Open role
[Remote] Engineering Manager, Autonomy Planning & Behaviors
Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. Merlin is hiring an Engineering Manager to lead the technical direction and delivery of autonomy planning and behavior capabilities for airborne systems. The role manages and mentors engineers, aligns technical plans with the company roadmap, and supports simulation, integration, and flight testing.
Responsibilities
- Drive the technical direction and delivery of autonomous decision making, behavior execution, and motion planning capabilities for airborne systems
- Guide, mentor, and manage a team of engineers across a broad range of experience levels in developing software capabilities
- Identify gaps and define staffing needs to develop and deliver decision making and behavior capabilities
- Ensure the decision making, behaviors, and motion planning technical plans align with short term R&D objectives, long term objectives, and the Merlin technology roadmap
- Support simulation, integration, and flight test activities to validate real-world performance
- Collaborate across Merlin to develop novel systems to solve the toughest problems in aviation and autonomy
Skills
- You are an experienced engineer with a background in autonomous systems, aviation, and robotics
- You understand both the commercial and military aviation domains
- You have deep experience in leading and managing large teams of engineers as they deploy autonomy
- Have a broad understanding of the techniques enabling mission management
- Degree in Computer Science, Aerospace Engineering, Robotics Engineering, or a related subject
- Strong experience developing software for autonomous systems
- Several years of experience providing direct management and technical leadership to a team of at least 10 engineers at different levels
- Broad understanding and familiarity with in one or more of the following:
- Mission management frameworks such as behavior trees, hierarchical task networks, state machines, petri nets
- Single- and multi-vehicle autonomy, resource allocation, and decision making algorithms
- Airborne contingency and emergency management
- Machine learning for complex decision making and behavior generation
- Familiarity with modern software development workflows and practices, including version control, pipelines, and unit testing, and peer review
- Experience with overall product development cycle, including design, testing, and troubleshooting at the system level as well as at the software component level
- Proficiency writing both Python and C++
- Familiarity with simulation software, especially aircraft simulation
- Experience with proposal writing and technical roadmap development
- Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States without the need for visa sponsorship now or in the future
- Experience with Zenoh, ROS, DDS, or similar middleware for robotics/autonomy systems
- Experience with government open architectures such as A-GRA, OMS and FACE
- Experience developing and/or using modern avionics systems
- Experience with hardware and software integration and debugging
- Experience with flight testing (uncrewed or crewed aircraft)
- Awareness of aviation certification standards such as DO-178
- Pilot license and flight experience is a plus
Benefits
- Health, dental, and life benefits.
- Flexible paid time off.
- 401(k) with match.
- Work/life integration.
- Professional development support.
- Remote applicants are welcome; candidates based in or willing to relocate to Boston, MA are preferred for a hybrid work schedule at the HQ.
Company Overview