---
title: 'Senior Aviation Cyber Certification Engineer at Merlin Labs'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-aviation-cyber-certification-engineer-merlin-labs-boston-sw9ktzynsnzd'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-12'
---

# Senior Aviation Cyber Certification Engineer at Merlin Labs

- **Company:** Merlin Labs
- **Location:** Boston, MA
- **Compensation:** $165k–$220k
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** hybrid
- **Posted:** 2026-10-06
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-12
- **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/merlinlabs/06ceb486-0d3a-4621-97a4-c30107a8ae07

## Job description

Merlin (NASDAQ: MRLN) is a publicly traded aerospace and defense company building a non-human pilot to deliver full-stack autonomy for any aircraft from takeoff to touchdown. The Merlin Pilot autonomy system powers a growing range of aircraft and mission profiles and has been proven through hundreds of autonomous flights from Merlin's global flight test facilities, including Kerikeri, New Zealand; Smithfield, Rhode Island; and soon, Bedford, Massachusetts. Headquartered in Boston, Merlin is expanding its organization to accelerate the development and deployment of its autonomy platform, helping customers solve some of aviation's most pressing challenges, from pilot shortages to improving flight safety. Backed by some of the world's leading investors prior to its public listing, Merlin continues to advance the certification and commercialization of autonomous flight across commercial and defense aviation.

About You: You have hands-on experience navigating airworthiness security certification on a civil aviation program. You understand how DO-326A/ED-202A, ARP4754B, and DO-356A/ED-203A apply to certification programs, and you've built or contributed to a Plan for Security Aspects of Certification (PSecAC) or equivalent artifact where no process existed before. You know how to show compliance to applicable requirements for FAA/EASA or a Designated Engineering Representative (DER) approval.

Merlin Labs builds autonomous aviation systems for demanding defense customers, and we are establishing the civil side of our aviation cyber certification capability as our program portfolio grows. This is a foundational role: you will build the processes, procedures, and documentation that carry Merlin's civil aviation cyber certification work, working with minimal supervision and closely with our Information Systems Security team on the military airworthiness side. If you have a builder's, 0-to-1 mentality and want to own how Merlin approaches aviation cybersecurity certification, this is the role.

Responsibilities:

- Establish civil aviation cyber certification discipline: define the processes, procedures, templates, and artifact structure needed to support airworthiness security certification as civil aviation programs come online.
- Lead airworthiness security activities aligned to DO-326A/ED-202A and ARP4754B, including threat and security risk identification, and develop the Plan for Security Aspects of Certification (PSecAC), supporting Security Development Plan, and PSecAC Summary.
- Perform aircraft, system, and item-level security risk assessments per DO-356A/ED-203A, and develop the certification evidence — security risk assessments, verification results, and compliance data — required to support the security aspects of certification.
- Serve as technical point of contact with the FAA (and other applicable certification authorities or their designated representatives) on cybersecurity certification deliverables and activities for civil aviation programs.
- Partners with systems, software, and safety engineering teams to embed airworthiness security requirements into design and development early, and coordinate security certification activities with the broader certification schedule.
- Own the security certification documentation set — security plans, risk assessments, compliance matrices, and means-of-compliance packages — and maintain configuration control as programs move through certification milestones.
- Validate and build on the aviation cyber certification-related work already performed by the Lead Engineer, Information Systems Security — including authorization artifacts such as test reports supporting military airworthiness efforts — and serve as Merlin's dedicated subject-matter expert for aviation cyber certification across both military and civil programs.

Qualifications:

- Bachelor's degree with 6-9 years of cybersecurity or systems security engineering experience, including direct experience on civil aviation airworthiness security or certification programs.
- Direct experience applying DO-326A/ED-202A, ARP4754B, and DO-356A/ED-203A on an aircraft or system certification program.
- Experience interfacing with the FAA, EASA, or other certification authorities (directly or through a DER/ODA Unit Member (UM)) on the security aspects of a type certification or supplemental type certification (STC) program.
- Demonstrated ability to build certification processes, procedures, and documentation from the ground up in the absence of existing infrastructure.
- Proven ability to work independently with minimal supervision while coordinating across systems, software, safety, and program management teams.

Nice to Have:

- Working knowledge of systems security engineering practices (e.g., RMF, vulnerability assessment, DISA STIGs), given crossover with Merlin's defense-side security engineering work.
- Background in aerospace, avionics, autonomous systems, or another safety-critical engineering domain where security requirements intersect with airworthiness and safety certification (e.g., familiarity with ARP4761 safety assessment processes).
- U.S. citizenship and eligibility to obtain a security clearance, given crossover with Merlin's defense programs.
- Experience mentoring engineers on security requirements or building out a security engineering function/team as a program or company scales.
- Familiarity with DoD cyber authorization efforts, including Interim Authorization to Test (IATT) and Authorization to Operate (ATO) processes.

Logistics:

- We welcome remote applicants for this role, with a preference for candidates based in or willing to relocate to Boston, MA for a hybrid work schedule at our HQ.

Merlin Labs offers an innovative, entrepreneurial, and team-focused startup environment. We also offer a top-notch benefits package (health, dental, life, flexible paid time off, and 401k with match) and work/life integration. Being part of the Merlin team allows you to become part of a small team that supports professional development while working together to achieve our mission.

Merlin Labs is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, genetic information, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, military service or obligation or disability status, or any other characteristic protected by law. All job offers are contingent upon the candidate passing background and reference checks.

