Mission Control Center Lead

Joby Aviation•Concord, CA

About The Position

Joby Flight Research designs, develops, and flight-tests novel aircraft using a software-first autonomy approach. We build and deploy autonomy, perception, planning, and radar systems across conventional, electric, and hydrogen-electric aircraft in both CTOL and VTOL configurations. We are building the infrastructure that will safely operate the next generation of autonomous aircraft at scale. As a Staff/Principal Mission Control Center (MCC) Lead, you will serve as the technical authority for the end-to-end architecture of our ground-based command and control ecosystem — the nervous system that connects operators to autonomous aircraft in real time. This is a deeply cross-functional, high-leverage role. You will define system architectures, drive FAA approval strategy, and solve the hardest problems in distributed autonomy: how do you reliably operate many aircraft with a small number of pilots while maintaining safety, regulatory compliance, and resilience to failure? You will work closely with avionics, software, operations, and regulatory teams, and your decisions will shape how our aircraft and ground systems interact for years to come.

Requirements

10+ years of experience in systems engineering, with at least 5 years in aviation, aerospace, UAV/UAS, or safety-critical embedded systems.
BS in Aerospace or related field
Deep expertise in system architecture and safety analysis methods (FHA, FMEA, FTA, STPA) for complex, distributed systems.
Direct experience with FAA certification processes — preferably including Part 135, Part 23/25, or UAS-specific approvals (BVLOS waivers, exemptions).
Demonstrated ability to author and own system safety assessments, compliance artifacts, and interface control documents.
Strong understanding of ground-to-air communication systems (C2 links, RF, satellite, LTE) and their availability/integrity tradeoffs.
Experience working across hardware, software, and operations disciplines; ability to drive alignment without direct authority.
Exceptional written and verbal communication — able to engage regulators, executives, and engineers with equal effectiveness.
This position must meet US export control compliance requirements, therefore a candidate must qualify as a “US Person” as defined by 22 C.F.R. § 120.15. “US Person” includes US Citizens, lawful permanent residents, refugees, or asylees.

Nice To Haves

Experience designing or operating real-world UAS/UAM Mission Control Centers or ground control stations.
Familiarity with m:n remote piloting concepts, RPAS regulations (ICAO Annex 2/11), or Air Traffic Management integration.
Knowledge of aviation cybersecurity standards: DO-326A/ED-202A, DO-356A/ED-203A, NIST 800-82.
Background in human factors engineering or HMI design for aviation or other safety-critical domains.
Experience with DAA systems, UTM/USS integration, or BVLOS operations.
FAA commercial or remote pilot certificate is a plus.

Responsibilities

Architect the end-to-end Mission Control Center system, including ground control stations, communication links, data infrastructure, and failover strategies.
Define and drive redundancy and fault-tolerance requirements across hardware, software, and network layers — from single points of failure to multi-region resilience.
Develop system-level models and safety analyses (FHA, FMEA, FTA) to validate that MCC architecture meets airworthiness and operational safety targets.
Establish performance and availability SLAs for the MCC platform and lead design reviews to enforce architectural standards.
Collaborate with avionics and vehicle teams to define the interface between aircraft and ground systems, including command latency, telemetry bandwidth, and degraded-mode behavior.
Lead MCC-related regulatory strategy and submissions, including working with the FAA on ground control station certification, BVLOS operational approvals, and DAA (Detect and Avoid) integration requirements.
Develop and maintain compliance documentation including Means of Compliance (MOC), System Safety Assessments, and Operational Safety Cases.
Serve as technical lead in interactions with the FAA or other regulatory bodies — translating between engineering reality and regulatory language.
Monitor evolving UAS rulemaking and proactively adjust MCC architecture and procedures to anticipate regulatory changes.
Define the conceptual and technical framework for m:n pilot operations — how a small number of remote pilots safely supervise a large fleet of autonomous aircraft simultaneously.
Drive requirements for Human-Machine Interface (HMI) design, including alert prioritization, workload management, and decision-support tooling.
Partner with human factors engineers and operations teams to validate that MCC interfaces meet cognitive load and situational awareness requirements.
Develop contingency frameworks for edge cases: communication loss, simultaneous off-nominal events, emergency handoffs, and operator incapacitation.
Define pilot certification and training requirements for MCC operators in coordination with the Director of Flight Operations.
Define MCC cybersecurity architecture aligned with NIST SP 800-82, DO-326A, and relevant aviation security standards.
Establish threat modeling practices for ground-to-air communication links, MCC infrastructure, and operator authentication systems.
Collaborate with the security team to implement intrusion detection, secure boot, and data integrity controls across MCC systems.
Ensure cybersecurity posture is integrated into FAA safety assessments and operational approval packages.