Systems Engineering Lead

Joby Aviation; Santa Cruz (CA); On-site; USD 182,000 - 244,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in electric air transportation is seeking a Systems Engineering Lead to oversee technical guidance and coordination across engineering teams. This role involves managing system development, ensuring compliance with FAA regulations, and leading a team of engineers to achieve company objectives. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in aviation, strong leadership skills, and a solid understanding of systems engineering fundamentals.

Benefits

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

Qualifications

• 10+ years of aviation or defense industry experience.
• Expert-level understanding of safety-critical aircraft systems.

Responsibilities

• Leading system development activities defined by the Joby Product Development Process.
• Ensuring systems meet all company objectives and FAA certification requirements.

Skills

Leadership

Problem Solving

Communication

Technical Writing

Education

Bachelor of Science in Engineering

Master of Science in Systems Engineering

Tools

Microsoft Office

Google Docs

Job description

Joby Overview

Located in Northern California, the team at Joby Aviation is driven by our goal of creating an affordable, all-electric air transportation system. 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. Since 2009, our team has worked steadily to make this dream a reality. We’ve designed and tested many generations of prototype aircraft capable of serving in a network of electric air taxis. We’re looking for talented, committed individuals to join our team as we push onwards toward certifying the Joby aircraft with the Federal Aviation Administration, scaling our manufacturing, and launching our initial commercial service.

Overview

Joby Aviation is looking for a passionate engineering leader to join our growing team. This is a functional leadership position that provides the engineer a chance to interact with many of the key teams within the company. The Systems Engineering Lead will provide technical guidance and coordination across all of systems engineering and functional engineering groups at Joby. This role will be heavily involved in the specification and management of functional, performance, safety, hardware, and software requirements at the aircraft, system, and sub-system levels. This role will lead the development and certification of systems and sub-systems and ensure successful design validation and verification over the entire Joby Product Development Process. The Systems Engineering Lead will work very closely with FAA Engineers and Joby DERs to ensure the aircraft systems comply with all federal airworthiness regulations, playing a crucial role in our mission to revolutionize air transportation.

This position requires a solid understanding of systems engineering fundamentals, developing safety-critical aircraft systems, and industry-specific certification processes. This position requires enough background knowledge and a willingness to learn to enable one to understand the complex trade-offs involved in system design both within engineering specialties and across the aircraft as a whole. This position requires one to provide technical leadership within the Systems Engineering group and across the entire company.

The most important traits at Joby are a positive attitude, a hard work ethic, and the ability to self-manage and learn new skills. Forward thinking, creative problem solving, and thriving in a fast-paced environment are highly regarded as well

Responsibilities

The Systems Engineering Lead will be responsible for the following activities:

• Leading system development activities defined by the Joby Product Development Process

• Planning, engineering, and implementing Joby’s system development infrastructure

• Recruiting, developing, and managing a team of systems engineers to achieve company objectives by providing technical direction, monitoring progress, and problem solving

• Ensuring close coordination between system engineering, system safety, and design engineering teams

• Ensuring that systems, sub-systems, and associated hardware and software are designed, installed, and maintained in a manner that meets all company objectives and FAA certification requirements

• Developing and implementing systems engineering standards, processes, and procedures, including but not limited to:

• Architecture and design trade studies

• System schematics, interface control documents, and system design descriptions

• System performance analyses

• Systems integration testing

• System functional testing

• Failure modes and effects testing

• System design reviews

• System design reports

• Providing systems engineering technical expertise and guidance across all engineering teams

• Serving as the functional expert for system and sub-system integration and coordination activities with various departments and the certification authorities

• Reviewing, and approving:

• System requirements

• Validation and verification plans and evidence

• System safety analyses

• Engineering specifications

• Installation, rigging, calibration, and maintenance procedures

• System and equipment test plans and reports

• Compliance documentation

• Identifying, developing, and continuously improving company processes to ensure business objectives are met

Required

• Bachelor of Science in Engineering or related technical discipline required; Electrical, Mechanical, Aerospace, or Systems Engineering preferred
• 10+ years of aviation or defense industry experience
• Working knowledge of FAA regulations, guidance material, and industry standards
• Expert-level understanding of the development and certification of complex, integrated, safety-critical aircraft systems
• Must be highly effective at leading technical professionals, including individual mentorship, task management, and skills and performance development
• Highly skilled at creating and reviewing technical schematics, interface control documents, logical and functional diagrams, and engineering specifications
• Expert-level understanding and application in practice of the SAE ARP 4754A and SAE ARP 4761 system development and development assuranceprocesses
• Proficient in preparing and presenting design reviews for complex, highly integrated systems
• Proficient in managing complex sets of requirements
• Previous experience in system integration testing, including instrumenting, data acquisition, and documenting and analyzing results
• Excellent problem-solving, communication, and technical writing skills
• Strong ability to communicate company objectives, technical content, and FAA certification requirements and expectations to a variety of stakeholders
• Proficient in English
• Proficient with Microsoft Office and Google Docs
• For this role, U.S. based employees must be on site, in our Northern California location, 50% of the time

Desired

• Master of Science in Systems Engineering or related discipline
• Working knowledge of avionics, electrical systems, and related equipment, technical standard orders, and minimum performance standards
• Electric vehicle technology experience
• Experience using Atlassian tools including Jira, Confluence, and Crucible
• Previous experience with network communication systems
• Experience in Software/Hardware Audits (DO-254 & DO-178C)
• Working knowledge of RTCA/DO-160G environmental qualification standards
• Previous experience defining system controls, crew indications, and flight manual procedures
• OEM/Whole-aircraft FAA certification project experience
• Experience and involvement with industry groups to develop consensus standards
• Private pilot certificate or higher
• Familiar with Siemens Polarion requirements management tool
• Familiar with Dassault Systems engineering and management tools (Enovia)

Additional Information

Compensation at Joby is a combination of base pay and Restricted Stock Units (RSUs). The target base pay for this position is $182,400 - $243,200 /year. 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.