Flight Control Software Engineer III - IV

About the role

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. is a leading defense technology company focused on unmanned systems, satellite communications, cyber security/warfare, microwave electronics, missile defense, training, and combat systems. The company serves U.S. federal government, foreign governments, commercial enterprises, and state and local government agencies, emphasizing affordability and cost‑effective solutions. Kratos Unmanned Aerial Systems (KUAS) develops high‑performance, jet‑powered unmanned aerial systems (targets and tactical). As part of KUAS, the Flight Control Software Engineer contributes to the design, implementation, test, and validation of autonomous aircraft flight control software and higher‑level autonomy functions, supporting innovation, collaboration, and professional growth.

Responsibilities

• Define software architecture.
• Design and implement operator interfaces, autonomous logic algorithms, waypoint following, and path generation algorithms.
• Support subsystem testing and verification.
• Plan, execute, and analyze flight tests.
• Support hardware/software design, test, troubleshooting, and documentation activities.
• Derive subsystem requirements and specifications.
• Perform analyses in support of requirements generation, verification, and validation.
• Prepare formal, controlled engineering documentation (test procedures, technical reports, etc.).
• Prepare and present design review material for technical interchange meetings with suppliers and external/internal customers.
• Support customer training activities.
• Perform foreign and domestic travel to support flight test activities.
• Act as System Engineer to communicate top‑level requirements to subsystems and determine verification/validation methods (Flight Control Software Engineer III).
• Report progress on engineering efforts to technical leadership and provide direction/oversight to Flight Control Software Engineers (Flight Control Software Engineer III).
• Establish and maintain best practices for design, analysis, and testing for the Guidance, Navigation, and Control group and mentor Level I‑II engineers (Flight Control Software Engineer III).
• Provide oversight to the Flight Control Software group, prioritize and delegate work, manage team effort within budget/schedule, act as key liaison for programs on software development, design, and verification, stay current on state‑of‑the‑practice, and mentor Level I‑III engineers (Flight Control Software Engineer IV).
• Other duties may be assigned.

Requirements

• Demonstrated strength in one or more of the listed technical competencies.
• Understanding of flight control logic and automation.
• Ability to create a runtime environment for autonomous functions.
• Knowledge of software development process.
• Knowledge of object‑oriented programming.
• Knowledge of software architecture design.
• Demonstrated focus on customer satisfaction.
• Demonstrated strong communication skills.
• Ability to work in a multidisciplinary team environment.
• Ability to maintain sensitive and confidential information as required by government standards.
• Ability to interact effectively with peers and supervisors.
• Ability to interact appropriately with the public when necessary.
• Ability to adhere to workplace rules.
• Ability to communicate professionally in writing or verbally with all levels of personnel.
• May be required to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance at the appropriate level (requires U.S. Citizenship).

Qualifications

• Flight Control Software Engineer III: BS degree in Engineering (Computer Science or Software Engineering preferred); 6