Staff Simulation Platform Engineer

Merlin Labs; Boston; On-site; PHP 7,263,922 - 9,079,903; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Unlimited vacation

401(k) with match

Job summary

Merlin Labs is seeking a Staff Simulation Platform Engineer to design and build simulation infrastructure that supports aircraft modeling and autonomy development. This senior technical role involves creating scalable virtual environments and improving integration infrastructure. Candidates should have over 7 years of experience in simulation or autonomy frameworks, software architecture in distributed systems, and proficiency in Python or C++. The position is on-site at Merlin HQ in Boston and offers a comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, and unlimited vacation.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in simulation or autonomy validation environments.
• Experience in architecting large-scale simulation frameworks.
• Strong software architecture experience in distributed systems.

Responsibilities

• Define and implement structured topology and configuration definitions.
• Improve stability of routing layers and integration components.
• Build validation tooling to prevent integration breakage.

Skills

Building complex simulation environments

Architecting large-scale simulation frameworks

Software architecture in distributed systems

Hands-on proficiency in Python

Hands-on proficiency in C++

Job description

About Merlin

Merlin is a venture backed aerospace startup building a non‑human pilot to enable both reduced crew and uncrewed flight. Backed by some of the world’s leading investors, Merlin is scaling alongside our customers to begin leveraging autonomy today to solve some of aviation’s biggest challenges.

About You

We are seeking a Staff Simulation Platform Engineer to design and build the next‑generation simulation infrastructure that supports aircraft modeling, autonomy development, and hardware‑in‑the‑loop validation across multiple aircraft platforms.

This is a hands‑on senior technical role focused on building scalable virtual environments, stabilizing integration infrastructure, and enabling scenario‑based autonomy validation without linear growth in engineering effort per platform.

This position reports to the Virtual Test Environments Lead and will play a central role in evolving our simulation ecosystem into a robust, scalable internal platform.

Responsibilities

This is a senior technical contributor role with significant architectural impact but no direct people management responsibility.

Simulation Infrastructure Architecture & Implementation

• Define and implement structured topology and configuration definitions across aircraft platforms
• Improve stability of routing layers, hardware/software interfaces, and runtime integration components
• Introduce versioning and compatibility discipline across simulation artifacts
• Build validation tooling to prevent integration breakage from reaching lab benches

Autonomy‑Focused Virtual Environment Development

• Expand scenario‑based simulation capabilities supporting autonomy development
• Enable structured Monte Carlo and multi‑scenario validation workflows
• Develop infrastructure to simulate sensor inputs and autonomy behaviors in realistic operational contexts
• Improve determinism and traceability of simulation runs

Toolchain Modernization & Automation

• Implement CI/CD workflows for simulation artifacts
• Improve reproducibility of simulation environments
• Implement schema‑driven validation mechanisms for interfaces
• Build foundational platform components hands‑on during early phases

Technical Leadership

• Mentor and elevate engineers working on simulation tools and routing infrastructure
• Establish extensibility and architectural standards within the simulation stack
• Influence cross‑functional stakeholders (Autonomy, Compute Platform, Systems, Lab Integration)

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience building or scaling complex simulation or autonomy validation environments
• Experience contributing to or architecting large‑scale simulation frameworks (e.g., AFSIM, Unreal/Unity‑based simulation environments, CARLA, custom autonomy simulation platforms, or equivalent)
• Strong software architecture experience in multi‑component, distributed systems
• Experience defining interface contracts, configuration schemas, or API boundaries in complex systems
• Experience integrating simulation environments with real‑time or hardware‑in‑the‑loop systems
• Hands‑on proficiency in Python and/or C++
• Demonstrated ability to modernize or scale legacy engineering toolchains

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience developing simulation or virtual validation environments for autonomy systems (automotive, aerospace, robotics)
• Experience designing scenario‑based validation systems
• Familiarity with SIL/HIL integration
• Experience implementing CI/CD in engineering‑heavy environments
• Background in safety‑critical systems

Location and Benefits

This position is based on‑site at Merlin HQ in Boston, MA.

Merlin Labs offers an innovative, entrepreneurial, and team‑focused startup environment. We also offer a top‑notch benefits package (health, dental, life, unlimited vacation, and 401(k) with match).

Equality

Merlin Labs is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, genetic information, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, military service or obligation or disability status, or any other characteristic protected by law. All job offers are contingent upon the candidate passing background and reference checks.