Senior/Staff Controls Engineer

Who you are

• Demonstrated expertise in controls, flight dynamics, system identification, or modeling of complex physical systems
• Experience developing and using high-fidelity simulations to evaluate system performance and guide engineering decisions
• Experience analyzing experimental or flight-test data and using evidence to validate models or improve designs
• Ability to lead ambiguous technical problems from framing through analysis, recommendation, and cross-functional execution
• Strong engineering judgment about model assumptions, uncertainty, validation limits, and design tradeoffs
• Clear written and verbal communication skills for explaining technical findings to engineering and operational partners
• Comfort working closely with flight-test teams, global fleet data, and customer context to understand real-world system behavior

What the job involves

• Zipline builds, manufactures, and operates autonomous delivery systems that move critical goods where they are needed
• The Controls team develops the models, tools, and flight software foundations that allow aircraft to complete missions autonomously across changing conditions
• As a Staff Controls Engineer, you will own system-performance analysis for vehicle designs and help turn flight and fleet data into better models, design decisions, and operational capability
• You will work closely with controls, flight test, hardware, manufacturing, and customer-facing teams to identify where performance limits matter most and drive technical improvements
• Own dynamic models of complex vehicle systems and components within Zipline’s high-fidelity six-degree-of-freedom simulation
• Build controls algorithms that are robust, performant, fault tolerant and own the development, testing, analysis and deployment of the same
• Define analysis approaches that connect design choices, requirements, limitations, and environmental conditions to vehicle performance
• Evaluate existing and future vehicle designs through simulation, flight-test data, and data from customer aircraft in the global fleet
• Improve simulation fidelity by reconciling model predictions with observed flight behavior and identifying the highest-value gaps
• Lead technical recommendations for controls, vehicle, and system design improvements with software, hardware, flight test, and manufacturing partners
• Build reusable analysis tools that enable teams to investigate performance questions, compare design options, and make informed tradeoffs
• Translate operational and customer insights into engineering priorities that improve the reliability and capability of the logistics network