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GNC Model-Based Design Engineer (Contract)

Pivotal·California - Remote
Remote · no commuteremote · contractCalifornia - Remote

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Pivotal is the leader in the emerging market of electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft. We design, develop, and manufacture light eVTOL aircraft and are renowned for the BlackFly aircraft the world's first light eVTOL to fly manned missions and enter the consumer

About the role

Pivotal is the leader in the emerging market of electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft. We design, develop, and manufacture light eVTOL aircraft and are renowned for the BlackFly aircraft the world's first light eVTOL to fly manned missions and enter the consumer market. Efficient, compact, and simple, Pivotal aircraft are designed for a wide range of consumer, public service, and defense applications. Our distinctive tilt-aircraft architecture and scalable platform have been flying for over 10 years. Last year we announced our next-generation aircraft, the Helix, which is rapidly progressing toward general release and scalable production in 2026. Mobility is one of the most highly-valued areas of modern technology investments. This is the right company, in the right space, the right strategy, at the right time. If you are ready for adventure, we invite you to join our amazing team and grow with us. About the Role The GNC team at Pivotal develops the flight control and navigation software for our aircraft, including the Helix family, using model-based design in MATLAB and Simulink. We are looking for a contract Model-Based Design Engineer II to help lay the foundation for a DO-331 model-based development and verification process. You will trace requirements to our control system models, build out an automated mission-level simulation test framework and its test suite, add unit tests, and automate coverage reporting and enforcement in our CI/CD pipeline. You will work closely with the GNC engineers who own the control laws, state machines, and estimators, and with the systems engineers who own the requirements. The ideal candidate has hands-on experience with the MathWorks verification toolchain on safety-critical aerospace software, and understands control systems well enough to write meaningful tests for them. This is a fully remote contract position.

Responsibilities

  • Trace requirements from Jama to control system models, such as control laws, state machines, and estimators, using Requirements Toolbox.
  • Link requirements to tests so traceability and requirements-based test coverage can be reported automatically and used for change impact analysis.
  • Flag gaps and ambiguities found while tracing and resolve them with the requirement owners.
  • Build out our automated model-in-the-loop (MIL) integration test framework, which simulates complete flight missions and checks the results against requirements.
  • Develop the test suite on that framework, turning the simulations engineers already run during development into repeatable, automated tests.
  • Document the testing workflow and train the team to use it.
  • Develop Simulink Test and MATLAB unit tests for control core models and functions, working toward full structural coverage.
  • Automate model and code coverage reporting, and add coverage enforcement to the CI/CD pipeline.
  • Investigate and help close coverage gaps, including differences between model and code coverage and logic that cannot be exercised.
  • Help resolve Simulink Check findings against modeling guidelines, such as the MAB and high-integrity guidelines, so the checks can be enforced in the CI/CD pipeline.
  • Improve our GitLab CI/CD pipelines for model-based development, including regression baselines, code generation, and automated reports.
  • Contribute to the modeling guidelines and process documentation that support DO-331 objectives.

Requirements

  • Experience developing or verifying software under DO-178C and DO-331.
  • Experience with Simulink Check and Model Advisor, including writing custom Model Advisor checks.
  • Experience integrating Jama with Requirements Toolbox, for example through OSLC.
  • Experience with Embedded Coder code generation, software-in-the-loop testing, and MISRA C compliance or Polyspace.
  • Experience with Simulink Design Verifier for test generation or property proving.
  • Experience automating MATLAB toolchain workflows with Simulink Projects and the Project API.
  • Experience with flight control or GNC software for aircraft, UAVs, or eVTOL platforms.
  • Experience with agile development workflows and tools such as Jira and Confluence.
  • Experience using AI-assisted development tools, such as Claude, to speed up test development, coding, and documentation.
  • Interest in aviation, RC aircraft, or drones.
PostedNot listed
Statusactive
CommuteDistance only

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