Merlin · 6 days ago
Director of Flight Test
North Kingstown, RI
Full-time
Onsite
Director/Executive
10+ years expMerlin is a venture backed aerospace startup building a non-human pilot to enable both reduced crew and uncrewed flight. The Director of Flight Test will lead all experimental and prototype flight test activities, ensuring adherence to safety standards and managing relationships with regulatory authorities.
Air TransportationInformation TechnologySoftwareTransportation
No H1B
U.S. Citizen Only
Responsibilities
Lead all experimental and prototype flight test activities, from concept through certification
Develop and execute test strategies for first flights, envelope expansion, systems validation, and performance testing
Oversee creation of flight test plans, safety risk assessments, hazard analyses, and flight readiness reviews
Partner closely with engineering teams to validate new designs, avionics, autonomy, propulsion, and control systems under test
Direct the work of test pilots, flight test engineers, instrumentation specialists, and ground crews during experimental campaigns
Ensure adherence to FAA/EASA/DoD experimental test standards and experimental certificate requirements
Manage relationships with regulatory authorities, DERs, and other stakeholders to align test programs with certification objectives
Provide leadership in accident/incident prevention, emergency response planning, and operational risk management
Present technical and program-level updates to senior leadership, partners, and certification bodies
Foster a culture of safety, innovation, and technical excellence within the test organization
Qualification
Required
Bachelor's or Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field (advanced degree preferred)
10 + years of aerospace flight test experience, with significant focus on experimental or developmental aircraft programs
Demonstrated success managing first-flight and experimental test programs for prototype aircraft
Deep knowledge of flight sciences, test instrumentation, telemetry, and data analysis specific to experimental testing
Expertise in FAA Part 21, Part 23/25, Part 27/29, or equivalent experimental certification processes
Proven leadership of multidisciplinary test teams in high-risk experimental environments
Strong technical communication skills, with the ability to brief both technical teams and executive stakeholders
Preferred
Graduate of a recognized test pilot school or experimental flight test engineer program
Pilot certification (experimental or test pilot background)
Benefits
Health
Dental
Life
Unlimited vacation
401k with match
Company
Merlin
Merlin is the leading U.S.-based developer of cost-effective, takeoff-to-touchdown autonomy for both legacy and next-generation airborne systems.
51-200 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Growth StageTotal Funding
$133.5MKey Investors
First Round Capital
2025-08-14Acquired
2022-07-13Series B· $105M
2021-05-26Series A· $25M
Leadership Team
Matthew George
CEO
Ryan Carrithers
Chief Financial Officer
Recent News
2025-11-26
Company data provided by crunchbase