Forward Deployed Engineer (GNC) (UA)

About Us
We believe there is a strong need for new technological solutions in the defense of free people in conflicts around the world. Our team comprises experienced leaders from non-defense Silicon Valley startups who have seen this need first-hand and are committed to delivering.

Position Overview:

We are looking for a Forward Deployed Engineer to join our Guidance, Navigation & Control (GNC) team and serve as the team's hands-on presence in Ukraine. While the core GNC team is based in California / Munich, this role bridges algorithm development and real-world deployment: roughly 60% of your time will be spent in our Kyiv office co-developing control algorithms with the U.S. team, and the rest in the field with our test team, tuning those controllers on actual platforms and feeding operator and customer feedback back into the design loop. As an UAV startup supporting Ukraine's national needs, this role is pivotal to making sure our control systems don't just work in simulation — they work where it matters.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop, tune, and refine controllers across the full stack — from low-level control loops up to high-level autonomy and planning — for both quadcopter and fixed-wing platforms, in close collaboration with the GNC team in California and Munich.

• Build and improve our terminal guidance and mission planning & execution framework and software.

• Field-test and tune control algorithms alongside our test team, validating real-world performance and iterating on flight data.

• Perform analysis and simulation to benchmark, debug, and optimize control performance.

• Gather and incorporate customer and operator feedback on control behavior to drive practical, mission-relevant improvements.

• Collaborate cross-functionally with the computer vision and systems teams to integrate and continuously improve the overall autonomy stack.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's, Master's or PhD degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field.

• 3+ years of experience, 1+ for exceptional candidates

• Strong foundation in control theory with hands-on experience designing and tuning controllers (e.g. PID, model predictive control) across multiple levels of a control hierarchy.

• Experience with state estimation and sensor fusion, e.g. extended Kalman filters.

• Background in robotics or autonomous systems — UAVs ideal, but experience with humanoid, field, or other robotic platforms is equally welcome.

• Proficiency in Python and C/C++.

• Comfortable splitting time between onsite work in Kyiv (~60%), regular collaboration with the U.S.-based team, and travel to field test sites near Kyiv, and interactions with Ukrainian military customers.

Nice to Have (optional):

• Prior hands-on experience with UAVs specifically.

• Military or defense background.

• Experience with learning-based methods such as reinforcement learning.

• Experience with Rust.

• Embedded development / microcontroller experience.

Together we will:

• Work in a dynamic and engaging work environment.

• Have opportunities to work on an innovative and impactful product.

• Work with a senior-level team

• Full-time position & official employment

• Competitive salary (level to be discussed individually based on interview results)

• Exciting work environment in a dynamic team

• Reservation from mobilization