SA
System Identification Engineer
Contract type
Ongoing
Work mode
Remote · Paris
Experience
3 years
Job description
System Identification Engineer role at Harmattan AI, based in Paris, owning the path from flight test to identified dynamic models for autopilot design, simulation and control.
At a glance
- Work mode
- Remote · Paris
What you'll do
- Plan and run your own identification tests, from excitation design to flight tests, including coordinating with the team.
- Identify rigid-body, aerodynamic, propulsion and actuator dynamics using frequency and time-domain methods, including closed-loop identification on vehicles flown under a controller.
- Characterize motors, ESCs, propellers and control surfaces, including bandwidth, delays, saturation, and thermal and battery effects.
- Build and maintain an automated, reproducible pipeline from flight logs to identified model, covering ingestion, data-quality checks, estimation, validation and reporting.
- Validate models against held-out flight data, quantify uncertainty, and make sure each model is fit for purpose: controller design, simulation, or training learned G&C.
- Extend the capability from multirotors to control-surface multirotors, fixed wings, tail-sitters and missiles.
- Deliver models into simulation, SITL and HITL, and work closely with control, guidance and embedded engineers to close the loop between models and flight results.
- Depending on seniority, support the team by mentoring junior engineers and interns.
What we're looking for
- A strong academic record with a degree in aerospace, control, mechanical engineering or a related STEM field; a practical track record matters more than the specific degree.
- Proven experience identifying dynamic models of flying platforms from real data, in both the frequency and time domain, including the pitfalls of closed-loop data.
- Solid grasp of rigid-body dynamics, aerodynamic forces and moments, non-dimensionalization, stability modes and propulsion models, plus enough control background to know what the model will be used for.
- Hands-on experience planning and running flight tests and working from raw, imperfect logs.
- Strong Python and scientific computing skills, with the discipline to build tools others can rerun.
Nice to have
- Rigorous about data quality, uncertainty and validation; skeptical of models until they are proven.
- Autonomous and hands-on, comfortable moving between bench, field and code.
- Communicates clearly, able to present models and test results to engineers and senior stakeholders.
- Thrives under pressure in a fast-paced environment with a no-task-is-too-small mentality.
- Fixed-wing aerodynamic modeling; VTOL or tail-sitter dynamics; remote pilot certification; experience with real flight logs; structural or vibration modes; data-driven or learned dynamics models.
- 100% dedication to Harmattan AI's mission of providing a defensive edge to allied nations through ethical, high-impact technology.
Apply
About Harmattan AI
Next-generation defense prime building autonomous and scalable defense systems
Harmattan AI is a next-generation defense prime building autonomous and scalable defense systems. Following the close of a $200M Series B, valuing the company at $1.4 billion, it is expanding its teams and capabilities to deliver mission-critical systems to allied forces.
Mission
Providing a defensive edge to allied nations through ethical, high-impact technology
Key facts
- defense
- Closed a $200M Series B
- Valued at $1.4 billion
- Builds autonomous and scalable defense systems for allied forces
What they value
- Building technologies with real-world impact
- Pursuing excellence in everything we do
- Setting ambitious goals
- Taking on the hardest technical challenges