Merlin Labs

Autonomous flight control for aircraft

Director – Features System Engineering

Engineering LeadershipConfirmed live in the last 24 hours

Full-timeBoston, MA, USA$220k - $290k /yr

About the Job

Requirements

A Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical, Aerospace, or Systems Engineering, or a related field; a master's or PhD is preferred.
At least 15 years of systems engineering experience, including at least four years managing systems engineering managers; candidates with a master's degree require at least 10 years, and candidates with a PhD require at least eight years.
Specific experience developing Mission Autonomy and Vehicle Autonomy, including aspects of artificial intelligence in autonomy systems engineering.
Demonstrated ability to define system-level requirements, architecture, and interfaces, and drive teams through requirements validation and verification to system-level confidence.
A proven record of solving complex architectural and systems engineering problems on new product development programs.
Experience working in an early-stage research and development department on safety-critical systems or subsystems, with sound judgment about when to move quickly and when to maintain rigor.
Experience with requirements management tools and process best practices, including establishing them for a growing team.
Hands-on experience certifying avionics equipment for safety-critical systems using ARP4754A, RTCA DO-178B/C, and DO-254.
A track record of collaborating across engineering domains with customers, suppliers, and partners, and earning credibility with technical teams and senior stakeholders.
Experience hiring, developing, and retaining systems engineering talent, and coaching leaders.
Demonstrated experience developing and deploying systems engineering processes for a business and its teams.
Comfort using leading artificial-intelligence-based tools and frameworks and implementing best practices to automate systems engineering deliverables and processes.
Experience developing, executing, and monitoring Agile-framework-based system-level releases using tools such as Jira.

Responsibilities

Own the feature systems engineering development roadmap, strategy, processes, and standards, and evolve them as the program moves from early development toward certification.
Lead and manage systems engineering tasking across the organization, aligning hardware, software, safety, and flight controls disciplines to deliver a shared technical plan and schedule.
Set technical direction for concepts of operation, functional and physical system architecture, and system interfaces across Merlin products, and personally own the most critical architecture decisions.
Define the features, functions, and autonomous behaviors each subsystem must execute, and ensure they trace to system-level requirements and the safety case.
Lead the Safety, Security, and Human Factors teams to keep them involved in architecture and requirements decisions while maintaining development pace.
Partner with the Core Architecture and Chief Engineer organizations to drive engineering strategy and execution.
Represent systems engineering artifacts, including requirements, architecture, and interface definitions, in reviews with customers, suppliers, and regulatory authorities.
Build, hire, and develop the systems engineering team, set clear expectations, mentor technical leads, and grow the team as the company scales.
Collaborate with executive leadership, program leads, and engineering functions to prioritize systems engineering work and clearly communicate technical risk, status, and tradeoffs.
Own system- and subsystem-level requirements, including development, validation, and traceability, and maintain requirements quality across disciplines.
Lead the technical strategy for defining system- and subsystem-level test methods and testing strategies, and lead verification and validation from simulation and ground test through flight test.

Desired Qualifications

Working knowledge of ARP4761A and MIL-STD-882E.
Experience leading systems engineering in FAA, EASA, or DoD airworthiness contexts, including MIL-HDBK-516; experience with DoD certification programs and direct interaction with certification authorities.
Specific experience in automatic flight controls, flight management, or display systems.
Experience developing software requirements and overseeing software verification.
Working knowledge of FAA, EASA, and DoD regulations and standards.
Working knowledge of model-based systems engineering and experience introducing it to a team.
Familiarity with Simulink, Cameo, IADS, and Jama.
Experience building a systems engineering function at an early-stage or high-growth company.

Salary Range: 220000 to 290000 (Currency: USD) (Pay period: per-year-salary)

Merlin (NASDAQ: MRLN) is a publicly traded aerospace and defense company building a non-human pilot to deliver full-stack autonomy for any aircraft from takeoff to touchdown. The Merlin Pilot autonomy system powers a growing range of aircraft and mission profiles and has been proven through hundreds of autonomous flights from Merlin's global flight test facilities, including Kerikeri, New Zealand; Smithfield, Rhode Island; and soon, Bedford, Massachusetts. Headquartered in Boston, Merlin is expanding its organization to accelerate the development and deployment of its autonomy platform, helping customers solve some of aviation's most pressing challenges, from pilot shortages to improving flight safety. Backed by some of the world's leading investors prior to its public listing, Merlin continues to advance the certification and commercialization of autonomous flight across commercial and defense aviation.

About You:

You are a systems engineering Technology leader who has built and run the function strategically, not just practiced it. You have partnered with business and product teams to lead the system and sub-system expectations, requirements, and verification strategy on new product development programs, and you know how to turn an ambiguous concept into a defined, testable, certifiable system. You have defined the behaviors and functions of autonomous, AI-enabled systems, ideally in Product Architecture, Mission Autonomy, Vehicle Autonomy, and you can coach,explain and drive the design intent and the safety case to engineers, executives, customers, suppliers, and regulators with equal credibility.

You have worked as part of an engineering and technology organization on safety-critical systems, so you know how to keep safety and human factors at the forefront while the schedule is pushing hard. You set the systems engineering plans, processes, and standards that let a small, fast-moving team execute without losing rigor, and you stay close enough to the work to own significant architecture, requirements, and interface decisions yourself. You align hardware, software, safety, and flight controls around a shared technical picture, and you hold the line when disciplines disagree.

