---
title: 'Flight Controls Engineer at Valinor Enterprises, Inc.'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/flight-controls-engineer-valinor-enterprises-inc-new-york-1a2rk7c736aq'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-13'
---

# Flight Controls Engineer at Valinor Enterprises, Inc.

- **Company:** Valinor Enterprises, Inc.
- **Location:** New York, NY
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** hybrid
- **Posted:** 2026-08-12
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-13
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/valinor/120803ab-1a08-4c65-9795-c91714e2976d/application

**Skills:** PX4, Flight Controls, GNC, Fixed-wing platforms, VTOL platforms, Flight log analysis, Python, MATLAB, Simulink, Classical control theory, Modern control theory, Rigid body dynamics, State estimation, Aerodynamic modeling, CFD, Simulation, TECS, NPFG, L1 guidance implementations, EKF-based state estimators

> The Flight Controls & GNC Engineer owns the guidance, navigation, and control stack for autonomous VTOL aircraft, including PX4 code, control law design, and flight dynamics modeling. This senior individual contributor role involves direct ownership of flight performance, from control law architecture to day-of-demo...

## Job description

Valinor is a new type of defense and government tech company focused on solving the problems others don't. Our model of centralized go-to-market and decentralized engineering lets us move fast: identify unmet needs, build right-sized solutions, and get products into the hands of users. While others chase the flashy problems, Valinor exists to solve the quiet, unaddressed ones, the small but significant problems that lead to cracks in the country's strength, stability, and security. Backed by General Catalyst, Founders Fund, and Friends & Family Capital, Valinor was founded in 2024 and has strategic partnerships with Palantir, Anduril, and Helsing. We're building the dream team, and we want you on it.

## About The Role

Valinor Condor is building the next generation of autonomous VTOL aircraft for defense and enterprise. We're a small, technical team moving fast. Our vehicle is flying, our customers are real, and the work spans simulation to the field. We're looking for a Flight Controls Engineer to own the guidance, navigation, and control stack on our VTOL platform. This is a senior individual contributor role with direct ownership of flight performance, from control law architecture to day-of-demo tuning. You'll work directly with the Chief Engineer as our technical authority on everything from transition logic and rate controller design to aero modeling and stability analysis.

## What You'll Do

Flight Controls & Tuning

- Own the full flight controls / GNC stack: PX4 code, VTOL transition logic, fixed-wing control laws (TECS, NPFG, attitude/rate loops), and the multicopter controller
- Design, implement, and iterate on control laws; translate controller designs into flight-validated parameters and tune the aircraft in the field
- Run structured flight test campaigns: define test cards, instrument logging, execute in-field, and close the loop with data-driven analysis
- Debug flight anomalies from logs, root-causing across the sensor, estimator, controller, and actuator layers

Dynamics & Aero Modeling

- Build and maintain the flight dynamics model; extract and validate aero coefficients from flight data and CFD outputs
- Write precise scopes of work for CFD contractors; review and integrate their outputs into the aero model
- Develop and maintain a Simulink-based 6DOF simulation environment for control law prototyping, linearization, and stability margin analysis, de-risking parameter changes before they hit hardware

Systems & Integration

- Partner with the software team on autopilot integration, sensor fusion, and estimator config (EKF tuning, IMU/GPS/baro)
- Support customer demonstrations; ensure the vehicle performs reliably under operational conditions

## What We're Looking For

Required

- 4+ years of hands-on flight controls / GNC experience on real flying hardware
- Deep familiarity with PX4 (or a comparable open-source autopilot): you've tuned it, debugged it, and modified it
- Fixed-wing or VTOL platform experience
- Ability to read flight logs to diagnose control system issues (PX4 log analysis, PlotJuggler)
- Familiarity with aero modeling pipelines (CFD output → stability derivatives → flight dynamics model)
- Python for log analysis, simulation, and tooling; MATLAB/Simulink for control design and 6DOF modeling equally valued
- Strong fundamentals: classical and modern control theory, rigid body dynamics, state estimation
- Comfortable in the field. You've executed flight tests, not just designed them on paper

## Preferred

- TECS, NPFG, or L1 guidance implementations
- EKF-based state estimators (GPS/IMU/baro fusion)
- MAVLink or similar UAV communication protocols
- Familiarity with NDAA compliance for UAS hardware
- Experience supporting operational customer demonstrations or field deployments

What Valinor Offers

- Competitive salary, equity, and benefits: health, dental, and vision fully covered for employees, 401(k), development stipends, and more
- Unlimited PTO and a two-week company holiday at the end of every year
- A pro-mental-health, pro-family company. We encourage employees to spend real time with themselves and their families, and provide fertility benefits for those beginning that journey
- A fun environment. We laugh and take care of each other, and we deeply respect the mission in front of us

This role requires the candidate be eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance. Active clearance preferred, but not required.

