Director, AI Core Software (AI)

Location: On-site at Merlin HQ in Boston, Massachusetts; the role is also listed for the Boston or San Francisco Bay Area.

Salary: $252,000–$360,000 per year, base salary only, plus equity and benefits.

Company

hirify.global is a publicly traded aerospace and defense company developing autonomous flight technology and a non-human pilot for aircraft.

What you will do

• Define the technical strategy for the AI Core platform across perception, sensor fusion, decision-making, planning, and control.
• Lead, grow, and mentor AI, robotics, and software engineering teams working on flight-critical autonomy software.
• Own the AI Core architecture from data pipelines and model-training infrastructure through real-time onboard inference and control.
• Translate company objectives into technical roadmaps and milestones with the VP of Engineering and CTO.
• Establish engineering, code quality, testing, and safety review standards for aviation-grade software.
• Coordinate with Flight Operations, Systems Engineering, Certification, and avionics teams on integration and regulatory requirements.

Requirements

• 10+ years of software engineering experience, including at least 5 years in Physical AI technical leadership and engineering management.
• Production experience delivering AI-based autonomy in a safety-critical, deterministic, and highly regulated environment.
• Deep expertise in real-time perception and sensor fusion, motion planning and control, AI model training and deployment, or onboard inference.
• Experience with AI model distillation, MLOps, CI/CD, rigorous testing, data strategy, simulation, and design-for-safety practices.
• Experience managing managers, senior engineers, and staff-level technical contributors.
• Proficiency in PyTorch, TensorFlow, and C++ or equivalent real-time systems languages.

Nice to have

• Experience with vehicle dynamics, vehicle control systems, avionics, or automotive software integration.
• Familiarity with simulation-based validation, hardware-in-the-loop testing, or digital twins.
• Experience with airborne hardware, embedded Linux, or real-time operating systems.
• Published research or substantial open-source contributions in autonomy, robotics, or machine learning.
• Pilot's license or hands-on aircraft operations experience.

Culture & Benefits

• Startup environment focused on innovation, entrepreneurship, and teamwork.
• Health, dental, and life insurance, unlimited vacation, and a 401(k) with company match.
• Professional development support and work/life integration.
• On-site catered lunches, snacks, and beverages.
• Visa sponsorship and visa transfers are not available; applicants must already be authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship now or in the future.

Hiring process

• Employment is contingent on passing background and reference checks.
• New hires must verify identity and U.S. work eligibility.