The Baby Airship team is seeking a dedicated contractor for a six-month engagement to accelerate our current development phase. We are looking for a versatile engineer with deep expertise in one of three critical domains—Mechanical, Software, or GNC—to integrate directly with our hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing and flight prototyping workflows.
Responsibilities:
- Mechanical: Design and iteration of lightweight structural components (CAD design), propulsion test mounts, and envelope integration.
- Assist with hardware-in-the-loop test design and execution.
- Software: Development of flight control logic, telemetry processing, or embedded systems (C++/Python).
- GNC: Refining autonomous navigation algorithms, stability analysis, and sensor fusion (IMU/GPS/Barometric).
Qualifications:
- Experience: 3+ years in aerospace, robotics, or high-reliability hardware environments.
- Agility: Ability to work in a fast-paced "build-test-fail-fix" cycle.
- Collaboration: Strong communication skills to interface between multidisciplinary sub-teams.
Compliance Requirements:
- Background check clearance
- Drug Test clearance wherever applicable
What We Offer!
- Excellent medical, dental, and vision insurance through a PPO plan (100% premium paid for individuals, 70% for dependents)
- Company-paid life, AD&D, long-term disability, and short-term disability insurance
- Parental leave
- Generous PTO + 10 paid holidays
- 401(k) matching up to 6%
- Lunch and snacks provided every day, including accommodations for all dietary restrictions
- Fun events, swag, and the occasional airship ride
- An opportunity to change the world and work with some of the smartest and the most talented experts from different fields
Skills Required
- 3+ years in aerospace, robotics, or high-reliability hardware environments
- Strong communication skills for multidisciplinary collaboration
What We Do
Lighter Than Air (LTA) Research is an aerospace research and development company building experimental and certified manned and remotely piloted airships. We are developing advanced technologies to dramatically increase the capabilities and lower the cost of 21st century airships. With these next-generation airships, we strive to improve humanitarian aid delivery and reduce carbon emissions, while providing economic opportunity and new jobs to Americans. LTA airships will have the ability to complement — and even speed up — humanitarian disaster response and relief efforts, especially in remote areas that cannot be easily accessed by plane and boat due to limited or destroyed infrastructure. We ultimately aim to create a family of aircraft with zero emissions that, when used for shipping goods and moving people, would substantially reduce the global carbon footprint of aviation.
