Controls & Dynamics Engineer

COMPANY OVERVIEW

Volatus Aerospace is a global leader in aerial intelligence and drone solutions, bringing together over 100 years of combined aviation expertise. We specialize in delivering innovative, customer-focused solutions through both piloted and remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) across industries including defense, infrastructure, energy, public safety, and logistics.

POSITION OVERVIEW

Volatus Aerospace is seeking a Controls & Dynamics Engineer to develop, validate, and tune UAV flight behaviour across aircraft configurations, payloads, and operating conditions.

Working with avionics, software, and flight test teams, the engineer will improve aircraft stability, control response, and mission performance through modelling, simulation, flight data analysis, and hands-on tuning.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Flight behaviour and controls tuning: Configure and tune control loops to improve stability, tracking accuracy, disturbance rejection, and transitions between flight modes.
• Guidance and trajectory control: Develop and refine guidance strategies for take-off, approach, hover, manoeuvring, landing, and other mission-specific flight behaviours.
• Aircraft and payload dynamics: Model and evaluate the effects of aircraft configuration, payload mass, distribution, mounting, and movement on flight behaviour, and adapt control strategies accordingly.
• Motion compensation: Develop control strategies for relative positioning and operation around moving targets, launch points, or recovery locations.
• Environmental performance: Improve aircraft response to wind, gusts, and other operational disturbances.
• Mission logic: Develop and validate mission sequencing, mode transitions, pilot handover, recovery behaviours, and responses to degraded system inputs.
• Modelling and simulation: Develop dynamic models, identify system parameters, and assess control changes through software-in-the-loop and hardware-in-the-loop testing.
• Data analysis: Analyse flight logs and telemetry to diagnose control issues and verify tuning improvements.
• Flight test support: Define test objectives and acceptance criteria, support testing, and assess results with pilots and flight test engineers.
• Technical documentation: Maintain traceable control configurations, tuning records, model assumptions, test results, and operating limitations.

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT

• Bachelor's degree in aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical, Mechatronics, Controls Engineering, or a related discipline. A relevant Master's degree or PhD is an asset.
• Minimum of 3 years of professional experience in control systems engineering for UAVs, aircraft, robotics, or comparable dynamic systems, including practical experience with physical hardware.
• Strong knowledge of flight and load dynamics, feedback control, stability analysis, system identification, and signal processing.
• Proficiency in MATLAB/Simulink, Python, or equivalent engineering analysis tools.
• Working knowledge of autopilot architectures, sensor interfaces, state estimation, coordinate frames, and real-time control systems.
• Familiarity with PX4, ArduPilot, Veronte, or comparable flight control systems.
• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, technical writing, and communication skills, with experience collaborating across engineering and flight operations teams.
• Experience with rotary-wing or heavy-lift UAVs, suspended loads, tether dynamics, or aircraft–payload coupling is an asset.
• Knowledge of advanced control methods, including model predictive control, robust or adaptive control, gain scheduling, disturbance observers, or input shaping, is an asset.
• Experience integrating relative navigation inputs from vision-based tracking, GNSS/RTK, inertial measurements, or telemetry is an asset.
• Proficiency in C/C++ and experience with embedded systems or companion computers are assets.
• Experience with automated flight-log analysis, simulation-based regression testing, and repeatable tuning workflows is an asset.

• Familiarity with RPAS flight test practices, operational risk assessment, and safety-critical system development is an asset.
• Perform other duties and responsibilities as may be reasonably assigned by the Company from time to time.
  

HOURS OF WORK AND WORK ENVIRONMENT

• The position is an onsite role, and the Employee is required to perform their duties primarily at the Company's designated workplace, as directed by the Company.
• The standard work schedule consists of forty (40) hours per week, typically performed Monday to Friday, subject to operational requirements.
• From time to time, the Employee may be required to maintain reasonable flexibility in working hours to support operational needs, time-sensitive activities, or business priorities.

WHY JOIN VOLATUS AEROSPACE
A t Volatus Aerospace, you will be joining an innovative, fast-paced company with a strong commitment to customer success and industry advancement. We offer a competitive salary, a comprehensive group benefits plan, and a group RRSP. You will have the opportunity to work with a passionate global team on cutting-edge aerospace projects while continuing to grow your career in a collaborative and supportive work environment where your contributions directly impact company growth and operational success

HOW TO APPLY

If you are ready to take your engineering career to new heights, please apply with your resume and a brief cover letter outlining your relevant experience and interest in the role.

Volatus Aerospace is committed to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace where everyone is respected, valued, and empowered to succeed. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and experiences and will provide accommodations throughout the recruitment process upon request.