Director of Engineering

Director of Engineering

Location: Onsite — Austin, TX

Employment Type: Full-Time

Job Title: Director of Engineering (Robotics, AI & Systems)

Company Overview

We are a funded startup building autonomous machines for defense markets. Our first product is designed to counter small, fast FPV suicide drones — also known as Group 1 / sUAS, similar to those seen in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Our robots require world-class perception and decision-making. If you love turning cutting-edge engineering into field-ready capability, this is your playground. We are currently focused on defensive systems, with the potential to expand into lethal systems in the future.

Position Summary

We are seeking a Director of Engineering to lead a small, senior, highly technical team across robotics, hardware, software, AI, and machine vision. You will own execution end-to-end: from whiteboard to field test. This role is for someone who moves fast, tests aggressively, and ships things that survive contact with reality. You will be responsible for the delivery of complex, integrated systems and must be comfortable being hands-on when needed—this is not a slide-deck role.

Essential Duties

• Own Integrated Delivery: Lead the delivery of complex systems combining hardware, software, and AI.

• Cross-Functional Leadership: Manage and mentor engineers across robotics, embedded systems, perception, and backend disciplines.

• Rapid Iteration: Drive a "build → test → break → fix" culture, ensuring systems are tested early and often in harsh outdoor conditions.

• Technical Direction: Set the technical roadmap without over-process or bureaucracy, making fast tradeoffs to maintain momentum.

• Strategic Partnership: Work closely with founders, ops, and customers to translate high-level requirements into functional, field-ready systems.

• Maintain Velocity: Ensure the engineering organization maintains speed and high-trust collaboration as the company scales.

Requirements

• Proven track record of leading teams that build and ship real physical systems.

• Strong background in at least one core area: Robotics/Embedded (Rust, C++, RTOS), Computer Vision/ML (YOLO, PyTorch), or Systems Software.

• A strong bias toward action and shipping; comfortable getting your hands dirty in the lab or the field.

• Ability to remain calm under pressure, pragmatics, and allergic to bullshit.

• Compliance: This position requires access to export-controlled information under ITAR. Only U.S. citizens are permitted to access such information.

Nice-to-Have

• Prior defense, aerospace, or industrial robotics experience.

• Security clearance or the ability to obtain one.

• Stretch VP Potential: Interest in scaling the engineering org, owning the hiring bar, and defining long-term technical culture.

• Passion for building robots or engineering projects as a hobby.

Benefits

• Competitive salary + early equity.

• Opportunity to build systems the Department of Defense actively needs.

• New lab equipped with Jetsons, scopes, and 3D printers.

• Direct influence on product and technology roadmap.