Mission Control Center Lead

Responsibilities

• Architect the end-to-end Mission Control Center system, including ground control stations, communication links, data infrastructure, and failover strategies.
• Define and drive redundancy and fault-tolerance requirements across hardware, software, and network layers — from single points of failure to multi-region resilience.
• Develop system-level models and safety analyses (FHA, FMEA, FTA) to validate that MCC architecture meets airworthiness and operational safety targets.
• Establish performance and availability SLAs for the MCC platform and lead design reviews to enforce architectural standards.
• Collaborate with avionics and vehicle teams to define the interface between aircraft and ground systems, including command latency, telemetry bandwidth, and degraded-mode behavior.
• Lead MCC-related regulatory strategy and submissions, including working with the FAA on ground control station certification, BVLOS operational approvals, and DAA (Detect and Avoid) integration requirements.
• Develop and maintain compliance documentation including Means of Compliance (MOC), System Safety Assessments, and Operational Safety Cases.
• Serve as technical lead in interactions with the FAA or other regulatory bodies — translating between engineering reality and regulatory language.
• Monitor evolving UAS rulemaking and proactively adjust MCC architecture and procedures to anticipate regulatory changes.
• Define the conceptual and technical framework for m:n pilot operations — how a small number of remote pilots safely supervise a large fleet of autonomous aircraft simultaneously.
• Drive requirements for Human-Machine Interface (HMI) design, including alert prioritization, workload management, and decision-support tooling.
• Partner with human factors engineers and operations teams to validate that MCC interfaces meet cognitive load and situational awareness requirements.
• Define contingency frameworks for edge cases: communication loss, simultaneous off-nominal events, emergency handoffs, and operator incapacitation.
• Define pilot certification and training requirements for MCC operators in coordination with the Director of Flight Operations.
• Define MCC cybersecurity architecture aligned with NIST SP 800-82, DO-326A, and relevant aviation security standards.
• Establish threat modeling practices for ground-to-air communication links, MCC infrastructure, and operator authentication systems.
• Collaborate with the security team to implement intrusion detection, secure boot, and data integrity controls across MCC systems.
• Ensure cybersecurity posture is integrated into FAA safety assessments and operational approval packages.

Requirements

• 10+ years of experience in systems engineering, with at least 5 years in aviation, aerospace, UAV/UAS, or safety-critical embedded systems.
• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace or related field.
• Deep expertise in system architecture and safety analysis methods (FHA, FMEA, FTA, STPA) for complex, distributed systems.
• Direct experience with FAA certification processes — preferably including Part 135, Part 23/25, or UAS-specific approvals (BVLOS waivers, exemptions).
• Demonstrated ability to author and own system safety assessments, compliance artifacts, and interface control documents.
• Strong understanding of ground-to-air communication systems (C2 links, RF, satellite, LTE) and their availability/integrity tradeoffs.
• Experience working across hardware, software, and operations disciplines; ability to drive alignment without direct authority.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication — able to engage regulators, executives, and engineers with equal effectiveness.

Qualifications

• This position must meet US export control compliance requirements, therefore a candidate must qualify as a “US Person” as defined by 22 C.F.R. 120.15.
• Designing or operating real-world UAS/UAM Mission Control Centers or ground control stations is desired.
• Familiarity with m:n remote piloting concepts, RPAS regulations (ICAO Annex 2/11), or Air Traffic Management integration is desired.
• Knowledge of aviation cybersecurity standards: DO-326A/ED-202A, DO-356A/ED-203A, NIST 800-82 is desired.
• Experience with human factors engineering or HMI design for aviation or other safety-critical domains is desired.
• Experience with DAA systems, UTM/USS integration, or BVLOS operations is desired.
• An FAA commercial or remote pilot certificate is a plus.

Skills

• Systems Engineering
• Aerospace Engineering
• UAV/UAS
• Safety-Critical Embedded Systems
• FAA Certification Processes
• System Architecture and Safety Analysis Methods (FHA, FMEA, FTA, STPA)
• Ground-to-Air Communication Systems
• Human Factors Engineering or HMI Design
• Aviation Cybersecurity Standards (DO-326A/ED-202A, DO-356A/ED-203A, NIST 800-82)
• Remote Piloting Concepts, RPAS Regulations (ICAO Annex 2/11), or Air Traffic Management Integration
• DAA Systems, UTM/USS Integration, or BVLOS Operations

Benefits

• Paid Time Off
• Healthcare Benefits
• 401(k) Plan with Company Match
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP)
• Short-Term and Long-Term Disability Coverage
• Life Insurance