Engineering Manager, Autonomy Planning & Behaviors

About the role

The Engineering Manager, Autonomy Planning & Behaviors will own the definition and execution of the planning and behaviors architecture that powers Merlin's autonomy stack. This role is accountable for translating high-level mission goals into structured, executable behaviors that guide an aircraft from departure to arrival. You will establish the architectural patterns that allow autonomous decision-making modules to operate consistently and predictably across the entire flight envelope. Success in this position means ensuring that every feature scales from simulation and testing into reliable, real-world mission profiles without compromising safety. You will act as the central coordination point, aligning engineering build teams with certification authorities and flight operations to meet strict regulatory expectations. Decisions made regarding feature implementation and integration will directly shape the scalability and robustness of Merlin Pilot as it progresses through validation phases. This position will own the orchestration of development timelines, ensuring that software and hardware integration remains on schedule and that critical milestones are met. A key responsibility involves establishing rigorous review gates where safety cases, test procedures, and flight data are analyzed before any planning update progresses to the next stage. The role will also lead ship readiness activities, coordinating simulation and flight validation to confirm that behaviors perform as intended in diverse operational contexts. Another critical function is the creation of standardized interfaces, enabling secure and reliable data exchange with third-party mission systems and external partners.

Key facts

What you'll do

Design intake procedures for autonomy planning data and behavior scenario definitions to clarify complex requirements and eliminate ambiguity early in the development cycle.

Architect modular behaviors components capable of handling diverse flight conditions while integrating seamlessly with the Merlin Pilot stack and existing infrastructure.

Coordinate build schedules and resource allocation between software and hardware teams to keep autonomy milestones on track and prevent integration bottlenecks.

Guide safety-oriented review checkpoints where test results and safety cases are evaluated for every planning iteration to ensure compliance and risk mitigation.

Orchestrate ship readiness activities that validate behaviors through rigorous simulation and flight testing under representative conditions and edge cases.

Establish partner-facing interfaces to ensure third-party systems can safely exchange mission and status information while maintaining security and data integrity.

Support validation campaigns that exercise planning logic under varied environmental and mission constraints to uncover hidden assumptions and performance limits.

Maintain documentation that links requirements, tests, and decisions for autonomy planning and behaviors, creating a clear audit trail for regulators and stakeholders.

Define operational boundaries and failure modes for planning and behavior modules, ensuring that fallback strategies are clear, tested, and executable.

Drive the creation of reusable assets, such as scenario libraries and test harnesses, to accelerate future development and reduce redundant effort across teams.

Champion continuous improvement by analyzing field data, simulation results, and test outcomes to refine planning algorithms and behavior definitions over time.

Facilitate cross-functional collaboration between engineering, certification, and operations to ensure that autonomy features remain aligned with business and regulatory goals.

Lead technical discussions related to scheduling, dependencies, and trade-offs, ensuring that the autonomy roadmap remains realistic and achievable within established timelines.

Promote a culture of safety and rigor by enforcing coding standards, traceability, and review practices that support certification and long-term maintainability of autonomy systems.

Requirements

The candidate must bring three to seven years of experience managing engineering initiatives within autonomy or aviation-related domains, demonstrating a track record of delivering complex technical programs.

Hands-on familiarity with aircraft systems, planning pipelines, or behavior design is a prerequisite, ensuring that the manager can communicate effectively with specialists and understand implementation constraints.

Superior written and verbal communication skills are required for interaction with both technical teams and regulatory bodies, enabling clear articulation of technical decisions and trade-offs.

The manager must understand how to structure code, tests, and reviews to uphold safety standards in critical software processes, ensuring that every change is traceable and verifiable.

You must be comfortable working within structured development environments where requirements traceability, change control, and documentation are treated as first-class deliverables.

The role requires the ability to interpret regulatory expectations and translate them into concrete engineering tasks that can be verified through testing and analysis.

Experience with safety-critical systems and an understanding of functional safety principles, such as those related to failure modes and effects analysis, is essential.

You should have a demonstrated ability to manage competing priorities, balancing schedule pressures with the need for thorough validation and compliance activities.

Nice to have

Experience with public company reporting, disclosure practices, or regulatory engagement within aerospace settings.

Practical notes

Details regarding specific tools and technologies are not provided in this overview.