Director of AI Core Software

Merlin Labs, Inc.; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 250,000 - 380,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity in Merlin

Flexible paid time off

Comprehensive healthcare

Parental leave

Lifestyle spending account

401K program

Job summary

Merlin Labs, Inc. seeks a technically deep software leader to define and drive the technical strategy for the AI Core platform, spanning perception, sensor fusion, decision-making, planning and control.

You will lead a multidisciplinary team of AI, robotics and software engineers working on flight-critical autonomy software, translating company objectives into roadmaps with clear milestones and owning end-to-end architecture for data pipelines, model training, onboard inference and control.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of software engineering experience, with at least 5 years in Physical AI technical leadership and engineering management roles.
• Proficiency in PyTorch, TensorFlow and C++ (or equivalent systems languages used in real-time embedded environments).
• Experience shipping production-grade AI-based autonomy in safety-critical, deterministic and highly regulated environments (aerospace, automotive, etc.).

Responsibilities

• Define and drive the technical strategy for Merlin’s AI Core platform across perception, sensor fusion, decision-making, planning and control.
• Lead, grow and mentor a multi-disciplinary team of AI engineers, robotics engineers, and software engineers on autonomy software.
• Collaborate with VP of Engineering and CTO to translate company objectives into roadmaps with milestones.
• Own AI Core stack architecture from data pipelines and training to real-time onboard inference and control.
• Establish engineering standards, code quality practices, and safety review processes for aviation-grade software.
• Partner with Flight Operations, Systems Eng, and Certification to meet FAA and regulatory requirements.
• Drive integration between AI Core and broader avionics and vehicle management systems.
• Recruit senior engineering talent and foster a culture of technical excellence and psychological safety.
• Represent the AI Core team in cross-functional planning, risk reviews, and stakeholder communications.
• Track emerging research and open-source developments and translate into product opportunities.

Skills

AI leadership

Software engineering

CI/CD

MLOps

Safety-critical

System architecture

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/AI

Tools

PyTorch

TensorFlow

C++

Embedded Linux

RTOS

Job description

• Define and drive the technical strategy for Merlin’s AI Core platform, spanning perception, sensor fusion, decision-making, planning, and control
• Lead, grow, and mentor a multi-disciplinary team of AI engineers, robotics engineers, and software engineers working on flight-critical autonomy software
• Collaborate with the VP of Engineering and CTO to translate company-level objectives into clear, achievable technical roadmaps with well-defined milestones
• Own the architecture of the AI Core stack from data pipelines and model training infrastructure through to real-time onboard inference and control
• Establish and enforce engineering standards, code quality practices, and safety review processes appropriate for an aviation-grade software system
• Partner closely with Flight Operations, Systems Engineering, and Certification teams to ensure AI Core software meets FAA and regulatory requirements
• Drive integration between AI Core components and the broader avionics and vehicle management systems
• Recruit senior engineering talent and build a culture of technical excellence, ownership, and psychological safety
• Represent the AI Core team in cross-functional planning, risk reviews, and stakeholder communications
• Track and evaluate emerging research and open-source developments relevant to autonomous flight, and translate promising work into product opportunities

Benefits

• Equity in Merlin
• Flexible paid time off
• Comprehesive healthcare
• Parental leave
• Lifestyle spending account
• 401K program

You are a technically deep software leader who has shipped production AI or autonomy systems in a safety-critical domain. You thrive at the intersection of rigorous engineering and ambitious product vision, and you know how to build and motivate world-class teams working on hard, long-horizon problemsYou hold yourself and your team to the highest standards of software quality and safety — not because the process demands it, but because you genuinely care about the integrity of what you buildYou’re equally comfortable reviewing a pull request, debating system architecture, and presenting a roadmap to the executive teamYou want your work to matter, and there’s nothing more meaningful to you than putting reliable autonomous systems into the skyStrong command of modern software engineering practices including AI model distillation, MLOps, CI/CD, rigorous testing strategies, and design-for-safety principlesExperience in deploying end-to-end Data strategy to collect, ingest and curate the data for AI model training, simulation and edge deployment10+ years of software engineering experience, with at least 5 years in Physical AI technical leadership and engineering management rolesDegree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Computer Engineering, Applied Math, or a related subjectProficiency in Pytorch, TensorFlow and C++ (or equivalent systems languages used in real-time embedded environments)Proven track record of shipping production grade AI based autonomy in a safety-critical, deterministic and highly regulated environment (aerospace, automotive, industrial, medical, or similar)Strong written and verbal communication skills; ability to document complex technical decisions clearly and conciselyComfort operating in a fast-paced, ambiguous startup environment where priorities and requirements evolveDeep expertise in at least one of: real-time perception and sensor fusion, motion planning and control, large-scale next gen AI model training and deployment, or onboard inference systemsAbility to define and communicate architectural decisions across organizational boundaries, including to non-technical stakeholdersExperience managing the managers, senior engineers and staff-level technical contributors, including performance management and career developmentExperience with airborne hardware platforms, embedded Linux, or real-time operating systems (RTOS)Familiarity with simulation-based validation, hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing, or digital twin developmentBackground in vehicle dynamics, vehicle control systems, or avionics/Automotive software integrationPublished research or significant contributions to open-source projects in autonomy, robotics, or machine learningPrior experience at a Series A–C deep tech startupPilot’s license or meaningful hands-on experience with aircraft operations