Director of Hardware

Job description

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, while our next-generation V3 carries 100 lbs over 1,000+ miles with 20+ hours of endurance. 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. ### 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.