Skyways designs, builds, and operates fully autonomous long-range cargo aircraft. We have been flying real missions with real customers since 2017.

Our V2 carries 30 lbs up to 500 miles and our V3 carries 100 lbs over 1,000 miles with 20+ hours of endurance. Both use a dual-hybrid design that takes off like a helicopter and cruises like a plane. We are currently flying on three continents, in controlled national airspace under FAA oversight, and in support of U.S. military operations.

Backed by Y Combinator and a $37M STRATFI contract from the U.S. Air Force, we are moving from prototype to full-rate production with a path to Program of Record. Based in Austin, we are scaling fast and hiring people who want to build the world’s largest fleet of autonomous logistics aircraft.

The Opportunity

This role owns how autonomy works in real-world flight.

You will define how perception, state estimation, planning, and flight behaviors come together into a system that actually completes missions reliably. This is not about building isolated components. It is about making the full stack work under real constraints.

You will shape how our ML systems improve with real-world data and ensure they perform outside of ideal conditions.

This is not an entry-level role. We are looking for someone who has already built and deployed autonomy systems on real-world robotic or UAV platforms.

You will lead a small team while staying hands-on in architecture, implementation, and flight debugging. Your work directly impacts whether aircraft complete missions safely and consistently.

What You’ll Do:

What You’ll Bring:

Bonus Points If You Have:

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.