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Merlin Labs (NASDAQ: MRLN) is a publicly traded aerospace and defense company developing autonomous flight systems. The company is building a non-human pilot to deliver full-stack autonomy for aircraft from takeoff to touchdown, with hundreds of autonomous flights already completed from global test facilities in New Zealand, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts.
You will establish and lead Merlin's civil aviation cyber certification discipline from the ground up. This is a foundational 0-to-1 role where you will define the processes, procedures, templates, and artifact structures needed to support airworthiness security certification as civil aviation programs come online.
Key responsibilities include:
- Establish civil aviation cyber certification discipline by defining processes, procedures, templates, and artifact structures for airworthiness security certification
- Lead airworthiness security activities aligned to DO-326A/ED-202A and ARP4754B, including threat and security risk identification
- 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
- Develop certification evidence including security risk assessments, verification results, and compliance data
- Serve as technical point of contact with the FAA and other certification authorities on cybersecurity certification deliverables
- Partner with systems, software, and safety engineering teams to embed airworthiness security requirements into design and development
- Own the security certification documentation set and maintain configuration control through certification milestones
- Validate and build on existing aviation cyber certification work and serve as subject-matter expert across military and civil programs
You will work with minimal supervision and closely with the Information Systems Security team on the military airworthiness side. This role requires a builder's mentality and the ability to own how Merlin approaches aviation cybersecurity certification.
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) 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 haves:
- Working knowledge of systems security engineering practices (RMF, vulnerability assessment, DISA STIGs)
- Background in aerospace, avionics, autonomous systems, or safety-critical engineering domains
- U.S. citizenship and eligibility to obtain a security clearance
- Experience mentoring engineers on security requirements or building out a security engineering function
- Familiarity with DoD cyber authorization efforts (IATT, ATO processes)
Note: U.S. work authorization required; visa sponsorship not available.
