Director of Production

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

Skyways is building autonomous aircraft that are already flying real missions. The next challenge is not proving it works. It’s building it reliably, repeatedly, and at scale.

We are looking for a Director of Production to take us from low-rate builds to a true production system. This role owns everything required to make aircraft that don’t just fly once, but fly every time.

You will build the production system, not inherit one. That includes the factory, the processes, the team, and the operating cadence. This is a hands-on leadership role where execution matters more than strategy slides.

📋 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.