Technical Program Manager, Flight Test Instrumentation

Joby Aviation; California (MO); On-site; USD 113,000 - 195,800; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

Healthcare benefits

401(k) plan with company match

Employee stock purchase plan (ESPP)

Short-term and long-term disability coverage

Life insurance

Job summary

Joby Aviation is seeking a Flight Test Instrumentation Technical Program Manager to oversee the delivery of test systems for experimental flight test campaigns. This role requires a Bachelor's in a relevant field and at least 3 years of engineering experience, with a strong emphasis on project management and detail orientation. Compensation ranges from $113,000 to $195,800, alongside a robust benefits package including healthcare and retirement plans. Join Joby in transforming the air travel experience.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in an engineering environment with integrated engineering solutions.
• Familiarity with flight test instrumentation systems and data acquisition.
• Strong understanding of the hardware development lifecycle.

Responsibilities

• Manage FTI and Ground Control Station program schedules and milestones.
• Align engineers to meet regulatory and safety requirements.
• Support systems and sensors qualification testing before operations.

Skills

Project management

Communication skills

Attention to detail

Education

Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related field

Tools

Smartsheet

JIRA

Confluence

Job description

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 Instrumentation (FTI) Technical Program Manager (TPM) is responsible for planning, coordinating, and driving the successful delivery of instrumentation and flight test systems used in experimental and certification flight test campaigns. This role bridges hardware engineering, software integration, and flight test operations to ensure instrumentation is delivered on schedule, within scope, and to the quality standards required for airworthiness compliance. The FTI TPM thrives in a fast-paced, highly technical environment and brings structure to complex, multi-disciplinary development programs.

Responsibilities

• Own and maintain master FTI and Ground Control Station program schedules, tracking design development, hardware procurement, installation, ground verification and system calibration, and instrumentation readiness milestones across multiple test campaigns
• Drive alignment across design engineers, flight test engineers, data analysts, and certification engineers to ensure flight test systems meet program, company, regulatory, and safety requirements for installation on experimental or type-certificated aircraft
• Coordinate across instrumentation engineers, supply chain, manufacturing, and flight test operations to ensure on-time delivery
• Support qualification and acceptance testing of new instrumentation systems and sensors prior to flight operations
• Ensure traceability of instrumentation calibration records and data quality assurance in accordance with program standards
• Facilitate incident and anomaly response related to instrumentation failures in the field, coordinating with engineering for root cause and corrective action
• Develop and maintain status reports and proactively identify and escalate blockers, driving creative solutions to maintain program momentum through design, build, and test phases
• Manage the FTI & Ground Control Station budget, including budget forecasting and expenditure tracking, vendor identification and purchasing

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related technical field
• 3+ years of experience in an engineering environment with demonstrated responsibility for developing and implementing highly integrated engineering solutions
• Familiarity with flight test instrumentation systems, including data acquisition systems, sensors, signal conditioning, and telemetry
• Strong understanding of the hardware development lifecycle, from early concept and design through manufacturing, integration, ground test, and flight test
• Demonstrated organizational skills and exceptional attention to detail in a safety-critical environment
• Strong oral and written communication skills, with the ability to convey complex technical topics to diverse audiences including engineers, test pilots, and executives
• Proven ability to simultaneously manage multiple high-paced engineering projects and competing priorities
• Experience with project management tools such as Smartsheet or similar project management tools, Confluence, and/or JIRA
• Proficiency in common workplace software including word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation applications

Desired

• Experience supporting FAA or EASA type certification programs
• Hands-on experience with flight test instrumentation installation, checkout, or calibration
• Exposure to aircraft wiring, avionics integration, or structural instrumentation (strain gauges, accelerometers, pressure transducers)
• Knowledge of airworthiness requirements for test article modifications and experimental aircraft operations
• Exposure to mechanical design tools (SolidWorks, CATIA), DAQ software, and version control practices
• Experience coordinating engineering design revision cycles to address integration and in-service discrepancies

Additional Information

Compensation at Joby is a combination of base pay and Restricted Stock Units (RSUs). The target base pay for this position is $113,000 - $195,800/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