Flight Control & Avionics Hardware – Responsible Engineer
On-siteMadison, Alabama, United States
Job Summary
Lead design, analysis, and iterative spiral development of custom flight control hardware and avionics stacks, including processing, sensor, power, and interface subsystems. Own root-cause investigations and corrective actions for hardware issues identified in test or the field; manage engineering change requests through the full approval cycle. Balance size, weight, power, redundancy, and reliability trade-offs specific to UAV flight control requirements while collaborating with firmware, software, airframe, and manufacturing teams. Develop and execute test plans for environmental, EMI/EMC, vibration, and thermal qualification; define reliability metrics and failure modes to drive design changes. Identify, qualify, and manage suppliers of avionics components and custom PCBs, overseeing source inspections and incoming quality requirements. Maintain engineering documentation, schematics, and BOMs in compliance with military and industry standards. Prepare technical substantiation and compliance evidence for customer and regulatory review.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field
- 7+ years of experience in electrical/avionics hardware design, development, or sustaining engineering, with direct hands-on experience in flight control or embedded avionics hardware
- Demonstrated experience taking hardware through a qualification or certification process
- Experience managing suppliers or vendors for custom PCBs or critical electronic components
- Working knowledge of reliability engineering principles (FMEA, root-cause analysis, MTBF/MTBUR)
- Proficiency with EDA/schematic capture tools (e.g., Altium, OrCAD, or equivalent) and engineering documentation/PLM systems
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience preparing technical reports and customer-facing documentation
- U.S. Citizenship required
- ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance
Desired Qualifications
- Experience with UAV/UAS flight control systems, autopilots, or other small, high-reliability embedded avionics
- Familiarity with military airworthiness or certification standards (e.g., MIL-HDBK-516, DO-254, DO-160, AS9100 quality systems)
- Experience with avionics test bench design, instrumentation, and data acquisition systems
- Background supporting DoD or government aerospace programs
- Master's degree in a relevant engineering discipline
Hiring someone like this?
Get your role in front of qualified candidates on Sorce.