Director of Software Engineering
$176,000–$205,000 year
On-site · Torrance, California, United States
Job Summary
Lead the development of software systems for autonomous VTOL unmanned aircraft as the Director of Software Engineering at FlightWave Aerospace. This role includes technical leadership in architecture and engineering standards, overseeing the scaling and integration of software across embedded systems and autonomous platforms. Responsibilities include building and mentoring a software engineering team, establishing reliable development processes, managing external vendor relationships, and ensuring software systems are designed for maintainability and fast iteration. Requires strong experience in software architecture, robotics, and managing engineering teams.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Robotics, Aerospace Engineering, or related technical field
- 12+ years of professional software engineering experience
- 5+ years leading or managing software engineering teams
- Demonstrated experience scaling engineering organizations from small teams into multi-team software groups
- Strong background in robotics, embedded systems, or autonomous platforms
- Expert-level software architecture experience across complex distributed or real-time systems
- Strong proficiency in C++ and modern systems programming environments
- Experience developing software for hardware-integrated systems such as robotics, autonomous vehicles, or aerospace platforms
- Working understanding of control systems and sensor fusion concepts (e.g., state estimation, flight control loops) sufficient to guide system architecture, make tradeoff decisions, and collaborate effectively with autonomy and flight control engineers
- Experience incorporating AI-assisted development tools into engineering workflows to improve productivity, code quality, and iteration speed
- Demonstrated ability to recruit, mentor, and develop high-performing engineering teams
- Proven experience coordinating internal teams with external contractors or engineering vendors
Desired Qualifications
- Experience with robotics or autonomous systems software stacks (PX4, ROS2, MAVLink, etc.)
- Experience developing software for unmanned aircraft systems or aerospace platforms
- Familiarity with edge computing platforms such as NVIDIA Jetson or Qualcomm systems
- Experience leading software organizations supporting complex electromechanical products
- Background in mission-critical or regulated environments
- Experience with CMMC compliance
Additional Requirements
- Successful candidates must provide proof of U.S. Citizenship or Permanent Residence and must not require sponsorship for export-restricted work authorization
- This position will require successfully completing a post-offer background check
Apply with one swipe on Sorce. We auto-fill applications and apply on your behalf — no cover letters, no 40-minute forms.
Hiring someone like this?
Get your role in front of qualified candidates on Sorce.