SECTION I · THE BRIEF
Brief #29811Updated 08 JUL 2026BOSTON, MALeverFIRST ROUND CAPITAL
Employbl Company Profile

Lead Systems Engineer, Flight Autonomy

Merlin Labs is building the autonomous infrastructure for the sky above us, enabling goods, and eventually people, to fly without pilots.

Location
Boston, MA
Company size
20–100
Posted
3d ago
Via
Lever
Section II · Premium ProfileMembers only
  • 01Comp band & equity packageLocked
  • 02Seniority & experience requirementsLocked
  • 03Interview process & rubricLocked
  • 04Hiring manager & team contextLocked
  • 05Growth trajectory in this roleLocked
  • 06Offer & decision timelineLocked

7-day free trial · $25/mo · cancel anytime

Merlin Labs logo

Lead Systems Engineer, Flight Autonomy - Merlin Labs

View Company Profile
Job Title
Lead Systems Engineer, Flight Autonomy
Job Location
Boston
Job Description
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.

Who you are:

You are an experienced systems engineer with experience in the development of system/sub-system architecture, system/sub-system requirements, and testing of systems to comply with its requirements. You have experience in collaborating with cross-functional teams of varying engineering domains, customers, suppliers, and partners. You have experience in the definition of Autonomous behaviors and functions of AI enabled control systems. You have a passion for new development and have a proven record of navigating the challenges in new product development. You’ve worked in an experimental R&D of safety critical systems/sub-systems and have the ability to keep safety at the forefront while still moving quickly.

Responsibilities:
  • Lead a small team of System Engineers and be accountable for the execution of System Engineering tasks and delivery of work products which includes the following:

    • Lead the development of systems engineering development plans and processes as needed for technical execution.

    • Managing systems engineering tasking and aligning disciplines to support their successful and timely completion

    • Manage system-level verification and validation activities.

    • Lead reviews of artifacts with customers, suppliers, and regulatory authorities as required.

    • Review of concepts of operation, system architecture (including functional and physical architectures), system requirements, and system interfaces for Merlin products. On this small, agile team, you will own significant pieces of these activities yourself.

    • Work cross-functionally with the safety, hardware, and software teams to capture, document, and communicate requirements and interfaces.

Qualifications:
  • BS in Electrical/Aerospace/Systems Engineering or a related subject, MS preferred.

  • 6-9 years of experience conducting systems engineering (4-6 years with MS degree; 2-4 years with PhD).

  • Specific experience in Flight Control Systems with aspects of ML or Autonomy

  • Experience in Flight Control System Development

  • Demonstrated ability to lead small teams in solving complex architectural and systems engineering-related problems.

  • Experience with requirements management tools and processes

  • Demonstrated ability to develop system-level requirements, architecture, and interfaces, and perform requirements validation and verification

Highly Desired Experience:
  • Experience conducting systems engineering in FAA/EASA/DOD certification programs

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

  • Specific experience in the area of Automatic Flight Controls, Flight Management, or Display Systems.

  • Specific experience in developing software requirements and performing software verification.

  • Working knowledge of FAA/EASA/DOD regulations and standards is a plus.

  • Working knowledge of Model-based Systems Engineering (MBSE) is a plus but not required.

  • Familiarity with Simulink, Cameo, IADS, Jama

Get the Saturday tech briefing

New company profiles, funding moves, and who’s hiring across the market — every Saturday morning.

Merlin Labs Headquarters Location

Carlsbad, CA

View company profile

Merlin Labs Company Size

Between 20 - 100 employees

Merlin Labs Founded Year

2017

Merlin Labs Total Amount Raised

$133,500,000

Merlin Labs Funding Rounds

View funding details
  • Post Ipo Equity

    $80M

  • Post Ipo Equity

    $200M

  • IPO

    Unknown

  • Series B

    $105M

  • Series B

    $105M

  • Series A

    $25M

  • Series A

    $25M

  • Seed

    $3.5M

  • Seed

    $3.5M

Merlin Labs' Industries

Company Collections For Merlin Labs