Senior Systems Engineer: Autonomous Aircraft Systems

Skyways; Austin, Northern (TX, KY); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401k

Paid time off

Paid holidays

Life insurance

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Skyways in Austin, TX is seeking a Senior Systems Engineer to own meaningful aircraft systems workstreams from requirements through verification and closure. You will coordinate Electrical, Mechanical, Software, Flight Test, Manufacturing, and Operations teams while shaping interfaces and practices.

You will set priorities within team direction, close gaps proactively, and deliver measurable progress toward team and company goals.

Qualifications

• Engineering education or equivalent practical experience relevant to aircraft systems, robotics, or other complex hardware and software products.
• Demonstrated end-to-end ownership of meaningful engineering workstreams improving product performance or delivery.
• Deep expertise in systems engineering or an aircraft subsystem with cross-domain awareness.
• Strong experience with requirements traceability, interface control, trade studies, and verification/validation.
• Ability to explain technical decisions and risks clearly to engineers and stakeholders.
• Proven ability to set priorities, resolve ambiguous problems, and close gaps without detailed task assignments.
• Mentorship and documentation skills to raise engineering capability.

Responsibilities

• Own Systems Workstreams: define scope, requirements, interfaces, acceptance criteria, dependencies, and verification plans.
• Lead integration and verification: plan tests, readiness criteria, and configurations; coordinate bench, simulation, ground, and flight verification.
• Resolve technical tradeoffs: analyze architecture, assess performance, safety, and integration implications.
• Close gaps and drive results: prioritize within team direction and track measurable outcomes.
• Raise engineering capability: improve docs, reviews, and reusable methods; mentor teammates.

Skills

End-to-end ownership

Systems engineering

Requirements traceability

Interface control

Engineering trade studies

Verification & validation

Problem solving

Mentorship

Education

Engineering education or equivalent experience

Tools

ArduPilot

MAVLink

DroneCAN

Job description

Skyways in Austin, TX is seeking a Senior Systems Engineer to own meaningful aircraft systems workstreams from requirements through verification and closure. You will coordinate Electrical, Mechanical, Software, Flight Test, Manufacturing, and Operations teams while shaping interfaces and practices.

You will set priorities within team direction, close gaps proactively, and deliver measurable progress toward team and company goals.