Control Systems Engineer

High Performance Gyro-Stabilized Optical Systems

Burlington, ON

**Please note that to be considered for any position at PV Labs, all candidates must be eligible to meet the requirements of the Canadian Controlled-Goods Program of the Defense Production Act, and be able to hold and maintain a Canadian Security Clearance. If you are not clear about your eligibility, please consult the Government of Canada website**Here

About PVLabs

At PV Labs, we're not just an engineering company we're pioneers in advanced airborne imaging solutions focusing on the design, development, and delivery advanced mechatronic aerial imaging and visual information systems used primarily by the public protection, ISR, and motion picture industries.

Our core technology forms the backbone of our next-generation solutions, and as part of our engineering team, you'll have the opportunity to contribute your expertise to the development of state-of-the-art electro-mechanical stabilization platforms, motion-control systems, camera and lens control systems, video-processing technologies, remote I/O subsystems, and more.

About the Role

A Control Systems Engineer at PV Labs is not your ordinary type of career. Instead, its an advanced, multi-disciplinary role that is essential to all aspects of architecture, design, development, and delivery of high-performance, gyro-stabilized airborne optical systems. Its where concepts surrounding how to turn what-if designs into reality, where getting it right is a whole-team effort, and where your expertise matters.

Our design philosophy is firmly rooted in component-based modularity because its just the smart thing to do. Working with our engineering team not only encourages you but pushes you to experiment with novel solutions around controls simulations and design durability. We want you to be vocal and involved in improving the ingeniousness, efficiency, and endurance of our designs. We encourage you to contribute to our knowledge bases, standards, and workflows in other words truly be a part of our team.

Control Systems Engineering at PVLabs takes an interdisciplinary approach using standard and non-traditional processes to encourage out-of-the-box thinking that is essential to the specification, development, qualification, and success that weve been known for. For example, testing and performance-tuning a customer specific payload to be integrated in PV Labs 5th generation advanced stabilization technology, the Control Systems Engineer at PV Labs shares in the responsibility and accountability for all aspects of mechanical and electrical development related to the design, analysis, verification, manufacturing, troubleshooting, and testing of our designs and control subsystems.

Primary Responsibilities

Reporting to the Vice President of NPI, indirectly to a PMO Lead/Mechanical Technical Lead, and working alongside a small but impressive team, you will:

• Perform control systems verification and testing design and analysis of electro- and/or opto-mechanical systems and sub-systems, with an emphasis on tuning and optimizing aerospace precision drive mechanisms, structural load paths, integration of optical and electro-optical components, ground support equipment, and user interfaces)
• Definition and development of new approaches to testing and tuning of new products for commercial and military applications, from concept generation through in service support.
• Develop strategies for designing systems performance testing into the overall design process to immunize against design sensitivity such as persistent tuning and/or auto-tuning.

Other Responsibilities Include

• Work collaboratively to analyze process requirements, develop control strategies, program, and configure control systems, and ensure the optimal performance and durability of the mechanical and electrical designs.
• Conduct structural and Thermal Analysis (FEA & CFD)
• Identify opportunities and recommend strategies for cost reduction and/or reliability improvement.
• Break down requirements into a series of small implementable and trackable tasks with cost and schedule estimates.

• Define, analyze and write requirements definition and flow down, validation matrix, design description including reaction wheel and torque rod sizing, sensors performance, characteristics, redundancy and fault management based on systems requirements.
• Perform required stability analysis and effects on Gimbal systems, controls and sensors.
• Analyze platform stability to ensure low jitter of line-of-sight instruments.
• Provide input and support to program reviews including SRR (Systems Requirements Review), SIR (Systems Integration Review) PDR (preliminary design reviews), CDR (critical design reviews).
• Drive test reviews
• Support sub-system Assembly, Integration and Test activities.
• Support Gimbal Systems testing: EGSE (electrical ground support), Test supervision, data analysis.
• Support Gimbal tests on site, at dedicated test facilities or at supplier premises.

.Leadership and Other

• Develop/Improve knowledge base, standards, and/or workflows to improve the efficiency, agility, and quality of all areas of development and verification.
• Share and deliberate design ideas, concepts, problem-solving and novel solutions with your peers.
• Provide guidance and mentoring to other members of the engineering team.

Skills You'll Need for Success

• Bachelors degree in Electrical, Mechanical or Aerospace engineering with 10+ years of relevant experience
• Experience with modern control systems theory
• Prior work in state space systems and modeling
• Solid understand of discrete time control systems including motor controls
• Experience with stabilizing complex electro mechanical devices
• Knowledge of PID
• System modeling and simulation expertise
• Demonstrated capability to test systems and resolve problems using Matlab / Simulink etc.
• Fundamental knowledge of testing and measurement techniques
• Previous design and test experience with gyro-stabilized airborne optical systems and ADCS - (attitude determination & control sub-system)
• Understanding of the airborne systems operating environments and environmental tolerances
• Strong understanding of aerospace system engineering fundamentals
• Hands-on individual who can support or systems integration processes
• Experience with qualification and acceptance testing of new designs
• High degree of attention to detail
• Demonstrated capability to efficiently work with little to no supervision
• Ability to distill complex problems to fundamentals to solve with analysis, similarity, or creativity

High-Value Technical Skills

• Contribute to control systems coding (Python, C or C++)
• Familiarity with design for military specifications and environmental requirements is an asset.
• Familiarity with design for aircraft safety requirements an asset.

About You as an Engineer

Our success is not only derived from the collective technical capabilities of our team, but more importantly HOW we work together. Heres what we value, and we seek those share the following:

• Creativity, Curiosity and Problem Solving, with healthy obsession for attention to detail and right sizing solutions
• Not afraid to seek out responsibility and opportunities to take the lead.
• A confident technical communicator who can articulate ideas and concepts, but who also knows that confidence in communication also means the ability to ask for help or collaboration when you need it.

• Creative problem solver with an appreciation for detail

• A continuous-improvement approach to design, processes and practices
• Participating in requirements generation
• Providing realistic cost and schedule estimations of assigned work packages
• Drive the design and code reviews not just a passenger.
• Constructively provide and receive guidance and mentoring to other members of the engineering team as were all in this together.
• Preference for working on small teams that communicate with each other and seek out responsibility.
• The kind of professional maturity that enables you to manage your own time and priorities and finds motivation from multiple sources.
• Due to the nature of our work, you must be eligible to meet the requirements of the Controlled Goods Program requirements of the Government of Canada, and be able to hold and maintain a Canadian Security Clearance.

• You have a University Degree in Mechanical Engineering (advanced degree an asset), or Technical College Diploma combined with exceptional experience.

What's in It for You?

PV Labs is where your engineering career meets limitless innovation and unparalleled impact all wrapped up in a 4-Day Work Week.

As an integral member of our skilled engineering team, you'll channel your focus, passion, and expertise into an array of fascinating systems, products and projects. Your contributions will span the design, development, and maintenance of state-of-the-art electro-mechanical stabilization platforms, motion-control systems, camera and lens control systems, video-processing technologies, remote I/O subsystems, and the integration and control of cutting-edge laser technologies.

At PV Labs, you'll be immersed in an environment where groundbreaking technology meets exceptional talent. We take immense pride in our distinctive workplace culture - it fosters collaboration and ingenuity, creating an atmosphere. We're dedicated to the design, development, and delivery of high-tech products and services across diverse sectors such as industrial, government, entertainment, and resources. With a focus on advanced mechatronics and aerial imaging, our products find applications in public protection, Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance (ISR), and the motion-picture industries.