Technical Program Manager, Autonomy

About Merlin:

Merlin (NASDAQ: MRLN) is a publicly traded aerospace and defense company building a non-human pilot to deliver full-stack autonomy for any aircraft from takeoff to touchdown. The Merlin Pilot autonomy system powers a growing range of aircraft and mission profiles and has been proven through hundreds of autonomous flights from Merlin's global flight test facilities, including Kerikeri, New Zealand; Quonset Point, Rhode Island; and soon, Bedford, Massachusetts. Headquartered in Boston, Merlin is expanding its organization to accelerate the development and deployment of its autonomy platform, helping customers solve some of aviation's most pressing challenges, from pilot shortages to improving flight safety. Backed by some of the world's leading investors prior to its public listing, Merlin continues to advance the certification and commercialization of autonomous flight across commercial and defense aviation.

About You

You are a mission-driven builder who thrives at the intersection of software, autonomy, and execution. As Technical Program Manager, Autonomy at Merlin Labs, you'll drive the development and delivery of the Merlin Pilot - the autonomy software at the core of everything we build. You'll own the execution rhythm of our autonomy release train, from capability definition through simulation, integration, and flight validation.

Embedded within Merlin's autonomy engineering organization, you'll work side-by-side with software engineers, autonomy architects, systems engineers, and product leadership to turn a complex, multi-disciplinary software roadmap into predictable, high-quality releases. You bring genuine technical fluency in software and autonomous systems - you can follow an architecture discussion, understand the dependency chain from perception to planning to flight controls, and recognize when a technical risk threatens a milestone.

This role sits at the heart of Merlin's product: the autonomy stack itself. You'll support a portfolio spanning internally funded R&D and capability commitments to defense and commercial programs. Above all, you believe in the mission: to accelerate autonomy, support the warfighter, and redefine what's possible in aviation.

Responsibilities:

• Own execution of Merlin Pilot software release programs - driving capability definition, development, integration, verification, and flight validation across the autonomy stack.
• Run the autonomy release lifecycle end-to-end: release planning, requirements decomposition, gate reviews, build readiness, and delivery into aircraft integration programs.
• Drive execution rhythms across autonomy software teams (perception, planning, flight controls, human-machine interface, platform/infrastructure) and their interfaces with systems engineering, safety, simulation, and flight test.
• Manage cross-team dependencies between autonomy software releases and downstream aircraft integration, certification, and customer program milestones - ensuring the release train and the program portfolio stay in sync.
• Define and maintain detailed program plans, including scope, milestones, dependencies, and risk mitigation strategies; maintain traceability from capability commitments to engineering execution.
• Identify technical and schedule blockers early and drive resolution through structured problem-solving and escalation.
• Partner with product and engineering leadership to shape release content, manage scope trades, and communicate capability delivery timelines to internal and customer stakeholders.
• Support capture and proposal efforts with autonomy development estimates, technical inputs, and schedules.
• Lead stakeholder communications - from internal release reviews to formal customer engagements and milestone briefings.
• Build scalable processes and tools that improve execution velocity and visibility across the autonomy organization.
• Travel up to 15% to support integration events, flight test campaigns, and customer engagements.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or related technical field.
• 5+ years of experience managing complex software or autonomy programs - ideally spanning robotics, autonomous systems, aerospace, or safety-critical software.
• Demonstrated success delivering complex software systems on a release cadence, with multiple teams and hard external dependencies.
• Deep technical fluency in software development - you can engage credibly with autonomy engineers on architecture, interfaces, and technical risk.
• Working knowledge of autonomy system concepts: sensing/perception, guidance and planning, flight or vehicle controls, simulation-based validation.
• Expert-level program management skills - planning tools, agile and milestone-based methods, and the ability to bring order to chaos.
• Strong communicator - able to translate between deep technical teams and executive or customer audiences.
• Proven ability to work within dynamic environments and adapt to evolving priorities.
• Ability to obtain a U.S. Secret Security Clearance.

Nice to Have:

• Active U.S. Security Clearance.
• Experience with safety-critical or certified software development (DO-178C, ARP4754A) or DoD airworthiness processes.
• Background in flight autonomy, flight controls, avionics software, or ML/AI-enabled systems.
• Experience managing programs using Jira for engineering execution alongside an integrated master schedule.
• Familiarity with flight test planning and validation of autonomous systems.

$150,000 - $200,000 a year

The compensation range provided is a good-faith estimate based on a wide range of factors, inclusive of base salary only. The actual offer will be determined by a variety of factors including the candidate's qualifications, skills, experience, education, and training. Highly competitive equity grants are considered part of Merlin's total compensation package. Additionally, Merlin offers top-tier benefits for full-time employees.

This position is based on-site at Merlin HQ in Boston, MA.

Once you're here, you'll enjoy a variety of on-site perks designed to make your workday enjoyable and convenient. These include catered lunches featuring a rotating menu of delicious options, an assortment of snacks to keep you fueled throughout the day, and a selection of beverages, including coffee, tea, and other drinks, to keep you refreshed.

Our goal is to create an environment where you can thrive both professionally and personally

Merlin Labs offers an innovative, entrepreneurial, and team-focused startup environment. We also offer a top-notch benefits package (health, dental, life, unlimited vacation, and 401k with match) and work/life integration. Being part of the Merlin team allows you to become part of a small team that supports professional development while working together to achieve our mission.

Merlin Labs is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, genetic information, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, military service or obligation or disability status, or any other characteristic protected by law. All job offers are contingent upon the candidate passing background and reference checks.

At this time, we are unable to provide visa sponsorship or consider candidates who require visa transfers. Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States without the need for visa sponsorship now or in the future.

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire.

If you require reasonable accommodation in completing an application, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please direct your inquiries to: [email protected]

Merlin Labs does not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than directly from candidates.