Chief Technology Officer - UAV Systems

Raghu Vamsi Aerospace Group; Hyderabad; On-site; INR 9,000,000 - 14,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Arrobot is seeking a Chief Technology Officer to own the technology strategy and engineering execution behind its UAV and UGV programs. Reporting to the CEO and collaborating with the Board, the CTO will lead the engineering organization from R&D and architecture through certification and production readiness.

The role requires extensive aerospace/defense experience, a proven ability to scale engineering teams, and a strategic mindset to translate vision into executable roadmaps while navigating

Qualifications

• 15+ years in aerospace/defense or autonomous systems
• 5+ years in senior technology leadership (CTO, VP Engineering)
• Experience building and scaling engineering teams in UAV/robotics/defense manufacturing
• Deep fluency across mechanical/structural, propulsion, avionics, and autonomy software
• Experience with certification/regulatory environments (CEMILAC, DGAQA, DRDO)

Responsibilities

• Define and own technology roadmap across UAV/UGV platforms
• Set engineering architecture standards and technical direction
• Identify and evaluate emerging technologies for strategic relevance
• Own IP strategy and patent filings
• Lead the full engineering organization across disciplines
• Drive engineering process maturity and certification handoffs
• Represent technology capability to defense customers and partners
• Partner with leadership on manufacturing readiness and scale-up

Skills

Engineering leadership

Aerospace experience

Systems integration

Regulatory compliance

Board communication

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Aerospace/Mechanical/Electronics

PhD a plus

Job description

Reports to: Chief Executive Officer

About the Role

Arrobot is seeking a Chief Technology Officer (CTO) to own the technology strategy and engineering execution behind its UAV and UGV programs. Reporting to the CEO and working closely with the Board, the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) will lead the engineering organization end-to-end - from R&D and platform architecture through certification and production readiness. This is an opportunity to build and scale a deep-tech engineering organization inside a group that already has manufacturing scale, defence relationships, and international aerospace customers in place.

Responsibilities

• Define and own technology roadmap across our UAV and UGV platforms, aligning R&D investment with program priorities and market opportunity
• Set engineering architecture standards and technical direction across airframes, propulsion, avionics, autonomy software, technical documentation, and payload systems
• Identify and evaluate emerging technologies - autonomy, swarm systems, propulsion, materials - for strategic relevance, and make build-vs-partner-vs-acquire recommendations
• Own IP strategy, including patent filings and protection of proprietary technology

Engineering Leadership & Execution

• Lead the full engineering organization spanning mechanical design, embedded systems, robotics/autonomy software, systems engineering, propulsion, and integration
• Own engineering execution quality across concurrent UAV and UGV programs, partnering closely with program management on delivery
• Build and scale the engineering team, including hiring, structuring, and developing engineering leadership across functional areas
• Drive engineering process maturity - design review discipline, configuration management, and design-to-certification handoff

Certification, Compliance & Government Relations

• Own the technical relationship with certification bodies such as CEMILAC and DGAQA, ensuring engineering practices support certification and airworthiness requirements
• Represent Arrobot's technology capability directly to defence customers, government stakeholders, and OEM partners
• Support technology transfer and indigenisation initiatives, working with DRDO and domestic partners on absorption of critical technologies

Organizational & Board Engagement

• Serve as a key member of the senior leadership team, contributing to overall business strategy alongside the CEO and COO
• Present technology strategy, engineering risk, and program technical status to the Board
• Partner with the COO on manufacturing readiness and production scale-up from prototype through full-rate production

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electronics, or a related engineering discipline; PhD a plus

Required Skills

• 15+ years of engineering experience in aerospace, defence, or advanced autonomous systems, including 5+ years in a senior technology leadership role (CTO, VP Engineering, or equivalent)
• Demonstrated track record of building and scaling engineering organizations, ideally in a UAV, robotics, or defence manufacturing environment
• Deep technical fluency across multiple engineering domains - mechanical/structural, propulsion, avionics/embedded systems, and autonomy software
• Experience navigating defence certification and regulatory environments (CEMILAC, DGAQA, DRDO, or international equivalents)
• Track record of engaging directly with government, defence, and OEM stakeholders at a senior level

Preferred Skills

• Strategic thinker who can translate technology vision into an executable engineering roadmap
• Comfortable operating both at the architecture whiteboard and in the boardroom
• Strong people leader with experience building high-performing engineering teams from the ground up
• High personal integrity and judgment, given the security-sensitive nature of defence programs
• Resilient under the ambiguity and pace typical of a scaling deep-tech organization