Technical Program Manager, Autonomy

About the Role

This position is responsible for the end-to-end execution rhythm of the Merlin Pilot autonomy software release train. The role translates high-level autonomy strategies into concrete, time-bound deliverables while ensuring alignment between software development, simulation, and physical flight validation. You will own the definition, tracking, and delivery of autonomy capabilities for both internal programs and external customer commitments. Success in this position requires a balance of technical depth, schedule discipline, and stakeholder communication to ensure reliable, certified autonomy software delivery.

The position sits at the center of Merlin's product strategy, managing the autonomy stack from initial concept through validated deployment. You will work directly with software engineers, autonomy architects, systems engineers, and product leadership to maintain a coherent and predictable release trajectory. This role serves both internal research and development initiatives and contracted defense and commercial programs, ensuring that autonomy milestones are met without compromising safety or certification standards.

Key Responsibilities

You will set intake criteria for autonomy features before detailed design work begins, ensuring clarity and feasibility at the earliest stage. You will design and maintain build milestones that explicitly connect software modules to flight test objectives, creating traceability across the development lifecycle. Coordinating review sessions is a core duty, where simulation results directly inform adjustments to upcoming software sprints and technical priorities.

You will ship validated capability drops that meet certification checkpoints and operational timelines precisely, managing dependencies from initial code changes to final flight validation. A critical function is partnering with external customers to align long-term roadmap commitments with evolving requirements, ensuring that platform development remains responsive and strategically focused.

Guiding simulation infrastructure decisions is essential to ensure data pipelines support reliable and consistent autonomy testing across all phases of development. You will continuously track dependency chains from perception algorithms through planning logic and into flight control adjustments, identifying integration risks before they affect delivery. Early flagging of technical risk is required whenever a milestone is threatened by integration challenges or testing issues.

Requirements

You must hold a minimum of three years of experience managing complex software releases within autonomy-focused environments. Demonstrated ability to read architecture diagrams and follow technical logic from planning stages through flight control implementation is required. You must understand how simulation feeds validation and how this relationship impacts certification success for autonomy systems.

The capability to recognize when sensor or planning changes threaten critical delivery dates is essential. Clear communication with engineers, architects, and defense program stakeholders is required, particularly when discussing technical tradeoffs and their impact on schedule or performance. You must operate effectively in a regulated environment where safety, certification, and compliance govern all technical decisions.

Compensation and Location

The position is based in Boston, Massachusetts, and is classified as full-time. The compensation range is set between $160,000.00 and $230,000.00 annually, reflecting the scope and responsibility of the role.

About the Company

Merlin is a publicly traded aerospace and defense company listed on NASDAQ under the ticker MRLN. The company is focused on building a non-human pilot to deliver full-stack autonomy for any aircraft, from takeoff to touchdown. The Merlin Pilot autonomy system powers a growing range of aircraft and mission profiles, with validation achieved through hundreds of autonomous flights conducted at global test facilities in locations such as Kerikeri, New Zealand; Quonset Point, Rhode Island; and soon, Bedford, Massachusetts.

Merlin was founded by a mission-driven team committed to accelerating autonomy, supporting defense capabilities, and redefining aviation possibilities. The company operates with backing from leading investors and is advancing certification and commercialization of autonomous flight across both commercial and defense aviation sectors.

Nice to Have

Prior experience working within public companies in aerospace and defense environments is strongly preferred, providing familiarity with regulatory processes and public company governance.

Skills and Tools

Core skills include the Merlin Pilot autonomy platform, simulation tools, requirements tracking systems, and release planning methodologies. Familiarity with the entire autonomy stack, from sensors to flight controls, is highly valuable.

Practical Notes

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