Hybrid Autonomy Engineer, Controls

at BRINC Drones

• Job title: Autonomy Engineer, Controls
• Job type: Full Time
• Experience level: Mid level, Senior
• Salary: $122,000 - $275,000 per year
• Degree requirement: Bachelor's Degree
• Location requirements: Hybrid, Seattle, United States

About the role

• Controls Engineer developing real-time control algorithms for UAVs at BRINC. Collaborating in advanced drone pilot assistance features to enhance public safety.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and tune real-time control algorithms for UAVs and public safety products
• Work across state estimation, guidance logic, flight control loops, system identification, and fault-tolerant control architectures
• Collaborate closely with autonomy, software, hardware, and avionics teams
• Validate performance through simulation, HIL testing, log replay, and real-world flight testing
• Contribute to best practices, tooling, and ongoing evolution of the flight control stack.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD in Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, or a related field with a minimum of 3+ years of industry experience. Note - we are considering candidates for mid-career, senior, and principal positions.
• Experience with UAV or robotics control systems, including classical and modern techniques (PID, LQR, MPC, etc.).
• Understanding of multirotor dynamics, nonlinear systems, and flight control architectures.
• Experience deploying control loops on embedded hardware.
• Hands-on experience with UAV testing, tuning, and field validation.
• Preferred Skills:
• Experience with fault-tolerant control, actuator allocation, and redundancy management.
• Familiarity with system identification, aerodynamic modeling, and real-world parameter estimation.
• Knowledge of guidance and trajectory generation methods.
• Understanding of actuator dynamics, propulsion systems, and hardware-in-the-loop simulation.
• Background in UAV safety, reliability, flight envelope protection, and regulatory considerations.
• Experience with ROS, PX4, MAVSDK, or similar robotics middleware.

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical, dental and vision plans for our employees and their families
• 401K plan
• Maternity and paternity leave
• Flexible Time Off (Exempt) / Paid time off (Non-Exempt)
• Flexible work environment
• Orca pass (for those in Puget Sound)
• Free parking (Seattle office)
• Free snacks, drinks and espresso (Seattle office)