Flight Test Software Engineer

Pyka is looking for a Flight Test Software Engineer to join our experienced team working on large autonomous airplanes. This role is split between software development and flight testing support. As part of the software team, you will be analyzing flight data and developing software features for the flight controller and ground control station software. You will spend about 20% of your time with the flight test team flying the aircraft and testing new software and hardware. This is an opportunity to work on safety-critical software and see it in action onboard the aircraft of the future.

On a typical month you will spend a few days out with the flight team to fly our aircraft at our test sites in Dixon and Victoria Island, CA. You will be responsible for deploying new software to the aircraft and designing tests to ensure that the new software performs as expected. You will also learn how to operate the aircraft from the Ground Control Station, and act as the operator for some of the test flights. Your feedback to the software team will help direct development to improve safety, user experience, and functionality of the aircraft and operation. You will also take on the actual implementation of new features and bug fixes, and train the flight test team on new software changes.

About Pyka

Pyka’s goal is to provide society with a new form of safe, clean, and cost-effective transportation enabled by autonomous electric aviation.

To get there, we’re taking a different approach than most. We're applying our technologies to every industry where autonomous electric aircraft can be useful, starting with the highest value and most dangerous jobs. In doing so, we're building game-changing products manufactured at scale, while perfecting the safety, reliability, and capabilities of our autonomy engine and electric propulsion systems. 

We design, develop and manufacture an ecosystem of technologies including proprietary flight control software, avionics, high power density motors, motor controllers, batteries, and custom carbon-fiber composite airframes.

Today, we supply autonomous electric aircraft for cargo transport and crop protection to real-world customers across four separate continents and have secured industry-first regulatory approvals from the FAA. 

Our cargo aircraft enables remote connectivity, enhances express delivery networks, and ensures fast and reliable shipping of critical supplies to areas in need. Our crop protection aircraft offers agricultural services providers and farmers an autonomous tool to make aerial application safer, more precise, and less harmful to surrounding environments. Both vehicles are highly economical to operate, easy to deploy, and significantly reduce C02 emissions in their respective industries. 

What you work on at Pyka makes people’s lives better now and brings the future of electric aviation one step closer each day. 

Responsibilities

• Design and implement new software features and test infrastructure
• Work closely with flight testing teams to test new software on large aircraft
• Support flight testing teams with software issues in the field
  
  
• Analyze flight data to troubleshoot software and hardware issues
  
  

Qualifications

• 3+ years of professional software development experience
  
  
• Experience with C++ (ideally C++11 or newer), Linux, and git
  
  
• Familiarity with robotic systems
  
  
• Experience analyzing data logs
  
  
• Working knowledge of trigonometry and linear algebra
  
  
• Passion for aviation
  
  
• Strong physical intuition
  
  
• Experience tinkering with things in the real world
  
  
• Highly detail oriented, organized, and comfortable in unfamiliar situations
  
  

Company Perks

• Competitive Salary and equity. Compensation will vary depending on location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Salary ranges are subject to change.
  
  
• Employer-sponsored health, dental and vision insurance, FSA with employer matching, and 401(k)
  
  
• Paid holidays and generous PTO
  
  
• Free catered lunch and plenty of snacks
  
  
• Opportunity to work on large autonomous aircraft and see them fly
  
  

Export Control Requirements

This position requires access to technology, software and other information that is subject to governmental access control restrictions, due to export controls. Employment in this position is conditioned on the continued availability of government authorization to authorize release of such items, to the extent required, including without limitation an export license, or other documentation required to establish authorization to receive access to such items. 

Company may delay commencement of employment, rescind an offer of employment, terminate employment, and/or may modify job responsibilities, compensation, benefits, and/or access to Company facilities and information systems, as Company deems appropriate, in order to ensure compliance with applicable government access control restrictions.

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We do not work with external recruiters; if you are an external recruiter, please do not reach out.