Head of AI Core Software for Autonomous Flight

Merlinlabs; Boston; On-site; PHP 13,191,000 - 20,101,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Catered lunches

Snacks

Beverages on-site

Job summary

Merlin Labs in Boston, MA is seeking a technically deep software leader to own and drive the AI Core platform, spanning perception, sensor fusion, decision-making, planning and control. You will mentor a multidisciplinary team and translate company objectives into clear technical roadmaps.

You will ensure safety and regulatory alignment with FAA, collaborate with Flight Operations and Certification, recruit senior engineers, and represent the AI Core team in planning.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of software engineering experience in safety-critical domains.
• 5+ years in Physical AI leadership and engineering management.
• Proven track record shipping production-grade AI-based autonomy in regulated environments.
• Proficient in PyTorch, TensorFlow, and C++ for real-time systems.

Responsibilities

• Define and drive the technical strategy for Merlin's AI Core platform (perception, sensor fusion, decision-making, planning, control).
• Lead, grow, and mentor a multidisciplinary team of AI, robotics, and software engineers.
• Collaborate with VP of Engineering and CTO to translate objectives into clear technical roadmaps with milestones.
• Own the architecture from data pipelines to real-time onboard inference and control.
• Establish engineering standards, code quality, and safety review processes for aviation-grade software.
• Partner with Flight Operations, Systems Engineering, and Certification to meet FAA/regulatory requirements.

Skills

AI leadership

Real-time AI systems

Team leadership

C++

PyTorch/TensorFlow

Communication

Startup mindset

Tools

Pytorch

TensorFlow

C++

Job description

Merlin Labs in Boston, MA is seeking a technically deep software leader to own and drive the AI Core platform, spanning perception, sensor fusion, decision-making, planning and control. You will mentor a multidisciplinary team and translate company objectives into clear technical roadmaps.

You will ensure safety and regulatory alignment with FAA, collaborate with Flight Operations and Certification, recruit senior engineers, and represent the AI Core team in planning.