or comparable open-source autopilot) — you've tuned it, debugged it, and modified it - 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) - Scripting ability in Python for log analysis, simulation, and tooling; MATLAB/Simulink experience for control design and 6DOF modeling is equally valued - Strong fundamentals: classical and modern control theory, rigid body dynamics, state estimation - Comfortable in the field — you've executed flight tests, not just designed them on paper Strongly Preferred - Experience with TECS, NPFG, or L1 guidance implementations - Exposure to EKF-based state estimators (GPS/IMU/baro fusion) - Experience with MAVLink or similar UAV communication protocols - Scri