Vice President, Air Vehicle Integration

Merlin Labs; Boston; On-site; GBP 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

A cutting-edge aerospace company located in Boston, UK, is seeking a VP of Air Vehicle Integration & Hardware Development to lead aircraft integration for the Merlin Pilot. This role involves defining avionics architecture and managing a multi-disciplinary team to ensure certified aircraft systems. The ideal candidate will have over 12 years of experience in aircraft systems, strong communication skills, and a track record of delivering compliant aircraft integrations. This position is pivotal in driving the integration of autonomy capabilities into aviation.

Qualifications

• 12+ years in aircraft systems or integration leadership, with 5+ years managing teams delivering to flight.
• Proven record delivering certified aircraft integrations under Part 23, 25, or equivalent military.
• Excellent communicator driving alignment across functions.

Responsibilities

• Lead aircraft integration and adaptation for the Merlin Pilot across multiple platforms.
• Define integration plans for avionics architecture and wiring.
• Oversee mechanical and electrical design for airworthiness compliance.

Job description

About You:

Merlin is building the world’s most capable non-human pilot. As VP of Air Vehicle Integration & Hardware Development, you’ll lead the team responsible for adapting and integrating the Merlin Pilot autonomy system across a fleet of aircraft—from Part 23 and Part 25 airframes to Group 2 UAS. You’ll define how autonomy meets airworthiness: taking ownership of aircraft adaptation, avionics and wiring, mechanical integration, environmental qualification, and configuration management that enables safe, certifiable, and repeatable flight. You’ll work closely with Systems Engineering, Autonomy Software, Compute Platform Integration & Test, Flight Test, and Certification to deliver aircraft that are ready for autonomy at scale.

Responsibilities:

• Lead all aspects of aircraft integration and adaptation for the Merlin Pilot across multiple platforms.
• Define and deliver integration plans covering avionics architecture, wiring, structural installation, power and cooling, EMI/EMC, and ICDs.
• Oversee mechanical and electrical design, environmental qualification (DO-160), and airworthiness compliance (ARP4754A, ARP4761).
• Develop and operate systems-integration labs, SILs, HILs, and flight-test instrumentation—ensuring high fidelity and uptime.
• Manage suppliers for harnesses, LRUs, racks, and test services; own quality, delivery, and cost.
• Establish configuration management discipline, engineering release, and traceability from requirements through test.
• Build, lead, and mentor a multi-disciplinary hardware organization focused on safety, learning, and execution velocity.
• Partner with leadership to hit ground, taxi, and flight-test milestones that move autonomy from lab to sky.
• Develop strong relationships with suppliers and target airframe OEMs to enable on‑time delivery of Merlin autonomy capabilities to end users.

Qualification:

• 12+ years in aircraft systems or integration leadership, with 5+ years managing multi-disciplinary hardware teams delivering to flight.
• Proven record delivering certified or certifiable aircraft integrations under Part 23, 25, or equivalent military programs.
• Deep technical expertise in avionics architecture, wiring design, grounding/bonding, EMI/EMC, and power distribution.
• Hands‑on experience planning and executing DO-160 environmental testing.
• Strong background in configuration management, supplier oversight, and flight‑test readiness.
• Excellent communicator who drives alignment across hardware, software, certification, and program functions.
• Ideal candidate would have or have held appropriate FAA DER delegations.

Nice to Have:

• DO-254 experience in custom electronics or avionics packaging.
• Integration of advanced sensors (radar, EO/IR, RF links).
• Familiarity with autonomy payloads or ASTM F3269.
• Active or prior U.S. security clearance.