Staff Propulsion Controls & Software Engineer

Rethink recruit

Long Beach, California

JOB DETAILS
SKILLS
ARM (Advanced RISC Machine), ARP (Address Resolution Protocol), Acoustics, Aerospace and Defense, Algorithms, Automotive Manufacturing, C Programming Language, C++ Programming Language, Calibration, Computer Firmware, Data Modeling, Debugging Skills, Digital Signal Processing (DSP), Electrical Engineering, Electricity, Electronic Design, Electronic Engineering, Electronics, Embedded Software, Embedded Systems, Energy Management, Ethernet, Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Filter Theory, Financial Control, Git, Green Construction, Hardware Design, High Voltage (HV), Injections, Leadership, Logistics, MATLAB, MOSFET, PLL (Phase-Locked Loop), Powertrain, Production Control, Propulsion, Python Programming/Scripting Language, Realtime Communications, Requirements Management, Simulation, Software Engineering, Software Simulation, Startup, System Architecture, System Integration (SI), Test Automation, Test Suite, Traceability, United States Navy (USN), Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), Willing to Travel
LOCATION
Long Beach, California
POSTED
23 days ago
About Odys Aviation

Odys is building safe, sustainable aircraft to cut travel time in half on the world's busiest corridors. The flagship aircraft, Alta, enables travelers to skip major airports by using city helipads and local airports to connect cities less than 1,000 miles apart — cutting CO2 by 76% on average across tens of billions of flight miles globally.

The path there starts with Laila, a UAV for commercial logistics, medical transport, humanitarian aid, disaster relief, and defense missions. Odys is deploying aircraft with launch partners including Fiji Airways, Honeywell, Aramex, and the US Navy beginning in 2026, with firm orders already under contract.

The team comes from deep tech and aerospace, with a track record of building custom drones, bringing automotive platforms into production, and electrifying transportation vehicles that levitate, roll, and fly. The culture is built on fast iteration loops and mastery of the certification process — Odys completed transition flight faster than their peers.

 

The Opportunity

Odys is looking for a Staff Propulsion Controls & Software Engineer to own the controls, embedded software, and simulation infrastructure supporting their SiC-based propulsion power electronics across both the Laila and Alta programs.

You will design and tune algorithms for motor drives, active rectifiers, and DC/DC converters, develop the hybrid system controller that coordinates these components, and build the high-fidelity models and MIL/SIL/HIL environments used to verify them. You will not own power electronics hardware design — that belongs to peer engineers. Your responsibility is to ensure those systems achieve optimal performance through the software and controls layer.

The primary deliverable is a propulsion stack that aligns with simulation, complies with aerospace certification requirements, and performs reliably in real flight conditions.

 

What You'll Do

  • •      Design, implement, and optimize discrete-time control loops for PMSM drives, active rectifiers, and DC/DC converters, including FOC with MTPA/MTPV, flux-weakening, sensorless observers, SVPWM/DPWM, PLLs, and digital filters
  • •      Develop the Hybrid System Controller, including supervisory power-split and energy-management logic, mode transitions, startup and shutdown sequencing, and powertrain-level fault arbitration across the turbogenerator, battery, DC bus, and propulsion inverters
  • •      Develop EMI-aware modulation and switching-frequency strategies for SiC stages operating above 20-40 kHz; manage DC-link ripple, torque ripple, and acoustic constraints through software
  • •      Build and maintain high-fidelity propulsion models using MATLAB/Simulink, Simscape, and PLECS; identify parameters from bench and rig data and resolve model-to-hardware discrepancies
  • •      Establish and manage MIL/SIL/HIL environments using Typhoon HIL, OPAL-RT, and Speedgoat; develop automated regression and fault-injection test suites and release real-time model variants through Git-based CI
  • •      Transition algorithms from model to target via Embedded Coder or hand-written C/C++ for DSP platforms such as TI C2000 or ARM Cortex-R/M; deliver production firmware including fixed-point implementation, FDIR, diagnostics, and safe-state behavior
  • •      Translate system architecture into control specifications, simulation studies, and firmware requirements; communicate implementation risks to the systems architect
  • •      Define real-time communications and ICDs for CAN/CAN-FD/Ethernet protocols; support dyno and iron-bird system integration and iterate designs to meet specifications
  • •      Produce deliverables aligned with DO-178C, DO-254, and ARP4754B, including design specifications, modeling reports, calibration guides, and verification evidence

 

You Should Have

  • •      MS or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Power Electronics, or Controls; candidates with a BS and significant relevant experience will also be considered
  • •      8+ years of experience developing controls and embedded software for high-power motor drives or power converters
  • •      Deep expertise in PMSM control including d-q theory, FOC, SVPWM/DPWM, sensorless observers, flux-weakening, and fault detection
  • •      Strong knowledge of SiC MOSFET-based stages including switching behavior, gate-driver interactions, dead-time effects, and high-voltage protection
  • •      Proficiency in MATLAB/Simulink, Simscape, and PLECS for powertrain modeling
  • •      Proven experience establishing MIL/SIL/HIL environments and developing automated test suites
  • •      Experience with production embedded implementation using Embedded Coder or hand-coded C/C++ on DSPs, including fixed-point arithmetic, real-time scheduling, and on-target debugging
  • •      Demonstrated ability to lead controls and embedded subsystem development from concept

 

Nice to Have

  • •      Aerospace or eVTOL powertrain experience with familiarity in FAA/EASA certification processes
  • •      Experience with DO-178C compliance and working familiarity with DO-254, ARP4754B, FMEA/FTA, and requirements traceability
  • •      Hands-on experience with Typhoon HIL, OPAL-RT, and Speedgoat, with Python/MATLAB test automation and Git-based CI for models and code
  • •      Practical experience with production sensorless control, wide-range flux-weakening, ride-through, and limp-mode strategies in flight or field applications
  • •      Expertise in generator-mode and active-rectifier control for high-speed machines, including multi-three-phase PWM synchronization and circulating-current mitigation
  • •      Integration experience with BMS and flight controls over CAN, CAN-FD, and Ethernet, with familiarity in TSN/PTP time-synchronization

About the Company

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Rethink recruit