At this time, we are unable to provide visa sponsorship or consider candidates who require visa transfers. Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States without the need for visa sponsorship now or in the future.

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire.

If you require reasonable accommodation in completing an application, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please direct your inquiries to: people@merlinlabs.com

Merlin Labs does not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than directly from candidates.

## About Merlin Labs

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Merlin Labs is a U.S.-based developer of takeoff-to-touchdown autonomy software for military and civil aircraft, building the operating system of record for autonomous flight.
- **Entity Type**: Public (Nasdaq: MRLN) – went public via SPAC merger with Inflection Point Acquisition Corp IV in 2026.
- **Headquarters**: Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- **Founded**: 2019
- **Founders**: Matthew George (CEO)

## Core Business
- **Primary industries**: Aerospace & Defense, Autonomous Aviation, AI Software
- **Target customers**: Military (U.S. Special Operations Command, Air Force), civil aviation operators, aircraft OEMs
- **Mission**: To provide safe, reliable autonomy that extends the capabilities of existing fleets and unlocks next-generation missions, forging the next 100 years of American aviation.

## Products & Services
- **[Merlin Pilot](https://merlinlabs.com/)**: An aircraft-agnostic, AI-powered software platform for autonomous flight from takeoff to touchdown. Designed to adapt to any plane in operation today and in the future.
- **[Condor](https://merlinlabs.com/)**: A product family for large, multi-crew aircraft, announced in 2026, targeting high-capacity military and cargo platforms.
- **Prime Contract with USSOCOM**: Merlin is partnering with U.S. Special Operations Command to bring autonomy to the C-130J fleet, extending operational range for high-frequency routes.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation / Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed as of the latest filings. Total cumulative funding (including IPO) is **$704.3M**.
- **Key Metric**: **Revenue** – $2.194M in Q2 FY2026 (quarter ended June 30, 2026) per SEC 10-Q filing. The company is still in high-growth, pre-profit stage (Net Income: -$58.4M in Q2). **Employees** – 145 as of mid-2026, growing 26.7% YoY.
- **Notable Investors / Partners**: First Round Capital (seed lead), Inflection Point Acquisition Corp IV (SPAC sponsor), U.S. Special Operations Command (customer/partner), Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand (regulatory partner).
- **Growth Signals**:
  - Over 100 hours of autonomous flight across test facilities in the U.S. and New Zealand.
  - Completed Critical Design Review for the C-130J program with USSOCOM.
  - Achieved Stage of Involvement 3 (SOI 3) from the New Zealand CAA for the Merlin Pilot’s Flight Control Computer and Automated Communication System.
  - First autonomous landing of a conventional fixed-wing aircraft at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh (July 2026).
  - Acquired EpiSys Science (EpiSci) in 2024 to bolster AI/autonomy capabilities.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Aircraft-agnostic platform**: The Merlin Pilot is designed to work with any aircraft, reducing integration complexity for customers.
- **Proven autonomy**: Hundreds of hours of autonomous flight, including military-grade operations, de-risking adoption.
- **Regulatory leadership**: Early approvals from the New Zealand CAA (Part 146 Design Organization certificate, SOI 3) pave the way for commercial certification.
- **Prime military contracts**: Direct relationship with USSOCOM for the C-130J program provides a strong revenue and credibility anchor.
- **Talent density**: Engineers from top aerospace firms (Collins Aerospace, Lockheed Martin, Sikorsky, Aurora Flight Sciences) and a strong culture of safety and innovation.

## Strategic Focus
- **Scale the C-130J program**: Move from CDR to production and deployment with USSOCOM.
- **Expand Condor product line**: Target large, multi-crew aircraft for both military and civil markets.
- **Achieve commercial certification**: Continue working with regulators (FAA, EASA, CAA) to certify the Merlin Pilot for commercial operations.
- **Grow government and defense contracts**: Leverage the public listing and existing relationships to win additional programs.
- **Hire aggressively**: Open roles in AI, autonomy software, systems engineering, program management, and business development (22 active openings as of Sept 2026).

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: “Breaking new ground at 10,000 ft” – collaborative, respectful, and tangible work that is “in use and progressing rapidly.” High morale driven by real-world impact.
- **Work Models**: Hybrid and on-site roles available. Primary locations: Boston, MA (HQ); North Kingstown, RI; Kerikeri, New Zealand; and Washington, DC.
- **Notable Perks**: Work on one of aviation’s hardest problems with a team that includes alumni from top aerospace and defense companies. Employees have delegated authority from the regulator to approve certain aircraft design changes, empowering engineers. The company prioritizes safety and partners with best-in-class aerospace players.
- **Engineering Culture**: Strong emphasis on AI, autonomy, and software engineering. The engineering team is 39% of the workforce, with senior and specialist roles heavily represented. Open roles include Staff Software Engineer (AI Foundation Model), Autonomy Software Engineer, and Lead AI Dataloop Engineer.

## Sources
1. [Merlin Labs – Company Page](https://merlinlabs.com/company/)
2. [Merlin Labs – Homepage](https://merlinlabs.com/)
3. [Merlin Labs – Careers Page](https://merlinlabs.com/careers/)
4. [Merlin Labs – Open Roles on Lever](https://jobs.lever.co/merlinlabs)
5. [Merlin Labs – LinkedIn Page](https://www.linkedin.com/company/merlinlabs)
6. [SEC Filing – FY2026 Q2 10-Q](https://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?action=getcompany&CIK=0002028707) (via Apollo data reference)

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