Director of Hardware

At Skyways, we are building the next generation of autonomous air transportation. Our fully autonomous unmanned aircraft systems move cargo faster and more efficiently than traditional logistics networks.

Backed by strong investor support and a $37M STRATFI contract from the U.S. Air Force, we operate at the intersection of commercial logistics and national defense. Our aircraft are not just prototypes—we design, build, fly, and deploy them with real customers today.

Based in Austin and supported by investors including Y Combinator, Skyways combines rapid engineering iteration with real-world operations. As we scale toward larger deployments, we are looking for people who want to help build and operate the future of autonomous aviation.

What You'll Do:

• Own aircraft hardware execution across structures, avionics, power, and system integration.
• Lead and grow the hardware engineering team with a strong emphasis on quality, accountability, and velocity.
• Make and drive critical technical decisions through design reviews, trade studies, and system integration.
• Take hardware from prototype to production with a focus on manufacturability and reliability.
• Partner closely with manufacturing, supply chain, and flight test to close the loop between design, production, and operations.
• Establish hardware standards, documentation, and test practices that scale with the fleet.
• Support certification, compliance, and customer driven requirements as programs mature.

What You'll Bring:

• Proven experience shipping complex hardware systems into production.
• Experience leading hardware teams while staying close to design and integration work.
• Strong background in avionics, aircraft systems, or tightly integrated electromechanical platforms.
• Experience with UAVs, aircraft certification environments, or defense programs.
• A track record of building hardware that performs in real operational environments.
• Comfort operating in fast moving teams with real schedule, cost, and mission constraints.
• Willingness to be on the floor, at the flight line, and in the loop when things break.

Bonus Points:

• Experience scaling hardware from early production to higher volume.
• Startup experience building teams, processes, and systems from the ground up.

Want to join our mission? Apply to learn more!

Due to U.S. government contract requirements, this role is limited to U.S. citizens, U.S. permanent residents, or candidates from specific countries authorized under applicable export control regulations.

Skyways is an Equal Opportunity employer committed to diversity in the workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, protected veteran status or any other factor protected by applicable local, state or federal laws.