Senior Systems Engineer

Job Description

Job Description

Skyways designs, builds, and operates fully autonomous long-range cargo aircraft. Founded in 2017, the company has spent the last eight years developing and deploying autonomous logistics systems for real-world operations.

Our V2 aircraft carries 30 lbs up to 500 miles, and V3 has a maximum range of well over 1,000 miles, a maximum useful load of 100 lbs, and a maximum endurance of nearly 20 hours. Both use a hybrid-electric architecture that takes off like a helicopter and cruises like a plane, enabling long-range autonomous delivery without traditional runway infrastructure.

Today, Skyways aircraft operate across three continents in controlled national airspace under FAA oversight and in support of U.S. military operations. We are transitioning from prototype development to full-rate production and scaling toward large autonomous cargo fleets.

Backed by Y Combinator and a $37M AFWERX STRATFI award from the U.S. Air Force, Skyways is creating a new form of transportation to advance our civilization from Austin, Texas.

The Opportunity

Skyways is hiring a Senior Systems Engineer to own meaningful aircraft systems engineering workstreams from requirements definition through integration, verification, and closure.

You will be a trusted technical expert for your assigned area, coordinating decisions across Electrical, Mechanical, Software, Flight Test, Manufacturing, and Operations teams while shaping related interfaces and practices.

You will set priorities within team direction, close gaps proactively, and deliver measurable progress toward team and company goals. 

What You'll Do:

• Own Systems Workstreams: Define scope, requirements, interfaces, acceptance criteria, dependencies, and verification plans. Carry assigned work through integration and closure, with clear evidence of delivered outcomes.

• Resolve Technical Tradeoffs: Lead analysis of architecture and interface choices within your scope. Assess performance, safety, reliability, and integration implications; document recommendations and coordinate decisions with affected owners.

• Lead Integration & Verification: Set the test approach, readiness criteria, and configuration baseline for your workstream. Coordinate bench, simulation, ground, and flight verification, resolve discrepancies, and demonstrate that requirements are met.

• Close Gaps & Drive Results: Set priorities within team direction, anticipate cross-team dependencies, and lead investigation of complex system anomalies. Work with Reliability Engineering and subsystem owners to verify corrective actions and track measurable results.

• Raise Engineering Capability: Improve documentation, design and test reviews, and working standards in your area. Mentor less-experienced engineers where present and share reusable methods that help peers make sound technical decisions.

What You'll Bring:

• Engineering education or equivalent practical experience relevant to aircraft systems, robotics, or other complex hardware and software products.

• Demonstrated end-to-end ownership of meaningful engineering workstreams that measurably improved product performance, integration quality, test completion, or team delivery.

• Deep expertise in systems engineering or an aircraft subsystem, with the judgment to assess interactions across hardware, software, and operational use.

• Strong experience with requirements traceability, interface control, engineering trade studies, configuration changes, and verification and validation.

• Ability to explain technical decisions, evidence, uncertainty, and risks clearly to engineers, project owners, and other stakeholders.

• Proven ability to set priorities within team direction, resolve ambiguous problems, coordinate dependencies, and close technical gaps without waiting for detailed task assignments.

• Evidence of improving others' work through mentorship, documentation, technical review, or practical standards; proficiency with engineering analysis tools.

Bonus Points:

• Experience taking autonomous aircraft or complex electromechanical systems through integration and operational evaluation.

• Familiarity with ArduPilot, MAVLink, DroneCAN, or comparable flight-control and communications tools.

• Experience with aircraft safety analysis, failure-mode analysis, or cross-subsystem root-cause investigations.

• Experience developing reusable simulation, hardware-in-the-loop, test automation, or requirements and verification practices.

In addition to base salary, offers include stock options, so you own part of what you build. Benefits include medical, dental, and vision coverage, paid time off, paid holidays, a 401k, and life insurance.

Relocation assistance is available for candidates moving to Austin.

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Due to U.S. government contract requirements, this role is limited to U.S. citizens, U.S. permanent residents, or candidates from specific countries authorized under applicable export control regulations.

Skyways is an Equal Opportunity employer committed to diversity in the workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, protected veteran status or any other factor protected by applicable local, state or federal laws.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.