VP of Engineering

Company

Soaring Technologies is a leader in developing drones that save lives and transform logistics management globally, including applications in military operations. The company’s innovative team is dedicated to shaping the future of drone technology and making a significant impact. Soaring Technologies offers the opportunity to contribute to critical military and humanitarian missions worldwide, be part of a culture that values creativity and pushes boundaries, work in a collaborative environment with a passionate team dedicated to excellence, and develop skills in a supportive and dynamic setting.

Role

Salary – Range $220k-275k

As an Engineering Executive, your core responsibility is to maintain and enhance the functionality and performance of our drone technology. You will be engaged in various tasks, including meticulous mechanical and electrical designs critical to operating our unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Additionally, you will lead the development and deployment of specialized firmware and software, ensuring that all systems are calibrated and functioning within their operational specifications.

This position requires a hands-on approach to developing the engineering team, establishing product roadmaps, and formalizing protocols to verify and validate product requirements. You will be instrumental in implementing best practices and procedures that align with the company’s overarching objectives. The role encourages a collaborative spirit, necessitating effective teamwork and communication to aid in strategizing, task execution, and process standardization. The aim is to achieve excellence in UAV operations, emphasizing reliability, safety, and technical innovation.

Core competencies & responsibilities

Design and Development

  • Hands-on experience with designing, assembling, calibrating, and using complex opto-mechanical systems, including design for reliability and manufacturing.
  • Strong experience in developing and optimizing embedded controls and subsystems, including FPGA design, VHDL, firmware optimization, signal/image processing, real-time data processing, and proficiency in C and C++.
  • Experience leading engineering teams to refine mechanical designs for enhanced UAV performance and reliability.
  • Prior exposure to high-precision, high-throughput industrial designs for material handling, metrology, process automation, and/or industrial software automation applications is a plus, especially in high-volume manufacturing environments.
  • Create and modify simulation models to predict UAV performance under various conditions and identify potential improvements.
  • Assist in developing and implementing best practices and standard operating procedures for drone development & maintenance.
  • Design and implement test equipment setups to validate the functionality of UAV components and systems.

Leadership and Management

  • Manage a team that designs, develops, troubleshoots, and debugs software programs for IDCS/OIM. This team is the go-to team for all aspects of maintenance, starting with resolving software bugs, managing software delivery, and working on customer escalations.
  • Experienced in developing engineering roadmaps and communicating technology strategies to partners and investors.
  • Develop technical aspects of the company’s strategy to ensure alignment with its business goals.
  • Provide technical guidance and support to other team members, fostering a collaborative work environment.
  • Monitor KPIs to assess technological performance.
Testing and Maintenance
  • Conduct RAMS analyses, including Reliability (system modeling and predictions, failure analysis, equipment performance evaluations), Maintainability (system modeling and predictions, maintenance
    planning), Safety (Hazard Analyses, Failure Modes, Effects and Criticality Analyses (FMECA), Fault Tree Analyses, hazard monitoring, and reduction).
  • Experience designing and executing test plans and feasibility studies, including sensitivity analyses, and using the results of those analyses to inform future product designs, e.g., quantifying a prototype’s sensitivity to certain environmental disturbances and creating a mechanical design that mitigates the effects of those disturbances.
  • Conduct regular maintenance and troubleshooting of drone mechanical and electrical systems to ensure operational readiness.
  • Support the assembly and disassembly of drones, including precision alignment and calibration of sensors and flight systems.
  • Document maintenance actions, tests, and repair outcomes to maintain accurate records for each UAV in the fleet. Domain Expertise
  • Maintain up-to-date knowledge of UAV technology trends to aid in the continuous improvement of maintenance protocols.
  • Participate in continuous education and training initiatives to stay current with evolving UAV technologies and methodologies. qualifications
  • Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, aerospace engineering, or a related technical field.
  • Minimum 5 years of direct experience with UAVs or in a similar role involving mechanical and electrical systems.
  • 10+ years of experience in metrology, advanced sensing, electrical and/or optical systems engineering. Past example experiences may include advanced visual inspection systems, electron optics, SEM, lasers, LiDAR, optical modeling, and simulation, etc.
  • Five years experience in high-performing teams, integrators, and service providers
  • Five years of Broad IT experience: i.e., Applications Development, Project and Portfolio Management Office (PMO), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), and Organizational Change management
  • Two years of experience in Amazon Web Services (AWS) or Azure cloud solution implementation (both SAAS and PAAS) and cloud migration. SAP implementation experience (e.g., ERP, Customer, S/4 HANA) or equivalent.
  • DevSecOps (Development, Security, & Operations): Strong understanding of automation and security concepts and processes (e.g., test automation, code coverage, DevSecOps, Continuous Integration / Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) pipelines, etc.), and ability to drive the integration of development, operations, and security into enterprise software development.
  • Proficient in the use of computer-aided design (CAD) software for creating mechanical designs and simulations, familiarity with programming and diagnostic software relevant to UAV operation (such as Raspberry Pi / Arduino), and maintenance.
  • Strong understanding of UAV mechanical systems and components, expertise in electronic circuitry and troubleshooting electrical systems, and ability to use a wide range of testing instruments and tools effectively.
  • RC-Benchmark, Brushless DC Motors (BLDC), Low-Voltage Differential Signaling (LVDS), Universal Asynchronous Receiver-Transmitter (UART), MIPI, Battery Management and Battery Charging Systems

Preferred Skills:

  • Certifications related to UAV operation or maintenance, experience with remote sensing technology and telemetry systems.
  • Experience bringing products through CE, UL, and/or FCC (Federal Communication Commission) certification.
Job Category: Engineering Executive
Job Type: Full Time | Day
Job Location: El Segundo | CA

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