Autonomy Chief Engineer

ELECTRA; Manassas (VA); On-site; USD 175,000 - 215,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Paid time off and holidays

401(k) with employer match

Free catered lunches at Manassas HQ

Job summary

Electra seeks a highly experienced Autonomy Chief Engineer to lead the design and integration of flight autonomy systems across EL9 variants and related products. You will act as the primary architect and system integrator, aligning customer use cases with internal requirements and maturing design through critical gate reviews.

You will own requirements development, architecture definition, and trade studies, partnering with the PMO and Certification Team to advance regulatory and program

Qualifications

• 12+ years of experience in flight autonomy or highly automated systems development.
• Proven ownership of complex autonomous system design and integration.
• Experience with government certification programs (FAA/defense) is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead development of autonomy system requirements and concept of operations.
• Define system architecture and integration strategies for EL9 autonomy.
• Collaborate with Certification Team on initial certification strategy with airworthiness authorities.
• Engage customers and partners to translate needs into technical requirements.

Skills

Flight autonomy

System integration

Technical leadership

Trade studies

AR P4754B

Education

Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Computer Science, Robotics or related

US Persons required

Job description

At Electra, we’re building the EL9 — a nine-passenger, hybrid-electric aircraft that takes off and lands in 150 feet. Our Ultra Short technology unlocks thousands of new operating locations and enables what we call Direct Aviation: quiet, point-to-point regional travel that gets people from where they are to where they want to go, without the congestion of major airports or the noise of conventional aviation.

A global company, headquartered in Manassas, VA, Electra is backed by Lockheed Martin, Honeywell, and Safran, has filed for FAA Part 23 type certification, and carries 2,000+ intent to purchase from operators worldwide. We’re a team of ~100 people moving fast toward first EL9 test flights in 2027 and certification by late 2029 or 2030. Every hire matters at this stage — and this role is no exception.

The Role

Electra seeks a highly experienced Autonomy Chief Engineer to lead the design and integration of flight autonomy systems on future variants of Electra's flagship nine-passenger EL9 aircraft and other new products. This role will serve as a primary architect and system integrator, with emphasis on understanding the customer use cases to build conviction on the internal requirements before executing the program by maturing the design and partnerships through successful gate reviews.

What You'll Do

Customer and Partner Engagement

• Partner with internal government and commercial programs leaders to deeply understand the real needs of the customers, not just their explicitly stated goals
• Synthesize these inputs to develop system requirements and concept of operation that define what Electra will develop to.
• Assess state of suppliers for various elements of the autonomy architecture including system components, support infrastructure, and data. Lead supplier/partner engagement and selection efforts.
• Support internal and external communication of Electra's autonomy strategy

Technical Integration and Design Maturity

• Define autonomy concept of operations, functional decomposition, and system architecture
• Develop integration strategies aligned with existing EL9 aircraft design
• Evaluate architectures and interfaces for completeness, performance, and integration risk
• Partner with the EL9 PMO to conduct trade studies for autonomous capability enhancements

Requirements Development and Traceability

• Lead the development of requirements for EL9 autonomy system, including both aircraft requirements and non-aircraft associated elements.
• Develop operational plan for the system including training systems, operational specifications, minimum equipment lists, etc.
• Collaborate with product development teams to ensure sound requirements flowdown and traceability.
• Assess verification approaches to confirm practicality and alignment with program objectives.

GateReview and Development Plan

• Assemble development and test plan for autonomy systems
• In collaboration with the Certification Team, support the development of a initial certification strategy with the relevant airworthiness authorities, especially defense authorities.
• Provide recommendations to program leadership.

What You’ll Bring

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical engineering, or related field, or equivalent experience ( advanced degree preferred)
• US Persons required
• Extensive experience (typically 12+ years) in flight autonomy or highly automated systems development
• Proven ownership of complex autonomous system design and integration
• Experience supporting or participating in government certification programs, including FAA and/or defense airworthiness processes
• Strong background in formal development processes (e.g., ARP4754B)
• Demonstrated technical leadership of engineering teams and supplier engagements, through direct management and/or senior technical direction
• Experience conducting trade studies and preparing for design reviews
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to deliver clear, actionable technical feedback

Bonus Points

• Pilot certificate preferred but not required.
• Familiarity with development and test planning for ground and flight activities.
• Demonstrated experience supporting or leading certification activities, including FAA or defense airworthiness.
• Demonstrated mentorship of senior engineers and IPT leads.

This range reflects the anticipated hiring range across all eligible locations; actual compensation is determined based on your relevant experience, skills, and geographic location. Total compensation includes performance bonus and comprehensive benefits.

Compensation Range

$175,000 - $215,000 USD

What We Offer

• Competitive salary and equity
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance; STD, LTD, and life insurance
• Generous PTO, sick leave, and company holidays
• Paid winter break
• 401(k) with immediate vesting
• Free catered lunches, coffee, snacks, and drinks at our Manassas headquarters
• Free on-site parking

Electra is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. This position may be subject to ITAR requirements.

This role requires on-site presence.

Are you legally authorized to work in the United States?

Will you now or in the future require employer sponsorship to work in the United States?

This position may require relocation.

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in Electra’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.