GNC / Control Lead Engineer

GNC / Control Lead Engineer

Company Overview

Wild West Systems is an American defense technology company with the mission to equip the civilized world with superior and affordable arms and advanced technologies – to dominate the battlefield of present and future threats, in a new era of asymmetrical warfare. We fuse versatile domain experience with novel approach and creativity to change the paradigm of defense – both for military arenas and civilian soft targets. We're an early stage startup, rapidly moving and growing.

General Qualifications (all roles)

Deep love for America and passion for Wild West System's mission. Self-starter, capable of performing tasks as an individual as well as working well in a team. Servant-leader mentality, extreme ownership, willing to participate in different and rapidly changing projects in a dynamic environment. Bias for action. ITAR REQUIREMENT: To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.

Position Overview

We are seeking a GNC / Control Lead Engineer to design and implement guidance, navigation, and control systems for our autonomous platforms. This is a high-impact role focused on building closed-loop control systems that enable autonomous tracking, interception, and navigation in dynamic real-world environments.

This is not a research-only role. You will be responsible for taking control systems from concept → prototype → field deployment, working across software, hardware, and real-world testing.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement closed-loop control systems for autonomous platforms
• Develop tracking, interception, and navigation behaviors
• Integrate perception outputs into control loops
• Work with ArduPilot / PX4 and extend control capabilities
• Tune and validate control performance in simulation and real-world tests

Required Skills and Experience

• Strong background in control systems and robotics
• Experience with state estimation (Kalman filters, sensor fusion)
• Experience with UAV/autonomous vehicle control systems
• Familiarity with MAVLink and flight control stacks
• Strong C++ (or Rust) and Python skills

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Experience with optical flow / GPS-denied navigation
• Experience with real-time control under latency constraints
• Experience with interception or tracking systems
• Background in aerospace or defense systems

Work Location

This role is assigned onsite at our Great Neck, New York or Leander, Texas location. In-person work is required.

Benefits

We are always looking for good people! Wild West Systems is committed to providing its employees with competitive salaries and benefits to increase employee satisfaction and productivity.

Health Insurance: 100% coverage for employees, 90% for spouse/family

Vision and Dental: 100% Coverage

401(k): Available to all employees

• **We do not work with staffing companies. Direct applicants only***