Director, Engineering

About Us: 

Xwing is on a mission to build the world’s smartest, cleanest and most advanced aviation system. We're transforming the way airplanes fly— so regional air mobility will be radically safer, more efficient, more accessible and more sustainable than it’s ever been. 

Our work begins with converting today’s cargo aircraft into remotely-operated self-flying airplanes so every regional route can be serviced frequently and reliably— so every person in every corner of the world can have improved access to all the goods and supplies that are essential and important to them. Beyond the cargo market, we plan to expand our technology safely and scalably to other areas of commercial aviation. 

Founded in 2016, Xwing is an aviation technology company based in Northern California with offices in San Francisco and Concord, CA. Xwing was recently named Fast Company’s Top Most Innovative Transportation Companies and featured in TIME Magazine’s Best Inventions List of 2021 after completing the world’s first fully autonomous cargo flight with a remote crew supervising the flight from the ground. 

Backed by strategic investors, Xwing has raised over $57 million in venture funding to date, and is partnering closely with the Federal Aviation Administration towards becoming FAA-certified. 

Follow our journey towards building a smarter, cleaner and better aviation system for all. Visit xwing.com to learn more, and see all available positions under “Careers” to join our rapidly growing team. 

Who We’re Looking For:

Xwing is seeking a Director of Engineering to continue building and to lead a fast-growing and multi-disciplined engineering team.  You will be part of a high-energy, collaborative leadership team, aimed at taking the Xwing autonomy products from proof-of-concept through commercial certification.  As the product evangelist, your innovative thinking and passion for regional air mobility and unmanned aircraft will catapult the team to success.

As the Director of Engineering, you will serve as an enabler for the teams responsible for autonomy product development, including flight controls, hazard avoidance, aircraft management, ground control, platform software, integration and tools. 

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Building a stellar team by recruiting, mentoring and retaining world-class engineers and leaders 
• Fostering diversity and inclusion, a key tenet of Xwing culture
• Providing continuous and immediate constructive feedback, harnessing your crucial conversation super-powers
• Striving for organizational excellence, you will drive continuous improvement of people, systems and processes
• Ensuring that best practices are being followed by engineering organizations
• Removing roadblocks and barriers for the team
• Leading resource planning across the organization and ensuring staffing levels meet the needs of the program
• Reporting directly to the CTO, you will align the engineering team with the company's objectives
• Collaborate with the team leads and executives to set goals, plan projects, build a timeline, and stay within budget.
• Collaborate with other business functions (program management, HR, recruiting, quality, supply chain, etc) to ensure alignment of team goals

Required Qualifications: 

• BS or MS in an engineering discipline and 12 years of industry experience
• 7 years of experience in engineering management  (time leading a team in a successful fast-growing startup counts double)
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, startup environment
• Experience in building high-performing teams at a fast pace, while maintaining team cohesion
• Experience developing products in a regulated industry
• Natural team leader, self motivated with hyperdrive

Desirable Qualifications:

• Aerospace or aviation background
• Experience leading Kaizen events and managing change
• Led teams that combine hardware and software
• Experience with FAA certification

Employment terms:

To conform to U.S. Government aerospace technology export regulations (EAR / ITAR), applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the U.S. and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire. Employer provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status. In addition to federal law requirements, employer complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training. Employer expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status. Improper interference with the ability of employees to perform their job duties may result in discipline up to and including discharge.