Flight Test Aircraft Engineer Lead

Socket.dev; California (MO); On-site; USD 171,000 - 235,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

RSUs

Healthcare benefits

401(k) company match

Employee stock purchase plan (ESPP)

Disability coverage

Life insurance

Job summary

Joby is seeking a Flight Test Aircraft Engineering Lead in the United States to guide a multidisciplinary team in configuring, operating, and sustaining flight test aircraft. You will balance safety, technical rigor, and schedule to maximize fleet availability for mission readiness.

The role requires a BS in a STEM field and 8+ years of hands-on flight test or maintenance experience, with proven leadership and strong cross-functional communication.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related STEM field.
• 8+ years of hands-on engineering experience in flight testing, aircraft maintenance engineering, or systems integration.
• Proven track record leading multidisciplinary technical teams in high-tempo aerospace environments.
• Experience with configuration control, mass properties tracking, and maintenance release processes.
• Strong cross-functional communication aligning design, maintenance, and leadership.

Responsibilities

• Lead a multidisciplinary team of aircraft engineers and maintainers, promoting safety and rigorous configuration management.
• Serve as the central engineering authority between flight test and design to troubleshoot and approve releases.
• Document configurations, masses, limits, and ensure records across enterprise tools.
• Coordinate between engineering and maintenance to plan work instructions, changes, and verifications.
• Collaborate with program management to schedule work and optimize spares and logistics.

Skills

Leadership

Mentoring

Cross-functional communication

Troubleshooting

Fleet issue tracking

Education

BS in Aerospace Engineering

Tools

JIRA

IFS

PLM/ERP

Job description

Company Overview

Imagine a piloted air taxi that takes off vertically, then quietly carries you and your fellow passengers over the congested city streets below, enabling you to spend more time with the people and places that matter most. At Joby, we've been working to make that dream a reality since 2009 and we're now in the final stages of certifying our aircraft with the FAA. With plans to launch our aircraft in the US and Dubai, we're now scaling manufacturing and preparing for the launch of our commercial service.

Overview

The Flight Test Aircraft Engineering Lead is a technical and people leader responsible for guiding a multidisciplinary engineering team to configure, operate, and sustain flight test aircraft in alignment with Flight Test Program goals. Positioned at the key intersection of engineering design, flight test operations, and maintenance execution, this role balances safety, technical rigor, and schedule objectives to maximize fleet availability and mission readiness.

Responsibilities

• Lead, empower, and mentor a multidisciplinary team of aircraft engineers and maintainers, fostering a high-performing culture of safety, cross-functional trust, disciplined configuration management, and adherence to Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
• Serve as the central engineering authority between flight test and design teams to rapidly troubleshoot, prioritize, and resolve in-flight/post-flight technical issues, approve engineering releases, and clear aircraft for daily test missions
• Direct the establishment, tracking, and documentation of baseline and test-specific aircraft configurations—including mass properties, limits, and restrictions—ensuring accurate records across enterprise tracking tools (e.g., JIRA, IFS)
• Lead coordination between engineering and maintenance to plan, review, and approve work instructions, engineering changes, continuous improvement alterations, and post-maintenance verification activities
• Partner with program management to schedule work packages, eliminate technical roadblocks, and optimize spares/logistics planning to maintain a high operational tempo and meet key program milestones

Required

• Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a closely related STEM discipline
• 8+ years of hands-on professional engineering experience in flight testing, aircraft maintenance engineering, or aircraft systems integration
• Proven track record of leading, mentoring, or guiding multidisciplinary technical teams in a high-tempo aerospace flight test or development environment
• In-depth knowledge of aircraft configuration control, mass properties tracking, engineering change processes, and maintenance release protocols
• Strong experience in technical troubleshooting and fleet issue tracking utilizing enterprise systems (e.g., JIRA, IFS, or equivalent PLM/ERP tools)
• Exceptional cross-functional communication skills, with a proven ability to align design engineers, maintenance technicians, and program leadership

Desired

• Experience as an Aircraft Manager on an experimental Flight Test Program, preferably including VTOL or STOVL and fly-by-wire platforms

• Civil aircraft certification experience including use of ARP 4754 processes for requirements and FAA AC 23-8C or AC 27-1B for flight test

• Familiarity with FAA Order 4040.26C

• Familiarity with DO-178C and DO-160

Additional Information

Compensation at Joby is a combination of base pay and Restricted Stock Units (RSUs). The target base pay for this position is $171,200 - $235,400/yr. The compensation package will be determined by job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.

Joby also offers a comprehensive benefits package, including paid time off, healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan with a company match, an employee stock purchase plan (ESPP), short-term and long-term disability coverage, life insurance, and more.

Joby is an Equal Opportunity Employer