Director, Mission Autonomy

Merlin Labs•Boston, MA

9d•Onsite

About The Position

Merlin is hiring a Director, Mission Autonomy to lead the engineering organization responsible for delivering its Mission Management Computer (MMC), the embedded software system that hosts Merlin's artificial airmanship capabilities. The role leads the design, development, integration, verification, and delivery of mission autonomy software and integrated systems, translating advanced autonomy technologies and mission requirements into production-quality airborne systems. The Director will work closely with Feature Systems Engineering, Core AI, Core Compute, Vehicle Autonomy, Safety, Airworthiness, Virtual Test Environment, and Flight Test. The position owns mission autonomy software architecture, engineering practices, verification and validation, configuration and release management, embedded systems and AI integration, program execution, and technical delivery readiness. It also leads and scales a multidisciplinary software engineering organization, develops engineering managers, establishes accountability, and represents Mission Autonomy in technical, customer, and executive discussions. The role is based on-site at Merlin's headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts. The stated base salary range is $220,000–$290,000 per year. Merlin also considers equity grants part of total compensation and describes benefits including health, dental, and life insurance, flexible paid time off, and a 401(k) with matching. The company notes that it cannot provide visa sponsorship or consider candidates requiring visa transfers.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
15 or more years of experience developing complex software systems, including substantial experience delivering embedded, real-time, autonomous, or safety-critical products.
7 or more years of engineering leadership experience, including management of multiple engineering teams or engineering managers.
Demonstrated success leading software development from architecture through verification, integration, release, and operational deployment.
Experience integrating AI-powered autonomous stacks into operational products.
Deep understanding of modern software engineering practices, including CI/CD, automated testing, configuration management, version control, static analysis, defect management, and controlled releases.
Strong experience in software architecture, embedded software integration, distributed systems, middleware, and hardware/software interfaces.
Ability to recruit, develop, and lead high-performing engineering teams while meeting technical, schedule, and quality objectives.
Knowledge of software verification methodologies, including unit, integration, system, and regression testing, as well as hardware-in-the-loop testing.
Experience implementing and maintaining software configuration management, reproducible builds, and release processes.
Working knowledge of C++ and Python, with sufficient technical depth to challenge architectural decisions and guide engineering teams.
Familiarity with aviation systems, airborne software, flight operations, or comparable safety-critical operating environments.
Authorization to work in the United States without visa sponsorship now or in the future.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree.
Experience delivering airborne mission systems, mission computers, avionics software, or autonomous aircraft capabilities.
Experience with DO-178C, DO-330, ARP4754A/B, or related aviation development and assurance processes.
Experience with real-time operating systems, embedded Linux, GPU or AI accelerators, and constrained computing environments.
Experience integrating AI models and managing their lifecycle within deployed embedded systems.
Experience with robotics and distributed-system frameworks such as ROS 2, DDS, or Zenoh.
Experience with aircraft simulation, software-in-the-loop, hardware-in-the-loop, and flight-test integration.
Familiarity with military mission systems, ISR operations, or commercial aviation operational requirements.
Experience with government open architectures such as OMS, FACE, or A-GRA.
Pilot qualifications or direct aviation operational experience.

Responsibilities

Lead the design, development, integration, verification, and delivery of Merlin's Mission Management Computer software and integrated system.
Develop a mid- to long-term roadmap for evolving Mission Autonomy capabilities and strengthening the company's competitive advantage.
Own the architecture and implementation of mission autonomy application software, including mission management, planning, decision-making, behavior execution, situational awareness, and AI-enabled functionality.
Establish and maintain disciplined software development practices, including requirements traceability, design reviews, coding standards, peer review, automated testing, continuous integration, defect management, and configuration control.
Own comprehensive software verification strategies, including unit, integration, regression, performance, robustness, and hardware-in-the-loop testing, and ensure appropriate verification evidence is available before release.
Establish rigorous control of software baselines, dependencies, AI model versions, build environments, release artifacts, and deployed configurations.
Partner with Core Compute to integrate mission autonomy applications with embedded hardware, operating systems, drivers, middleware, and platform services.
Work with Core AI to integrate trained and optimized AI models into the mission autonomy software architecture, including their performance, interfaces, monitoring, failure handling, and verification.
Partner with Feature Systems Engineering to implement allocated requirements and integrate mission autonomy capabilities into the overall Merlin Pilot architecture.
Collaborate with Vehicle Autonomy, Safety, Airworthiness, Virtual Test Environment, and Flight Test on system integration and validation.
Lead, develop, and scale a multidisciplinary software engineering organization, establishing clear ownership, technical leadership, measurable performance, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Own engineering planning, staffing, execution, technical risk management, and delivery commitments for mission autonomy software and integrated MMC releases.
Represent Mission Autonomy in architecture reviews, technical decisions, customer engagements, and executive-level program discussions, maintaining accountability for technical integrity and delivery readiness.