Director of Software
Confirmed on the employer's own hiring board on Nov 3, 2026. First seen by Alion on Jan 27, 2026. Skyways scores A on the Alion truth index.
The Opportunity
As Director of Software, you will own the software behind Skyways aircraft flying real missions today.
You will lead execution across autonomy, SkyNav, and the internal tools that support flight operations, production aircraft, and customer deployments. This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who can set direction, build the team, create the roadmap, and still go deep technically when the hardest problems need direct ownership.
The role sits at the intersection of software, aircraft, operators, and customers. You will work closely with flight, hardware, manufacturing, and operations to turn real-world constraints into reliable software that scales from live deployments to larger autonomous fleets.
What You'll Do:
Own software execution and the software roadmap across autonomy, SkyNav, and the internal tools that support aircraft flying today
Build, lead, and develop the software team, including hiring, performance, growth, and the tech-lead or management layer as the team scales
Own org design for software, and be accountable for delivery, team health, and the software budget
Act as a player coach. Write code, review code, and take on hard problems when needed
Set technical direction through shipped systems and measurable outcomes
Work directly with operators and customers to iterate based on live deployments and field feedback
Partner tightly with hardware, flight, and manufacturing to ensure software and aircraft evolve together
Improve reliability, performance, and maintainability as the fleet and customer base scale
What You'll Bring:
Proven experience shipping and supporting complex production software systems
Experience leading and developing software teams, including hiring and growing engineers, while staying close to the technical work
Experience with autonomy, robotics, or mission planning systems
Strong systems thinking across autonomy, frontend, backend, and infrastructure
Comfort operating in environments where software meets hardware and real-world constraints
Bias toward execution, ownership, and accountability
Hands-on experience building with Python, C++, and JavaScript
Bonus Points:
Experience supporting software on production hardware, flight systems, or safety-critical systems.
Startup experience scaling teams and systems while things are still evolving.
Hands-on experience building with ROS, ElectronJS, Ardupilot, or Mavlink.