You build and develop managers and engineers as readily as you build architectures. You hire strong systems talent, mentor them into technical leaders, and earn trust across engineering through judgment rather than title. You are drawn to the hardest version of this problem: bringing autonomy to certified commercial and military aviation, where the technology is new, the stakes are real, and the playbook is still being written.

Responsibilities:

Own Merlin’s feature systems engineering development roadmap, strategy, processes, and standards, and evolve them as the program moves from early development toward certification.Lead and manage systems engineering tasking across the organization, aligning hardware, software, safety, and flight controls disciplines to deliver on a shared technical plan and schedule.

Set the technical direction for concepts of operation, functional and physical system architecture, and system interfaces across Merlin products, and personally own the most critical architecture decisions.

Define the features, functions, and autonomous behaviors that each sub-system must execute, and ensure they trace cleanly to system-level requirements and the safety case.

Lead the Safety, Security and Human factors teams to keep them at the forefront of architecture and requirements decisions without slowing the pace of development.

Partner closely with Core Architecture and Chief engineer organizations to drive engineering strategy and execution.

Represent Merlin’s systems engineering artifacts, including requirements, architecture, and interface definitions, in reviews with customers, suppliers, and regulatory authorities.

Build, hire, and develop the systems engineering team, setting clear expectations, mentoring technical leads, and growing the bench as the company scales.

Collaborate with executive leadership, program leads, and engineering functions to prioritize systems engineering work and communicate technical risk, status, and tradeoffs clearly.

Own System and sub-system-level requirements, including their development, validation, and traceability, and hold the quality bar on requirements across every discipline.

Lead the tech strategy on definition of test methods and testing strategies at the sub-system and system level, and lead verification and validation activities from simulation and ground test through flight test.

Qualifications:

BS in Electrical, Aerospace, Systems Engineering, or a related field; MS or PhD preferred.

15+ years of systems engineering experience (10+ with an MS, 8+ with a PhD), including at least 4 years being a manager of System engineering managers

Specific experience in Mission Autonomy and Vehicle Autonomy development, including aspects of AI in autonomy system engineering

Demonstrated ability to define system-level requirements, architecture, and interfaces, and to drive the teams on requirements validation and verification through to system-level confidence.

Proven record of solving complex architectural and systems engineering problems on new product development programs.

Experience working in an early stage R&D department on safety-critical systems or sub-systems, with sound judgment about when to move fast and when to hold the line.

Experience with requirements management tools and processes best practices and with establishing them for a growing team.

Hands-on experience certifying avionics equipment using ARP4754A and RTCA DO-178B/C and DO-254 for safety-critical systems.

Track record of collaborating across engineering domains, customers, suppliers, and partners, and of earning credibility with technical teams and senior stakeholders.

Experienced in hiring, developing, and retaining strong systems engineerIng talent and leadership coaching.

Demonstration of development and deployment of writing SE processes for the business and teams

Comfortable working with the leading AI based tools and frameworks and implementing best practices to automate System engineering deliverables and processes.

Experience in developing, executing and monitoring Agile framework based System level releases using tools like Jira.

Nice to Have:

Working knowledge of ARP4761A and MIL-STD-882E

Experience leading systems engineering in FAA, EASA, DoD airworthiness experience (e.g., MIL-HDBK-516), DoD certification programs, including direct interaction with certification authorities.

Specific experience in automatic flight controls, flight management, or display systems.

Experience developing software requirements and overseeing software verification.

Working knowledge of FAA, EASA, and DoD regulations and standards.

Working knowledge of model-based systems engineering (MBSE), and experience introducing it to a team.

Familiarity with Simulink, Cameo, IADS, and Jama.

Experience building a systems engineering function at an early-stage or high-growth company.

Merlin Labs offers an innovative, entrepreneurial, and team-focused startup environment. We also offer a top-notch benefits package (health, dental, life, flexible paid time off, and 401k with match) and work/life integration. Being part of the Merlin team allows you to become part of a small team that supports professional development while working together to achieve our mission.

Merlin Labs is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, genetic information, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, military service or obligation or disability status, or any other characteristic protected by law. All job offers are contingent upon the candidate passing background and reference checks.

At this time, we are unable to provide visa sponsorship or consider candidates who require visa transfers. Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States without the need for visa sponsorship now or in the future.

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire.

If you require reasonable accommodation in completing an application, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please direct your inquiries to: [email protected]

Merlin Labs does not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than directly from candidates.

About the Company

Merlin Labs

Autonomous flight control for aircraft

Merlin Labs builds autonomous flight technology, focusing on the Merlin Pilot, an autonomous flight system designed to be deployed across aircraft of any size or age. How it works: the Merlin Pilot is an autonomous pilot system that can operate with a human pilot during a transitional phase, increasing safety and trust. It’s designed to be integrated into existing and future aircraft through partnerships with aviation authorities and manufacturers; revenue comes from selling and licensing the technology to operators and OEMs. What makes Merlin different: it emphasizes a scalable, adaptable platform that is validated through regulatory engagement (FAA, CAA NZ) and a phased approach to autonomy rather than immediate full automation. What is the goal: to enable safe, scalable autonomous flight across commercial airlines, cargo operators, and potentially private aircraft, by providing a certified, integrated autonomous flight solution that can be adopted across fleets.

Company size: 201-500
Company stage: IPO
Headquarters: Boston, MA
Founded: 2019

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