Systems Engineering Lead

Xwing; Santa Cruz (CA); On-site; USD 234,000 - 300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

RSU program

Healthcare benefits

401(k) plan

Job summary

Joby Aviation is seeking a Systems Engineering Lead to guide development and certification of aircraft systems, ensuring safe, compliant, and integrated performance across subsystems. You will coordinate with FAA engineers and DERs to meet regulatory requirements while leading a multidisciplinary engineering team.

The role requires deep systems engineering knowledge, strong leadership, and the ability to navigate complex trade-offs in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science in Engineering or related technical discipline required.
• 10+ years of aviation or defense industry experience.
• Expert-level understanding of development and certification of complex, integrated, safety-critical aircraft systems.
• Strong leadership and mentoring of technical professionals.
• Proficient in FAA certification processes and interface with authorities.

Responsibilities

• 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 objectives.
• Ensuring coordination between system engineering, system safety, and design engineering teams.
• Overseeing system requirements, validation/verification plans, and certification evidence.

Skills

Leadership

System engineering

Communication

Technical writing

Mentorship

Problem solving

English proficiency

Education

B.S. in Engineering

Aerospace/Systems Engineering

Tools

Jira

Confluence

Crucible

Siemens Polarion

Enovia

Job description

Systems Engineering Lead

Location: US-CA-Santa Cruz

Job ID: 2026-5411

Category: Systems Engineering

Type: Regular Full-Time

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

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

• 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 assurance processes
• 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 $233,600 - $300,000/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.