Director of Flight Test

Director Of Flight Test

North Kingstown, RI

Merlin is a venture backed aerospace startup building a non-human pilot to enable both reduced crew and uncrewed flight. Backed by some of the world's leading investors, Merlin is scaling alongside our customers to begin leveraging autonomy today to solve some of aviation's biggest challenges. You are a proven leader in aerospace flight test, with hands-on experience in experimental and certification aircraft programs. You excel at navigating the complexities of first flights, envelope expansion, and certification paths for new aviation technologies. You bring a balance of technical expertise, operational discipline, and visionary leadership that enables you to safely manage the uncertainties inherent in experimental and prototype flight testing. You are motivated by pushing the boundaries of flight and shaping the future of aviation.

Responsibilities :

Lead all experimental and prototype flight test activities, from concept through certification.

Develop and execute test strategies for first flights, envelope expansion, systems validation, and performance testing.

Oversee creation of flight test plans, safety risk assessments, hazard analyses, and flight readiness reviews.

Partner closely with engineering teams to validate new designs, avionics, autonomy, propulsion, and control systems under test.

Direct the work of test pilots, flight test engineers, instrumentation specialists, and ground crews during experimental campaigns.

Ensure adherence to FAA / EASA / DoD experimental test standards and experimental certificate requirements.

Manage relationships with regulatory authorities, DERs, and other stakeholders to align test programs with certification objectives.

Provide leadership in accident / incident prevention, emergency response planning, and operational risk management.

Present technical and program-level updates to senior leadership, partners, and certification bodies.

Foster a culture of safety, innovation, and technical excellence within the test organization.

Qualifications :

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field (advanced degree preferred).

10 + years of aerospace flight test experience, with significant focus on experimental or developmental aircraft programs.

Demonstrated success managing first-flight and experimental test programs for prototype aircraft.

Deep knowledge of flight sciences, test instrumentation, telemetry, and data analysis specific to experimental testing.

Expertise in FAA Part 21, Part 23 / 25, Part 27 / 29, or equivalent experimental certification processes.

Proven leadership of multidisciplinary test teams in high-risk experimental environments.

Strong technical communication skills, with the ability to brief both technical teams and executive stakeholders.

Graduate of a recognized test pilot school or experimental flight test engineer program.

Pilot certification (experimental or test pilot background).