System Identification Engineer

The role

You will own the path from flight test to identified model. You will design and run experiments, build a repeatable identification pipeline, and deliver models for guidance and control.

What you will do

• Plan and run identification tests from excitation design to flight tests.
• Identify rigid-body, aerodynamic, propulsion and actuator dynamics.
• Characterize motors, ESCs, propellers and control surfaces.
• Build and maintain an automated, reproducible pipeline from flight logs to identified model.
• Validate models against held-out flight data and quantify uncertainty.
• Extend capability from multirotors to control-surface multirotors, fixed wings, tail-sitters and missiles.
• Deliver models into simulation, SITL and HITL.
• Work with control, guidance and embedded engineers.
• Support the team by mentoring junior engineers and interns.

Required qualifications

• Degree in aerospace, control, mechanical engineering or a related STEM field.
• Proven experience identifying dynamic models of flying platforms from real data in frequency and time domain.
• Solid grasp of rigid-body dynamics, aerodynamic forces and moments, non-dimensionalization, stability modes and propulsion models.
• Control background to know what the model will be used for.
• Hands-on experience planning and running flight tests and working from raw, imperfect logs.
• Strong Python and scientific computing skills.

Nice to have

• Fixed-wing aerodynamic modeling
• VTOL or tail-sitter dynamics
• remote pilot certification
• experience with real flight logs
• structural or vibration modes
• data-driven or learned dynamics models

About the company

Harmattan AI is a next-generation defense prime building autonomous and scalable defense systems. The company is expanding its teams and capabilities to deliver mission-critical systems to allied forces.