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
This is a hands-on controls role on a small, fast moving GNC team. You will own control law work across VTOL, transition, and fixed wing flight. You will tune in analysis and simulation, validate on the aircraft, and see your changes fly in production and increase customer satisfaction. You will also work alongside the team's AI agents, which carry a real share of the engineering load. If you like seeing our work in the real world being used to transform civilization, this role is built for you.
What You'll Do:
Implement and tune control laws across VTOL, fixed wing, and the transition between them.
Tune in SITL and the V3 digital twin, then validate in ground and flight test.
Analyze flight logs, find root cause, and turn findings into control fixes.
Write and own flight test plans with the team.
Manage a portion of the team's AI agents.
What You'll Bring:
Strong fundamentals in control theory and aircraft or rotorcraft dynamics.
Experience implementing flight or vehicle control laws in production code.
Fluency in C++ and Python in real time or embedded systems.
Hands on experience with controller tuning, simulation, and field or flight test.
Ability to read flight logs, isolate root cause, and present findings clearly.
Comfort in an early stage environment with fast iteration. incomplete requirements, and calculated risk.
Ability to work onsite in Austin, where our aircraft are designed, built, and flown.
Bonus Points:
Experience with ArduPilot, PX4, or a similar flight stack.
Background in VTOL, fixed wing, or hybrid aircraft control.
Hardware in the loop or software in the loop testing.
System identification or working with large telemetry sets.
Comfort working alongside AI coding agents.
Want to join our mission? Apply to learn more!
Due to U.S. government contract requirements, this role is limited to U.S. citizens, U.S. permanent residents, or candidates from specific countries authorized under applicable export control regulations.
Skyways is an Equal Opportunity employer committed to diversity in the workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, protected veteran status or any other factor protected by applicable local, state or federal laws.
Skills Required
- Strong fundamentals in control theory, dynamics, and state estimation
- Experience implementing flight or vehicle control systems in production code
- Comfort working in C++ and Python in embedded or real‑time systems
- Hands‑on experience with simulation, controller tuning, and flight or field testing
- Ability to reason from first principles and debug complex, cross‑disciplinary problems
- Comfort operating in an early‑stage environment with incomplete requirements and fast iteration cycles
Skyways Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Skyways and has not been reviewed or approved by Skyways.
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Healthcare Strength — Employee medical and dental are employer-paid with additional vision and HSA/FSA options noted; core health coverage appears strong for a hardware/robotics startup.
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Equity Value & Accessibility — Stock options are offered to every employee and performance bonuses are listed; ownership upside is broadly accessible across the organization.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Time off is described as generous, with paid holidays and generous parental leave highlighted; the breadth of leave supports work-life needs beyond baseline policies.
Skyways Insights
What We Do
We are creating a new form of transportation to advance the future of our civilization. Our story starts with fully autonomous, unmanned aerial vehicles with vertical take-off and landing capability and used for cargo transportation.
Why Work With Us
We are creating a new form of transportation to advance the future of our civilization. Skyways is building fully autonomous cargo aircraft with vertical takeoff and landing capability to transform how goods move. Join a small, ambitious team solving hard aerospace and autonomy problems with real world impact.
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