The OpportunitySkyways is hiring a Staff Reliability Engineer to build and drive the reliability program across our V2 fleet flying commercial revenue missions and our V3 aircraft in active flight test. This role is based onsite in Austin, Texas.
You will set the reliability strategy for the company and lead the work hands on: in the hangar, in the flight logs, and on the bench, finding root cause and building the fix. The work spans software, electrical, mechanical, and controls, and you will drive corrective actions to closure with Flight Test, Systems Engineering, Manufacturing, and Flight Operations.
What You'll Do:- Build and own the Skyways reliability program end to end: failure reporting, root cause analysis, corrective action, and fleet reliability metrics
- Lead hands on investigations into aircraft failures across avionics, flight software, power and propulsion, structures, and flight controls
- Troubleshoot problems yourself and develop the fix, partnering with design engineers where the change lands in their system
- Analyze flight logs, telemetry, maintenance, and manufacturing data to find recurring failure modes and rank them by impact on the fleet
- Run FMEA and fault tree analysis on V3 critical systems and turn the findings into design changes
- Set inspection intervals and life limits, and revise them as fleet hours accumulate
- Drive corrective actions through design, manufacturing, and flight operations to permanent closure
- Report fleet reliability trends to engineering and company leadership
What You'll Bring:- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical, or Systems Engineering, or a related engineering field
- 10+ years of engineering experience, including 5+ years of hands on reliability work on UAV or aviation programs
- Clear, measurable evidence of improving reliability on a UAV or aviation program, such as lower failure rates, higher MTBF, or better fleet availability
- Experience building or driving a reliability program, including failure reporting and corrective action systems (FRACAS)
- Broad, hands on troubleshooting across software, electrical, mechanical, and controls, with a track record of finding root cause and implementing the fix yourself
- Working knowledge of reliability methods such as FMEA, fault tree analysis, 8D, Weibull analysis, and reliability growth tracking
- Proficiency with Python, SQL, or similar tools for flight data analysis
- Clear technical writing and communication with engineers and leadership
Bonus Points:- 15+ years of engineering experience with reliability at the core of your career
- Experience with ArduPilot, PX4, MAVLink, DroneCAN, or comparable flight control ecosystems
- Experience with hybrid electric propulsion, battery, or engine reliability
- Experience setting maintenance intervals and life limits for a flying fleet
- Experience working in startup or rapid hardware development environments
In addition to base salary, offers include stock options, so you own part of what you build. Benefits include medical, dental, and vision coverage, paid time off, paid holidays, a 401k, and life insurance.
Relocation assistance is available for candidates moving to Austin.
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.
