Mission Control Center Lead

Staff/Principal Mission Control Center Lead

Joby Flight Research designs, develops, and flight-tests novel aircraft using a software-first autonomy approach. We build and deploy autonomy, perception, planning, and radar systems across conventional, electric, and hydrogen-electric aircraft in both CTOL and VTOL configurations.

Responsibilities

• Systems Architecture & Redundancy
  • Architect the end-to-end Mission Control Center system, including ground control stations, communication links, data infrastructure, and failover strategies.
  • Define and drive redundancy and fault-tolerance requirements across hardware, software, and network layers — from single points of failure to multi-region resilience.
  • Develop system-level models and safety analyses (FHA, FMEA, FTA) to validate that MCC architecture meets airworthiness and operational safety targets.
  • Establish performance and availability SLAs for the MCC platform and lead design reviews to enforce architectural standards.
  • Collaborate with avionics and vehicle teams to define the interface between aircraft and ground systems, including command latency, telemetry bandwidth, and degraded-mode behavior.
• FAA Regulatory Approvals
  • Lead MCC-related regulatory strategy and submissions, including working with the FAA on ground control station certification, BVLOS operational approvals, and DAA (Detect and Avoid) integration requirements.
  • Develop and maintain compliance documentation including Means of Compliance (MOC), System Safety Assessments, and Operational Safety Cases.
  • Serve as technical lead in interactions with the FAA or other regulatory bodies — translating between engineering reality and regulatory language.
  • Monitor evolving UAS rulemaking and proactively adjust MCC architecture and procedures to anticipate regulatory changes.
• M:N Pilot Operations & HMI Design
  • Define the conceptual and technical framework for m:n pilot operations — how a small number of remote pilots safely supervise a large fleet of autonomous aircraft simultaneously.
  • Drive requirements for Human-Machine Interface (HMI) design, including alert prioritization, workload management, and decision-support tooling.
  • Partner with human factors engineers and operations teams to validate that MCC interfaces meet cognitive load and situational awareness requirements.
  • Develop contingency frameworks for edge cases: communication loss, simultaneous off-nominal events, emergency handoffs, and operator incapacitation.
  • Define pilot certification and training requirements for MCC operators in coordination with the Director of Flight Operations.
• Cybersecurity
  • Define MCC cybersecurity architecture aligned with NIST SP 800-82, DO-326A, and relevant aviation security standards.
  • Establish threat modeling practices for ground-to-air communication links, MCC infrastructure, and operator authentication systems.
  • Collaborate with the security team to implement intrusion detection, secure boot, and data integrity controls across MCC systems.
  • Ensure cybersecurity posture is integrated into FAA safety assessments and operational approval packages.

Required

• 10+ years of experience in systems engineering, with at least 5 years in aviation, aerospace, UAV/UAS, or safety-critical embedded systems.

• BS in Aerospace or related field

• Deep expertise in system architecture and safety analysis methods (FHA, FMEA, FTA, STPA) for complex, distributed systems.

• Direct experience with FAA certification processes — preferably including Part 135, Part 23/25, or UAS-specific approvals (BVLOS waivers, exemptions).

• Demonstrated ability to author and own system safety assessments, compliance artifacts, and interface control documents.

• Strong understanding of ground-to-air communication systems (C2 links, RF, satellite, LTE) and their availability/integrity tradeoffs.

• Experience working across hardware, software, and operations disciplines; ability to drive alignment without direct authority.

• Exceptional written and verbal communication — able to engage regulators, executives, and engineers with equal effectiveness.

This position must meet US export control compliance requirements, therefore a candidate must qualify as a "US Person" as defined by 22 C.F.R. § 120.15. "US Person" includes US Citizens, lawful permanent residents, refugees, or asylees.

Desired

• Experience designing or operating real-world UAS/UAM Mission Control Centers or ground control stations.
• Familiarity with m:n remote piloting concepts, RPAS regulations (ICAO Annex 2/11), or Air Traffic Management integration.
• Knowledge of aviation cybersecurity standards: DO-326A/ED-202A, DO-356A/ED-203A, NIST 800-82.
• Background in human factors engineering or HMI design for aviation or other safety-critical domains.
• Experience with DAA systems, UTM/USS integration, or BVLOS operations.
• FAA commercial or remote pilot certificate is a plus.

Compensation at Joby is a combination of base pay and Restricted Stock Units (RSUs). The target base pay for this position is $198,100 - $309,000/yr. The compensation package will be determined by job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.

Joby also offers a comprehensive benefits package, including paid time off, healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan with a company match, an employee stock purchase plan (ESPP), short-term and long-term disability coverage, life insurance, and more.

Additional Information

Joby Aviation is an equal opportunity employer.