Principal Flight Controls Engineer

About the company

Electra develops hybrid-electric eSTOL aircraft with distributed electric propulsion and blown lift, turbine genset in-flight recharging, carrying 7–9 passengers or ~3,000 lb from very short unimproved runways.

About this role

<div class="content-intro"><p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>About Electra</strong></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">At Electra, we’re building the EL9 — a nine-passenger, hybrid-electric aircraft that takes off and lands in 150 feet. Our Ultra Short technology unlocks thousands of new operating locations and enables what we call Direct Aviation: quiet, point-to-point regional travel that gets people from where they are to where they want to go, without the congestion of major airports or the noise of conventional aviation.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">A global company, headquartered in Manassas, VA, Electra is backed by Lockheed Martin, Honeywell, and Safran, has filed for FAA Part 23 type certification, and carries 2,000+ intent to purchase from operators worldwide. We’re a team of ~100 people moving fast toward first EL9 test flights in 2027 and certification by late 2029 or 2030. Every hire matters at this stage — and this role is no exception.</span></p></div><p><span style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><strong><span data-contrast="none"><span data-ccp-parastyle="heading 3">The Role</span></span></strong></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;" data-contrast="auto">Electra.aero is seeking a <strong>Principal Flight Controls Engineer</strong> to serve as a senior technical authority and flight controls certification subject-matter expert for the EL9 Ultra Short Takeoff and Landing aircraft. This role works in close partnership with the Flight Controls System IPT Lead, providing deep expertise in certification, safety, and verification to support system development from detailed design through certification and entry into service.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><strong><span data-contrast="none"><span data-ccp-parastyle="heading 3">What You'll Do</span> </span></strong></span></p> <ul> <li style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;" data-contrast="auto">Act as the flight controls certification focal for the EL9 program, owning the functional certification approach.</span></li> <li style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;" data-contrast="auto">Lead development and maintenance of the flight controls functional certification plan.</span></li> <li style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;" data-contrast="auto">Translate regulatory requirements and system safety assessments into certifiable flight control functions.</span></li> <li style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;" data-contrast="auto">Provide technical oversight for verification planning and execution across: analysis and simulation, SIL/HIL, ground and flight test.</span></li> <li style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;" data-contrast="auto">Partner with the Flight Controls IPT Lead to support system architecture decisions and assess certification impacts of design changes.</span></li> <li style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;" data-contrast="auto">Support system safety activities, including FHA, PSSA, and SSA alignment.</span></li> <li style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;" data-contrast="auto">Interface with certification authorities and support technical discussions, reviews, and issue resolution.</span></li> <li style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;" data-contrast="auto">Mentor flight controls engineers in certification, verification, and systems thinking.</span></li> <li style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;" data-contrast="auto">Coordinate across disciplines including systems engineering, safety, software, propulsion, and flight test.</span></li> <li style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;" data-contrast="auto">Support certification closure and entry-into-service readiness.</span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><strong><span data-contrast="none"><span data-ccp-parastyle="heading 3">What You Bring</span> </span></strong></span></p> <ul> <li style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;" data-contrast="auto">B.S. in Aerospace Engineering or related STEM discipline.</span></li> <li style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;" data-contrast="auto">10+ years of experience in flight controls or related aerospace systems development.</span></li> <li style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;" data-contrast="auto">Experience supporting aircraft certification and verification activities on safety-critical systems.</span></li> <li style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;" data-contrast="auto">Strong understanding of aircraft flight co