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:

Qualifications:

Nice to Have:

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: people@merlinlabs.com

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