Director of Hardware

🏢 Skyways · 📍 Austin, TX · 💼 onsite · ⏰ Full-time

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Position Summary & Responsibilities

Skyways designs, builds, and operates fully autonomous long-range cargo aircraft. Founded in 2017, the company has spent the last eight years developing and deploying autonomous logistics systems for real-world operations.

Our V2 aircraft carries 30 lbs up to 500 miles, and V3 has a maximum range of well over 1,000 miles, a maximum useful load of 100 lbs, and a maximum endurance of nearly 20 hours. Both use a hybrid-electric architecture that takes off like a helicopter and cruises like a plane, enabling long-range autonomous delivery without traditional runway infrastructure.

Today, Skyways aircraft operate across three continents in controlled national airspace under FAA oversight and in support of U.S. military operations. We are transitioning from prototype development to full-rate production and scaling toward large autonomous cargo fleets.

Backed by Y Combinator and a $37M AFWERX STRATFI award from the U.S. Air Force, Skyways is creating a new form of transportation to advance our civilization from Austin, Texas.

The Opportunity

As Director of Hardware, you will own the physical aircraft systems that make Skyways aircraft fly real missions today.

You will lead hardware execution across structures, avionics, power, and system integration, taking designs from prototype through production, test, and fielded reliability. This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who can set direction, build the team, make hard technical calls, and stay close to the aircraft when problems need direct ownership.

You will work closely with flight, software, manufacturing, and supply chain to turn designs into reliable operational aircraft and improve them as the fleet scales.

🎯 Candidate Preparation Guide For Skyways Applicants

Key Role Competencies & Evaluation Highlights

Key Role Focus:

Evaluates aerospace safety standards, autonomous systems engineering, and the rigorous discipline required to scale unmanned aviation hardware and software.

📋 Preparation Priorities (Key Areas to Clarify):

1. Dismissive attitude toward flight safety protocols, redundancy checks, or regulatory compliance.
2. Lack of structured failure analysis methodology when hardware or software tests go wrong.
3. Working in silos without coordinating closely between aerodynamic, avionics, and software teams.

✨ Recommended Role Alignment Hook:

I engineer reliable, safety-certified autonomous aviation systems that bridge cutting-edge robotics with strict aerospace compliance.

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