WingXpand · 2 hours ago
Director of Engineering – Autonomous Systems & AI
Schaumburg, IL
Full-time
Onsite
Director/Executive
10+ years expWingXpand is focused on expanding the possibilities of Autonomous Systems, creating smart drones for various missions. The Director of Engineering will lead multi-disciplinary teams to develop and execute engineering strategies for autonomous systems, ensuring alignment with product goals and operational requirements.
AerospaceArtificial Intelligence (AI)Machine LearningManufacturingSoftware
No H1B
U.S. Citizen Only
Responsibilities
Lead WingXpand’s engineering organization across hardware, electrical, embedded software, autonomy, and AI systems
Set technical vision and engineering strategy aligned with company goals, product roadmaps, and customer requirements
Own engineering execution across multiple concurrent programs and domains (air, ground, maritime)
Establish engineering best practices for design, testing, documentation, and release
Oversee development of multi-domain autonomous platforms integrating sensors, AI threat detection, networking, and edge computing
Guide system architecture decisions spanning aircraft, payloads, autonomy stacks, and data pipelines
Ensure AI-enabled sensing and detection systems meet performance, reliability, and operational requirements
Balance rapid iteration with system robustness for real-world deployments
Partner with Product Management and Program Management to deliver programs on time and on contract
Ensure engineering teams are aligned to milestones, priorities, and customer deliverables
Identify risks early and drive resolution across teams
Support prototype, flight test, OT&E, and transition-to-production efforts
Recruit, mentor, and develop high-performing engineers across disciplines
Create a culture of ownership, accountability, collaboration, and technical excellence
Provide clear technical leadership while empowering engineers to execute
Support career growth and progression for engineers at all levels
Work closely with manufacturing to ensure design for manufacturability (DFM) and scalable production
Collaborate with business development and leadership to support customer engagements, proposals, and technical briefings
Translate customer needs and operational feedback into engineering priorities
Serve as a technical authority in discussions with government, defense, and commercial stakeholders
Qualification
Required
10+ years of experience in engineering roles, with at least 5 years in engineering leadership or management positions
Strong technical background spanning hardware, embedded systems, and software
Experience delivering autonomous systems, robotics, aerospace, defense, or AI-enabled platforms
Proven ability to lead multi-disciplinary engineering teams in fast-paced environments
Experience executing programs from concept → prototype → deployment → production
Strong systems engineering mindset with the ability to make pragmatic tradeoffs
Excellent communication skills; able to engage deeply with engineers and clearly brief executives and customers
Comfortable operating with ambiguity and making high-impact decisions
Preferred
Experience with UAVs, UAS, robotics, or multi-domain autonomous systems
Familiarity with AI/ML systems, ISR, sensing, networking, or edge computing
Experience supporting government or defense programs, including OT&E or operational deployments
Background in electrical engineering, embedded systems, or autonomy
Experience scaling engineering teams at a startup or growth-stage company
Company
WingXpand
WingXpand is a U.S. aerospace and AI software company that is expanding what’s possible with aerial intelligence
11-50 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Early StageTotal Funding
unknownKey Investors
Techstars
2022-09-19Undisclosed
Leadership Team
James Barbieri
CEO & Co-Founder
Michelle Madaras
President & Co-Founder
Recent News
Seattle TechFlash
2025-09-13
Missouri Business Alert
2025-08-04
commercialuavnews.com
2025-07-29
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