Valinor is an equal-opportunity employer committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. The Valinor team is made up of incredibly talented and unique individuals, who together are disrupting industry norms by creating new paths towards the future of defense and government technology. All qualified applicants will be treated with respect and receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, uniform service, Veteran status, age, or any other protected characteristic per federal, state, or local law, including those with a criminal history, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the CA Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance. We actively encourage members of recognized minorities, women, Veterans, and those with disabilities to apply, and we work to create a welcoming and supportive environment for all applicants throughout the interview process. If you are someone passionate about working on problems that have a real-world impact, we'd love to hear from you!

## About Valinor Enterprises, Inc.

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Valinor Enterprises is a new kind of defense and government technology company that builds and buys mission-critical technologies to solve unaddressed problems in national security.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series A)
- **Headquarters**: Alexandria, Virginia, United States (with offices in Washington, DC; Fort Worth, TX; New York, NY; and presence in South Korea)
- **Founded**: 2024
- **Founders**: Julie Bush (Co-Founder & CEO) and Paul Kwan (Co-Founder And Investor)

## Core Business
- Primary industry/industries: Defense technology, Government technology, National security
- Target customers: U.S. Department of Defense, intelligence community, and other government agencies (B2G/Enterprise)
- Mission or purpose statement: "Building and buying mission-critical technologies to fill the gaps others ignore" — focused on solving the problems others don’t, enhancing national strength, stability, and security.

## Products & Services
Valinor operates a unique model of **centralized go-to-market** and **decentralized engineering**. Rather than listing specific products, Valinor builds and procures right-sized solutions for unmet needs in mission-critical environments. Key areas of focus include:
- **Edge AI**: Software engineering for AI deployed at the tactical edge.
- **Autonomy & Ground Systems**: Software and hardware for autonomous systems.
- **GNC (Guidance, Navigation, and Control)**: Engineering for precision-guided systems.
- **Mission Operations**: Operational support and deployment for defense customers.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed
- **Key Metric**: Total Funding — **$85.0M** across two rounds
  - Seed Round (2024): $31.0M (3 investors)
  - Series A (January 2026): **$54.0M** (12 investors, led by Friends & Family Capital)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Friends & Family Capital (lead, Series A), plus a total of 15+ investors across rounds. Partners with industry leaders in defense tech.
- **Growth Signals**: Nearly tripled headcount in six months (from ~14 to 42 employees); 7 active job postings with monthly posting growth of +75%; expanding from Alexandria, VA to offices in Washington, DC, Fort Worth, TX, and New York, NY; international presence in South Korea.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Unique operating model**: Centralized go-to-market combined with decentralized engineering allows for unparalleled speed in identifying needs, building solutions, and deploying them directly into users' hands.
- **Speed to deployment**: The company emphasizes moving "from demand signal → development → deployment" fast enough to outpace traditional defense contractors.
- **Talent density**: Pulls top talent from elite organizations including Palantir Technologies, Anduril Industries, ARPA-H, and other defense/tech leaders.
- **Focus on underserved problems**: Targets gaps that larger defense primes ignore, creating a clear niche.

## Strategic Focus
- Continue rapid headcount growth across engineering, operations, and mission roles.
- Deepen presence in key defense hubs (DC, Texas, New York, and international).
- Scale the "build and buy" model to cover more mission-critical technology gaps.
- Prioritize getting products into the hands of end-users quickly over long development cycles.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Described as a "new kind of defense company" — less bureaucratic, more startup-like, with a mission-driven focus on national security. Values include speed, ownership, and direct impact.
- **Work Policy**: Hybrid and in-office options depending on role and location. Headquarters is in Alexandria, VA, with hybrid expectations for some roles (e.g., Office Coordinator) and in-office for others (e.g., engineering roles in Fort Worth).
- **Engineering Culture**: Heavy emphasis on full-stack ownership, edge deployment, and real-world impact. Tech stack includes Python, TypeScript, React, Kubernetes, Docker, Terraform, Grafana, Prometheus, gRPC, and more. Engineers work on autonomy, AI, and ground systems.
- **Growth**: Rapidly scaling company (42 employees, tripled in 6 months) — early employees have significant ownership and career growth potential.
- **Team Composition**: 42% of employees are in technical roles; senior leadership includes heads of Finance, Legal, Marketing, Growth, and People/Talent.

## Sources
1. [valinor.co](https://www.valinor.co/)
2. [valinor.co/careers](https://www.valinor.co/careers)
3. [jobs.ashbyhq.com/valinor](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/valinor)
4. [builtin.com](https://builtin.com/company/valinor-enterprises-inc)
5. [linkedin.com/company/valinor-enterprises](https://www.linkedin.com/company/valinor-enterprises)

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