What are the responsibilities and job description for the Vice President of Systems Engineering position at Merlin?
About Merlin:
Merlin is a venture backed aerospace startup building a non-human pilot to enable both reduced crew and uncrewed flight. Backed by some of the world’s leading investors, Merlin is scaling alongside our customers to begin leveraging autonomy today to solve some of aviation’s biggest challenges.
About You:
You are a systems thinker with the ability to see the big picture in highly complex, interdependent aerospace systems. You excel at translating mission-level goals and customer needs into clear technical direction—bridging the gap between operational use cases and engineering execution. With deep domain expertise in avionics and autonomous systems, you understand the nuanced requirements of safety-critical software, sensor integration, flight control, and onboard computing. You’re equally comfortable diving deep into architecture as you are leading cross-functional teams through ambiguity and complexity. Passionate about building next-generation aerospace platforms, you bring a balance of technical rigor, leadership maturity, and startup adaptability. Whether you're engaging with a regulatory body or aligning teams around a system architecture, you lead with clarity, conviction, and an eye toward long-term scalability and certification readiness.
Responsibilities:
We understand that relocating for a new role is a significant decision, and we’re here to support you every step of the way. That’s why we offer comprehensive relocation assistance to help make your transition as seamless as possible. From covering moving expenses to providing guidance on finding housing, we aim to ensure your relocation experience is stress-free.
Additionally, once you’re here, you’ll enjoy a variety of on-site perks designed to make your workday enjoyable and convenient. These include catered lunches featuring a rotating menu of delicious options, an assortment of snacks to keep you fueled throughout the day, and a selection of beverages, including coffee, tea, and other drinks, to keep you refreshed.
Our goal is to create an environment where you can thrive both professionally and personally
Merlin Labs offers an innovative, entrepreneurial, and team-focused startup environment. We also offer a top-notch benefits package (health, dental, life, unlimited vacation, 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, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status or disability
status. 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.
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 people@merlinlabs.com
Merlin Labs does not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than directly from candidates.
Merlin is a venture backed aerospace startup building a non-human pilot to enable both reduced crew and uncrewed flight. Backed by some of the world’s leading investors, Merlin is scaling alongside our customers to begin leveraging autonomy today to solve some of aviation’s biggest challenges.
About You:
You are a systems thinker with the ability to see the big picture in highly complex, interdependent aerospace systems. You excel at translating mission-level goals and customer needs into clear technical direction—bridging the gap between operational use cases and engineering execution. With deep domain expertise in avionics and autonomous systems, you understand the nuanced requirements of safety-critical software, sensor integration, flight control, and onboard computing. You’re equally comfortable diving deep into architecture as you are leading cross-functional teams through ambiguity and complexity. Passionate about building next-generation aerospace platforms, you bring a balance of technical rigor, leadership maturity, and startup adaptability. Whether you're engaging with a regulatory body or aligning teams around a system architecture, you lead with clarity, conviction, and an eye toward long-term scalability and certification readiness.
Responsibilities:
- Provide systems-level leadership across the full product lifecycle, including architecture, integration, V&V, and certification
- Translate high-level mission and customer requirements into well-defined system architectures and technical requirements
- Lead the design and integration of complex autonomous systems, including avionics, flight controls, navigation, perception, and human-machine interfaces
- Bridge the customer and technical domains—ensuring stakeholder needs and regulatory drivers are reflected in the technical roadmap
- Build and lead a world-class systems engineering team with deep expertise in autonomy, avionics, and safety-critical systems
- Develop and manage systems engineering processes, tools, and infrastructure, including requirements traceability, interface control, and MBSE frameworks
- Serve as technical lead for architecture reviews, design trades, FMEAs, and hazard analyses across subsystems
- Collaborate with cross-functional engineering, product, and regulatory teams to ensure safe, certifiable system performance
- Engage with civil or defense certification authorities (e.g., FAA, DoD) and ensure alignment with applicable regulatory framework
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Systems Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field
- 12 years of experience in aerospace systems engineering, including significant leadership roles
- Demonstrated success delivering complex avionics and autonomy systems in an integrated aerospace platform
- Strong experience in requirements development, system architecture, V&V, integration, and certification for safety-critical systems
- Fluency in system design methods such as MBSE, SysML, DOORS, and system safety standards (e.g., ARP4754A, DO-178C, DO-254)
- Familiarity with FAA certification pathways or military airworthiness standards
- Private Pilot License
- Experience in an early-stage aerospace or autonomy startup
- Prior leadership in certifiable autonomy programs (UAM, UAV, optionally piloted aircraft, etc.)
- Understanding of autonomy-specific safety and assurance frameworks (e.g., STAMP/STPA, SAE G-34)
We understand that relocating for a new role is a significant decision, and we’re here to support you every step of the way. That’s why we offer comprehensive relocation assistance to help make your transition as seamless as possible. From covering moving expenses to providing guidance on finding housing, we aim to ensure your relocation experience is stress-free.
Additionally, once you’re here, you’ll enjoy a variety of on-site perks designed to make your workday enjoyable and convenient. These include catered lunches featuring a rotating menu of delicious options, an assortment of snacks to keep you fueled throughout the day, and a selection of beverages, including coffee, tea, and other drinks, to keep you refreshed.
Our goal is to create an environment where you can thrive both professionally and personally
Merlin Labs offers an innovative, entrepreneurial, and team-focused startup environment. We also offer a top-notch benefits package (health, dental, life, unlimited vacation, 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, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status or disability
status. 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.
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 people@merlinlabs.com
Merlin Labs does not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than directly from candidates.
